Every year, Examples of Excelencia begins with a national call for nominations encouraging individuals and programs to share initiatives accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Excelencia in Education reviews all program profiles of those intentionally serving Latino students and, this year, identified 20 finalists using rigorous criteria. These programs intentionally serve Latino students at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels, as well as community-based organizations.

Excelencia in Education partnered with seven HSIs to continue exploring and examining the institutions' post-completion success efforts. This brief offers findings to enhance an institution’s interest and ability to invest in strategies to support students beyond completion, features institutional strategies and practices, shares lessons learned, and offers recommendations for action for institutions looking to scale up their post-completion success efforts. Learn more about how these seven HSIs recognize their role goes beyond completion by preparing students for the workforce, offering support to completers, and tracking completers after earning an educational credential at their institution.

What is included in Excelencia’s new release and how can I learn more using this analysis?

Access Excelencia’s lists of the 2020-21 HSIs, eHSIs, and gHSIs. 
Learn more from Excelencia’s summary of HSIs, eHSIs, and gHSIs in the HSIs Fact Sheet.
Visualize fast facts with Excelencia’s 2020-21 HSIs Infographic.
Explore the 2020-21 data on HSIs in Excelencia’s new interactive dashboard.
Learn more about the evolution of HSIs through Excelencia’s GIS StoryMap.

Seal of Excelencia 2021

In 2021, 10 trendsetting institutions earned the Seal of Excelencia certification and join a prestigious group of 14 Seal certified institutions in the county ensuring America’s future through their unwavering commitment to intentionally SERVE Latino students, while serving all.

The story of Excelencia in Education is one of intentionality and positive change. For 18 years, we have partnered with other trendsetting leaders across the country to accelerate Latino student success. We are now at a critical moment in history. Supporting and serving Latino students is crucial as a key to ensuring America’s future over the next decade. Cultivating Confianza: Excelencia in Education’s Trust-Based Approach to Latino Student Success frames how we can all work together to be more student-centered and achieve equity with a Latino lens.

During these challenging times, Excelencia in Education remains committed to Ensuring America’s Future by increasing Latino college completion. Excelencia’s most recent analysis of public data on enrollment, degree completion, and degree attainment show that Latino student enrollment and degree completion continues to increase. Yet to close the equity gap in degree completion, the United States requires a tactical plan to reach the Latino degree attainment goal of 6.2 million degrees earned by 2030. This plan must include strategies to help Latinos accelerate degree completion while supporting increased attainment for all students.

To close the national equity gap in degree attainment, Latinos will need to earn 6.2 million more degrees by 2030. Excelencia will help reach this goal by:

• Working with institutions to raise Latinos' degree attainment
• Informing and influencing educators and decision makers to increase Latinos' degree attainment
• Advancing evidence-based practices that support the success of Latino and other students