Covid-19 impacts Latino college enrollment, leads to decrease in number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions

 

POSTED ON Apr 04, 2022

 

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and Excelencia in Education (Excelencia) have jointly announced the release of the 2020-21 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) list.

For more than five years, Excelencia and HACU have worked in cooperation to identify the institutions that meet the definition of an HSI and inform the higher education community committed to ensuring Latino student success.

In 2020-21, there were 559 institutions that met the definition of an HSI, compared to 569 in 2019-20. This drop represents a decrease in the enrollment and concentration of Hispanic students in colleges and universities around the country.

“Enrollment numbers from the pandemic’s first year reveal the severe impact COVID-19 has had on higher education institutions and students,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “While the number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions decreased, the rapid growth in the number of Emerging HSIs highlights the growing population of Hispanics who are pursuing higher education across the nation unlike any time before.”

HSIs are defined in federal legislation as having 25% or more undergraduate Hispanic student full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. In 2020-21, 18% of all institutions of higher education (559 HSIs) enrolled 66% of all Latino undergraduates.

“Latinos were projected, prior to the pandemic, to represent the largest growth in college enrollment,” said Deborah A. Santiago, Excelencia in Education Co-founder and CEO. “The decrease in Latino college enrollment has led to this decrease in the number of HSIs and creates an increased urgency for institutional intentionality and public investment in HSIs to rebuild the momentum for Latino students’ access and success in higher education.”

In contrast, the number of Emerging HSIs (eHSIs)—colleges approaching the 25% Latino student enrollment threshold, showed significant growth from 362 to 393.

“Most HSIs will remain seriously challenged by inadequate resources to recover and retool as they strive to serve the surge of Hispanics and other underserved populations in the years ahead; we hope Congress and the Administration will invest more equitably in HSIs to ensure their success,” added Flores.