Research and Policy
Since 2004, Excelencia has been the national leader in developing strategic research guided by the experiences and realities of today's Latino and other post-traditional students to inform action by community and institutional leaders and policy makers that facilitates institutional change.
Excelencia uses a Latino lens to bring to the forefront what we know about Latino student success, what works to improve it, and what decision makers can do.
Excelencia in Education’s Policy Priorities: 2025
Now is a pivotal moment for our country, our students, and our institutions of higher education. Higher education remains a key driver of economic growth, civic engagement, and social mobility. For Latino students—and all students—to achieve economic prosperity, institutional, state, and federal policies must center on their realities: their needs, educational pathways, and contributions to the country’s workforce and economy.
Excelencia’s policy agenda advocates for accelerating Latino student success to close gaps in degree attainment based on the current profile of Latinos in higher education. Four policy issues were continually raised among leading institutions committed to supporting Latino student success: 1) workforce, 2) institutional capacity, 3) college affordability, and 4) retention and transfer.
Research Library
Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement and informing educational policies with a Latino lens. Since the organization’s founding, Excelencia has been the leading information source on Latinos in higher education, making our research and policy priorities available for the public to inform and compel action on Latino enrollment, completion, and workforce nationally.
Find information on Latinos and education pathways, financial aid, institutional practices, student success, workforce, HSI related research, and more.
Refine your search of Excelencia’s research by using the filters on the right.
ALASS: Accelerating Latino Student Success at Texas Border Institutions: Possibilities and Challenges
September 2008
The report examines enrollment and graduation trends at eight Texas institutions, highlights promising programs and strategies for serving Latino students, and offers policy recommendations for improving success rates for the state's Latino students.
Modeling Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): Campus Practices That Work for Latino Students
May 2008
This brief summarizes institutional practices from 12 top-ranked Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) working to improve student access, retention, and the academic achievement of their students overall and of Latino students in particular.
Voces: A Profile of Today's Latino College Students
November 2007
This publication provides a synthesis of national data and the perspectives of Latino students speaking in their own voices about how they and their families view college affordability and opportunity. This brief is part of Excelencia's Higher Education's Capacity and Affordability for Latino Students project supported by Lumina and offers policy makers and institutional leaders new information to better serve this generation of Latino college goers.
Choosing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): A Closer Look at Latino Students' College Choices
July 2007
This brief examines Latino students' college choices. While Latino students may not be aware of the HSI designation, they are in fact converting existing colleges and institutions into HSIs simply as a function of their own decisions-a trend that shows signs of continuing for several more years.