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.
Latino College Enrollment: Past, Current, and Projections
April 2022
Latino student college enrollment had been growing at an accelerated pace for more than 20 years, but in 2020 dropped significantly despite previous projections of continued growth. In this fact sheet, Excelencia provides a summary of past, current, and projected Latino student enrollment.
Higher Education in Puerto Rico: Conditions and Context Influencing Institutional Resilience
May 2021
Our publication, Higher Education in Puerto Rico: Conditions and Context Influencing Institutional Resilience, is an environmental scan of colleges and universities in Puerto Rico to better understand the current context that institutions are having to manage their resilience and efforts to better serve their Latino and all students.
Tapping Latino Talent: How HSIs are Preparing Latino Students for the Workforce
July 2020
Excelencia in Education collaborated with practitioners at four trendsetting HSIs and their employer partners to learn how they are preparing their students to enter into the workforce and remain competitive. Institutions who know who they are serving, like the ones featured in this report, can adapt to serve their students best - especially in challenging times.