The report expands knowledge about Texas Latino students while providing higher education institutions and policymakers across the country with actionable information to help more Latino students graduate. Stakeholders in Texas have diverse strategies to improve the pathways to college completion. However, too often discussion on transfer pathways…

The most selective institutions of higher education are recognized by their competitive admissions, low admittance rates, high cost to attend, and the prestige garnered from achievements of their alumni. Hispanics' graduation rates at the most selective institutions of higher education are higher than at less selective institutions. Yet, only 12…

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) enroll over 60 percent of Latino undergraduates and generally enroll a high enrollment of needy students with relatively limited resources. The federal government has funded the development of HSIs since 1995 to expand and enhance their capacity, quality, and the educational achievement of their Latinos and…

Drawing attention to the institutions graduating Latinos in postsecondary education links the college completion goals of the U.S. with the workforce needs of the country. This report provides a profile of the current Latino workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for 2012-13 (the most recent data publicly available),…

A fundamental premise for creating the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation assumes that a critical mass of students motivates an institution to change how it operates to better serve these students to degree attainment. Increasing Hispanic degree attainment is in the national interest, and programs created by public policy to support…

Latinos are the second largest student population enrolled in higher education and the majority are concentrated in a small number of institutions--Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Given the concentrated enrollment of Latinos at HSIs and the opportunity to increase Latinos' educational achievement, reviewing the link between capacity…

Most Latino students who enroll in college begin at community colleges. This paper highlights how "Excelencia" in Education ("Excelencia"), Single Stop USA, and innovative community colleges across the country are making smart changes in their student services that are helping thousands of Latino students access millions of…

Federal financial aid is critical to student access and success in postsecondary education for many students, including most Latinos. However, three current realities are challenging the effectiveness of federal financial aid policy today: (1) the inability of federal aid to keep pace with the increase in college costs for students; (2) the…

How does the country accelerate Latino student success in higher education? The U.S. has to find programs and strategies that improve the success of Latino students, and then replicate or scale up those programs and strategies to serve more students. Those are the basic principles behind "Excelencia" in Education's Growing What Works (GWW)…

In order to remain economically competitive, Florida's economy will require a more educated workforce than currently exists. In 2008, 37 percent of Floridians 25 to 64 years of age had earned an associate's degree or higher. Given that a large portion of the demographic growth in Florida through 2030 will be Hispanic, the state's economic…

Increasing college degree completion is an important goal. As Latino representation in U.S. higher education grows, a reality check of institutional practices that support Latino students' access, persistence, and graduation is needed. This brief examines financial aid strategies aimed at increasing enrollment, academic success and degree…

In today's knowledge driven economy a college degree is critical to the success of a competitive workforce. Yet in 2008, only 19 percent of Latinos, 29 percent of blacks, and 39 percent of whites 25 and over had earned an associate degree or higher. At a time when all students will have to accelerate success to meet national degree completion…

Today, the U. S. population includes approximately 50 million Latinos, more than double the figure reported in the 1990 Census. A heterogeneous group from many countries of origin, the Latino community includes recent immigrants and families who have lived here for generations. Despite these differences, current analyses document significant…

The focus of this brief is to reconcile "what we know" with "what we hear" to inform what we can do to address the realities facing Latino students in a manner integrated into the broader policy agenda and discussions in higher education. This brief takes stock of the current higher education environment and integrates the perspectives of elected…

Excelencia in Education aims to accelerate higher education success for Latino students by providing data-driven analysis of the educational status of Latino students, and by promoting education policies and institutional practices that support their academic achievement. This second brief of a three-part series on Hispanic-Serving Institutions…