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 for student success in higher education.
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 while increasing all 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, and all, student success: 1) workforce, 2) institutional capacity, 3) college affordability, and 4) retention and transfer.
Applying a Latino lens to higher education policy and practice
Excelencia’s community understands and addresses contemporary higher education issues using a Latino lens. Read the latest perspectives on policies and practices impacting Latino, and all, student success from across the Excelencia network.
Research Library
Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education while increasing all student success 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.
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 while increasing all 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 amongst all served 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.
Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Health
March 2024
This brief identifies the top colleges and universities graduating and preparing Latinos in health, and highlights select evidence-based practices to increase Latino student success amongst all served 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.
Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent in Education
March 2024
This brief identifies the top colleges and universities graduating and preparing Latinos in education, and highlights select evidence-based practices to increase Latino student success amongst all served 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.
Finding Your Workforce: Latino Talent for a Global Economy
February 2024
This brief builds on 20 years of Excelencia in Education’s mission and steadfast focus to accelerate Latino student success while increasing all student success, identifying the top colleges and universities graduating and preparing Latinos for today’s global economy. In this brief, Excelencia also provides a roadmap for employers to tap into Latino talent and meet U.S. workforce needs.