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.
How Latinos Pay for College: 2025 National Trends
March 2025
Latinos make informed and pragmatic choices to pay for college, and the institutions intentionally serving them are making strides to ensure the price of a college degree is affordable. The findings from this brief help inform the opportunities institutions and policymakers at the state and federal levels have to ensure a quality and affordable education.
2024 What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education
September 2024
For 20 years, Excelencia in Education has identified and promoted evidence-based practices increasing Latino student success. Since 2005 Excelencia has received over 2,000 program submissions for Examples of Excelencia, recognized over 400 programs for their impact, and raised and awarded over $2 million in funds to programs making a positive difference for Latino students across the country. Programs at the associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and community-based organization levels are recognized for their intentional and culturally relevant asset-based efforts.
Advancing What Works to Intentionally Serve Latino Students: Opportunities for Action - 2024
April 2024
This compilation includes 35 evidence-based programs improving higher educational achievement for Latino, and other, students, emphasizing cultural responsiveness and asset-based approaches in five areas. All programs have been recognized through Examples of Excelencia, the only national data-driven effort to recognize and promote programs increasing Latino student success in higher education.
Latinos in Higher Education: 2024 Compilation of Fast Facts
April 2024
Excelencia’s latest analysis builds on previous compilations of fact sheets to provide a detailed profile on Latino students and the institutions where they choose to enroll to inform policy and mobilize action. For 20 years, Excelencia in Education has led the way through innovative, collaborative, and actionable efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education throughout the United States. The fact sheets included in this compilation illustrate these efforts and inform Excelencia’s four policy priorities: affordability, institutional capacity, retention and transfer, and workforce preparation.
Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
March 2024
This brief identifies the top colleges and universities graduating and preparing Latinos in STEM, and highlights select evidence-based practices to increase Latino student success in these disciplines. It also calls on employers to establish common cause with institutions by providing strategies for institutions and employers to link Latino graduates to the workforce.