Seal of Excelencia Certified Institutions

Certified: 2023-2026

Angelo State University (ASU) is located in the middle of Texas and serves over 9,000 students, of whom 37% are Latino. Since becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2009, Angelo State has worked on becoming Hispanic SERVING through a multipronged approach to remove barriers, increase access, facilitate and enhance the college experience, and promote a culture of belonging.

INTENTIONALLY SERVING FROM ACCESS TO COMPLETION

Facilitating college access for Latinos. Working with over 62 high schools across Texas, ASU facilitates college access to Hispanic, rural, and other historically marginalized students. About 33% of ASU’s enrollment includes dual credit students (3,700 students) and 43% of them are first-generation Hispanics. The dual credit program has also contributed to ASU’s increase in Hispanic undergraduate enrollment because the graduates from partnering high schools enroll at ASU. The dual credit program also improves Hispanic student retention. Hispanic first-year retention was 59% prior to dual credit, and increased in 2022 to 71% after implementation.

Removing barriers to transfer. In 2019, Angelo State University expanded efforts to remove barriers for transfer students who were experiencing a loss of transfer credits. The university removed a required minor to allow for more elective credits and flexibility for transfer students to apply courses. This also promoted earlier graduation. Of the transfer students coming in with over 30 semester credit hours, the transfer 2-year graduation rate in 2016 was 46%. With institutional changes, ASUs 2-year transfer graduation rate is 59%. In 2022-2023, Hispanic transfer retention is 78%, higher than the overall transfers at 73%. With higher two-year graduation rates, transfer students also experience a lower overall cost of attendance and less debt by graduating sooner, contributing to ASU’s goal of having students graduate with as little debt as possible.

Recertified: 2022-2025

ASU, a Hispanic serving research university with campuses across Arizona, serves over 100,000 undergraduates and just over 25% of students are Latino.

Prioritizing transfer students and faculty to increase Latino student success

Prioritizing faculty: ASU is leveraging two internal associations supported by the President–the Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association and the Faculty Women of Color Caucus–to provide social and professional support to Latino faculty members. These powerful connection opportunities have led to an increase in the number of full-time and part-time Latino faculty over the last 5 years by 23% and 21% respectively, Further, currently 12% of the institution’s academic chairs and directors are Latino. Along with complementary efforts in each academic college to designate a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead to spearhead initiatives that support faculty training in inclusive pedagogy, ASU is intentionally focusing on the recruitment, retention, and overall representation of Latino faculty.

Prioritizing transfer: In Fall 2020, ASU launched MyPath2ASU, a guaranteed transfer admission program with integrated transfer tools and pathway guides, to enhance the experience of transfer-intending students. MyPath2ASU responds to a significant growth in the number of Latino transfer students, a population at ASU that has increased by 46% over the last 5 years compared to an overall enrollment increase of 29% over the same period. ASU has developed 400+ tailored degree pathways, including admission into the student's major of choice, for students with transfer credit from 70 institutions, two-thirds of which are Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Recertified: 2022-2025

ACC serves over 35,000 undergraduates, of which nearly 40% are Latino, across 11 campuses in central Texas.

Redesigning gateway courses and advising to retain Latino and all students

Redesigning gateway courses: ACC scaffolded efforts to increase the students’ pass rate in high-enrollment gateway courses, which serve as critical benchmarks for degree completion, informed by internal survey data indicating Latinos’ sense of belonging impacted course completion. ACC has redesigned over 200 online high-risk courses–gateway courses with less than a 70% pass rate–to include embedded tutoring, and early data indicate that the pass rate for Latino students in these courses has increased by 20%. In tandem, multiple academic departments are providing professional development focused on equity-minded and inclusive classroom environments to 80 faculty who teach high-enrollment gateway courses, with the opportunity for these faculty to initiate a racial equity change effort in their Spring 2023 classes and assess the impact on withdrawals for Latino and all students.

Redesigning advising: ACC has adapted Guided Pathways to make significant investments in hiring student success guidance staff and, as a result, have drastically improved their student-to-advisor ratio. Prior to 2015, one advisor served 1000+ students, and, since 2019, one advisor now serves 150-350 students, depending on various case management approaches by student subgroups. More Latinos are now graduating from ACC, as evidenced by a 59% increase in credentials earned by Latinos compared to a 42% increase for all students over the last five years.

Recertified: 2022-2025

CSUCI, the only four-year public institution in Ventura County, California, serves nearly 7,000 undergraduates, 57% of whom are Latino.

Academic success programs and tools working together to individualize student support

Peer representation driving academic success: CSUCI created the ASSET (Academic Student Success Excellence Team) Scholars Program to enhance the success of first-year, first-generation, and open-to-exploring (undeclared major) students. About 85% of program participants are Latino, and the program incorporates a three-pronged familial environment of faculty, staff, and peer mentors to support students in overcoming academic barriers, exploring co-curricular opportunities, and connecting their coursework with their future goals. Supported by a 100% Latino group of peer mentors in 2020-21, ASSET scholars reported the highest increase in setting priorities to accomplish what is most important to them and establishing effective study schedules, among eight measures factors that contribute to academic success.

Degree planning driving academic success: Academic faculty and advising staff collaborated to launch a real-time digital degree planner, which has been shown to disproportionately support first-generation students with the knowledge that 78% of Latino students at CSUCI are first-generation. Incorporating this tool into new student orientation and advising meetings, now 72% of Latino, and all, students are actively utilizing the degree planner. This effort also established a framework for guiding institutional decision making; CSUCI has developed an infrastructure to maintain accurate degree maps and course availability, and academic leadership has integrated degree planner data to ensure that class scheduling is based on student demand rather than faculty preference.

Certified: 2024-2027

California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) is a public university located in Hayward. CSUEB caters to the diverse aspirations of its student population and is a transfer-oriented campus. Almost over 60% of its undergraduates were transfer students, and 36% of those are Latino. In Fall 2023, CSUEB enrolled 13,338 students with more than 41% of undergraduates identifying as Latino. The University is designated both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). 

INTENTIONALLY ACCELERATING LATINO STUDENT RETENTION AND COMPLETION 

Faculty development to boost first-year retention. The CSUEB Pathfinders Institute is dedicated to enhancing culturally relevant professional development for faculty teaching critical first-year courses through an intensive two-week program. The Institute includes a Peer Observation Program for faculty who teach freshman, which uniquely aligns faculty who teach the same students, rather than the same subjects. This approach shifts the focus from teaching methods to the student learning experience, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy among faculty as well as promoting a supportive and collaborative environment for faculty to gain insights into pedagogical approaches outside their expertise. The effectiveness of this faculty initiative for students in first-year learning communities demonstrates a 93% retention rate, significantly higher than the 78% rate for the general student population. The first-year retention rate for Latino students in the learning communities was 91%, surpassing the 78% retention rate among their Latino peers. 

Bolstering Latino transfer student completion. The Gaining Access 'N Academic Success (GANAS) Program is a transfer student strategic retention initiative designed to support Latino students’ transition to CSUEB and bolster degree completion. GANAS builds a sense of belonging through a one-year learning community that includes tailored seminars, counseling, and mentoring, followed by upper-division courses enriched with Latino cultural themes and taught predominantly by Latino faculty. Over the last seven years, GANAS has maintained an impressive retention rate of about 95%, outperforming CSUEB's average transfer rate of 85%. Moreover, the program boasts four-year graduation rates that consistently exceed those of other Latino transfer students (91% vs. 78% in 2022-23, and 85% vs. 78% in 2021-22). Recognized for its impact on Latino students, GANAS earned the Example of Excelencia designation in 2018, affirming its role in advancing CSUEB's retention and cultural inclusivity. Inspired by GANAS, CSUEB has transitioned to a similar model of intentional advising, ensuring consistent, non-transactional support through students’ academic paths.

Recertified: 2024-2027

California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is the largest 4-year institution in the San Joaquin Central Valley. Fresno State serves a four-county area with a total population of 1.76 million; overall 60-66% are Latino, African American, Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islanders. Fresno State’s journey as a nationally distinguished Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is one that uplifts evidence-based practices that are serving Latino students, faculty, and communities, while also acknowledging an ability to serve all historically marginalized groups.

INTENTIONALLY ADVANCING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS 

Creating educator pathways to serve local region. Enseñamos en el Valle Central is a collaborative educator pathways program with Fresno City (FCC) and Reedley Community College (RCC) that nurtures future Latino and educators of Color to serve bilingual students and communities across the region. Enseñamos provides culturally and linguistically relevant programing and curriculum for a pathway into teaching, implementing purposeful support and outreach with high school and community college students that leads to bachelor’s degrees and teaching credentials with bilingual authorizations in Spanish and Hmong. Since 2018, Enseñamos has served over 15,000 students; 76% were Latino. Bilingual educator enrollment and completions has increased at all three institutions between 2016-2023. Completion and transfers to Fresno State between 2017-2023 have similarly increased from 13 to 51 at FCC and 8 to 21 at RCC. Enseñamos has also led to increases in credential and bilingual authorizations at Fresno State from 14 to 105 between 2018 to 2023. Completions have similarly increased from 9 to 81 between 2019 to 2023. 

Ensuring access and opportunities to rural communities. Rural communities make up a significant portion of the Fresno State region and school-aged population served, particularly among Latinos. Fresno State is committed to making higher education affordable and accessible for all Latino students. Through the Bulldog Bound Rural Outreach efforts, Fresno State is intentionally serving rural communities that have historically not had strong feeder patterns into the university. Since its inception, Bulldog Bound has enlisted 36 school districts, the majority are rural communities in the region that predominantly serve Latino students. Fall 2024 data reveal that Bulldog Bound participants represented 9% (1,804) of all first-time freshman applicants to Fresno State and 74% (1,343) identified as Latin. This Latino representation is almost 10% higher than university-wide data for all Latino students, which is 65% of all first-time freshman applicants. Bulldog Bound has already had an impact on strengthening educational pathways for students in historically underrepresented regions with one rural district moving from being historically ranked very low in enrollment into Fresno State to second most high.

Recertified: 2024-2027

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) enrolls more than 39,000 students, of which 54% are Latino—an increase of 40% since 2016. The university prioritizes access to higher education, student success, service to the local region, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. CSUF was the No. 2 destination among California public institutions for community college transfer students in 2022-2023. 

CREATING THRIVING ENVIRONMENTS FOR LATION STUDENT SUCCES 

Increasing retention for Latino STEM transfer students. CSUF partners with nine community colleges in Project RAISE (Regional Alliance in STEM Education). Community College students are paired with CSUF faculty mentors for eight-week, immersive summer research experiences and present their research at a Summer Research Symposium. Students receive a $5,000 stipend for participating. Participants also receive priority registration at CSUF, customized orientation, meetings with peer advisers, support through the Transfer Resource Center, and opportunities to participate in internship and research preparation programs. CSUF has seen a 42% increase in Latino transfer students participating in RAISE and a 53% increase in Latino transfer student participants in good academic standing. RAISE students are in good academic standing after their first year at higher rates than nonparticipant peers (93% versus 88%). Retention of first-year, low-income Latino STEM transfers increased from 82% in 2021-2022 to 93% in 2022-2023. Four-year graduation rates have increased from 51% to 71% from the 2008 to the 2018 cohort. 

Professional development series improves recruitment and retention of Latino faculty. The Conducting Equitable and Inclusive Workshop Search Series provides search committees with best practices to recruit faculty from underrepresented backgrounds who understand CSUF’s values and the students it serves, many of whom are of Latino backgrounds. Workshop topics include: 1) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fundamentals: Focusing on Unconscious Bias; 2) Crafting an Equity-Minded Position Announcement; 3) Creating an Intentional Recruitment Plan; 4) Creating Equitable Evaluation Criteria and Interview Questions; and 4) Post-Selection Strategies. Since implementation, there has been an increase in Latino applicants and hires. From 2021 to 2024, faculty applicants overall increased by 7% and Latino faculty applicants increased by 15%. Similarly, the percentage of all faculty hired increased by 35% and Latino faculty hires increased by 50%. In 2022-2023, 10% of tenure-track faculty position applicants identified as Latino and increased to 12% in 2023-2024. The overall percentage of faculty hired who identify as Latino also increased from 17% in 2022-2023 to 26% in 2023-2024.

Certified: 2023-2026

California State University (CSU) Long Beach serves the counties of Los Angeles and Orange, enrolling 39,435 students. Of these 50% are Latinx and 49% are Pell Grant eligible and/or have first-generation low-income backgrounds. CSU Long Beach focuses on engaging students, expanding access, promoting intellectual achievement, building community, and cultivating resilience and has made great strides toward closing retention and graduation gaps.

USING DATA AND LEADERSHIP TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATION

Driving transformation with data. The Data Fellows program, comprised of teams from various colleges and units, enhances student success by using data to drive transformation. The program illuminates areas of success and areas for improvement and development to increase CSU Long Beach’s intentional support of Latinx students. The Data Fellows advocate for understanding how Latinx students experience CSU Long Beach and the impact of programs and success outcomes. The Data Fellows program developed a Data Literacy Workshop Series offered every semester to foster a data-driven decision-making culture across the university. All academic colleges have had Data Fellows. Since 2016, 55 teams have studied problems related to student success and wellbeing with disaggregated racial/ethnic analysis.

Serving Latinos through organizational change. Key to increasing the representation of Latinx faculty and staff at CSU Long Beach has been the support and advocacy of the Latinx Faculty & Staff Association (LFSA). LFSA is formally integrated into key processes impacting Latinx representation such as in formal meetings with campus finalists. Between 2018–2023, Latinx staff representation has increased from 33% to 38% and administrator representation has increased from 17% to 25%. In 2022, El Concilio for Latinx Success was created as a presidential commitment to Latinx faculty, staff, and student success. An early and significant achievement of El Concilio is the creation of the Latinx Intentionality-Rubric, used to assess the impact of programs and initiatives on Latinx students. In addition, El Concilio worked with Institutional Research to develop a public Latinx dashboard that includes data on the Seal of Excelencia framework areas to demonstrate CSU Long Beach’s intentionality to SERVE Latinx students, while serving all.

Certified: 2023-2026

California State University (CSU) Los Angeles, a Hispanic Serving Institution in East Los Angeles, serves approximately 27,000 students, 75% of whom are Latino, 55% first-generation college students, and 64% Pell Grant recipients. CSU Los Angeles is committed to the success of their Latino students and other students who have historically been underserved. Using data-informed and intentional strategies, CSU Los Angeles has closed the 4-year and 6-year graduation gap between Latino and other students.

ACCELERATING LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH PATHWAY PROGRAMS

Scaling evidence-based practices. CSU Los Angeles’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) supports first-generation, low-income students, of which 81% are Latino, to overcome social and economic barriers to higher education, from middle school through college completion. EOP coaches guide students through admissions, college transition, class registration, financial aid, college life skills, and any other matters important to the students. EOP also provides academic support, leadership development, and peer mentorship. In Fall 2021, first-time EOP Latino students retained at the same rate (74%) as the overall campus retention rate. The 6-year EOP Latino graduation rate is 55%, compared to 51% for the overall campus. CSU Los Angeles incorporated the EOP model into the university’s retention efforts for first and second-year students with this evidence of effectiveness and is closing retention and graduation gaps for all students.

Intentional programming addressing changing needs of Latino transfer students. CSU Los Angeles leverages more than 100 transfer articulation agreements, and a growing number of Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) in more areas of study, into an increasing number of guaranteed admissions in response to post-pandemic enrollment declines. The university compliments this with culturally affirming engagements, focusing on multiple support, services, and resources as well as balancing familial affairs and responsibilities with their college enrollment. CSU Los Angeles has achieved two- and four-year graduation rates of Latino transfer students that are higher than their white peers (42% 2-year Latino graduation rate compared to 41%; 83% 4-year Latino graduation rate compared to 80%). The expanded ADT offerings and intentional programming has resulted in high percentages of Latino ADT recipients and earned CSU Los Angeles recognition by the California State University System.

Certified: 2023-2026

In Fall 2022, California State University (CSU) Northridge enrolled about 36,000 students, of whom 57% identified as Latinx, over 70% as first-generation college students, and 60% from historically underrepresented groups, representative of the Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley racial and economic diversity they serve. CSU Northridge’s top priority is to shape an inclusive future as an HSI by leveraging the Seal of Excelencia’s core components of data, practice, and leadership. CSU Northridge is contributing to the national movement of intentionally serving Latinx students while serving all as the lead in the Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub, advancing CSUN’s institutional transformation and supporting HSIs CSU-wide and nationally.

LEVERAGING DATA, PRACTICE AND LEADERSHIP FOR INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Blueprint to intentionally serve Latinx students. CSU Northridge’s leadership launched an inclusive strategic planning process in 2021 that resulted in a blueprint for institutional change. Significant to serving Latinx students, the data-practice-leadership framework informed a systemic approach resulting in CSU Northridge’s Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) initiative that identified over 65 practices that demonstrated evidence of impacting Latinx students. By re-centering the campus culture, leveraging data, and reimagining student services, CSU Northridge has facilitated alignment between data, practice and leadership to guide its journey to move beyond enrolling to serving Latinx students while serving all.

Investing in equitable faculty hiring. CSU Northridge’s commitment to a diverse faculty reflective of its student body is demonstrated by the Equity in Faculty Hiring Initiative developed in 2021 that consists of six critical actions to establish equitable practices that promote diverse outcomes in faculty hiring. The six recommendations include creating a Recruitment and Hiring Toolkit, adopting an inclusive Recruitment Plan, expanding efforts to attract a diverse applicant pool, developing training modules for faculty searches, hiring Faculty Equity and Compliance Representatives, and appointing the Office of Equity and Diversity. Outcomes from the implementation of these actions include: two online training modules completed by 113 faculty search committee members; nine Faculty Equity and Compliance Review Officers hired to guide 41 faculty searches across 29 departments; development of tools to support equitable hiring practices, including a faculty recruitment/hiring toolkit; and an increased budget to advertise on race/ethnicity-based journals and publications. These efforts have resulted in increases in Latinx staff from 33% to 41% and Latinx Management from 17% to 19% between 2018-19 and 2022-2023.

Recertified: 2023-2026

California State University Sacramento (Sacramento State) serves over 28,000 undergraduate students, 39% of whom are Latino. An anchor university, Sacramento State has seen enrollment of full-time and part-time Latino students increase by 34% and 66%, respectively, from 2015-2023.

LATINO STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES INFORMING STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS

Intentional student course scheduling. In 2020, Sacramento State implemented the Hornet Launch program, which pre-enrolls first-time, first-year students in their first semester coursework. This approach to course scheduling allows students to enroll in classes they want and need the most, making course registration for classes more efficient. These schedules are based on freshmen’s survey responses of their education priorities and areas of interest, while taking into account Latino and all students’ responsibilities outside of their coursework. Sacramento State’s Latino student enrollment has continued to climb every year since Hornet Launch began. Furthermore, the program has erased previous gaps in number of credits enrolled during students’ first semester. In Fall 2021 and Fall 2022, the average course load for all students was 14.6 credits, while the average course load for Latino students was 14.5 credits in Fall 2021 and 14.6 credits in Fall 2022.

Sense of belonging through antiracism and inclusivity. Consistent with their Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan, Sacramento State sustains a network of campus centers to help Latino students establish a sense of belonging, moving beyond having just one designated space for Latinos on campus. These centers include the Dreamer Resource Center (DRC), the Serna Center, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Multi-Cultural Center, PRIDE Center, and Women’s Resource Center. They host campus-wide programming that enriches cultural identity and develops a sense of familia for Latino and all students, including the La Bienvenida annual welcome celebration, Farmworker Awareness Week, and the Chicanx/Latinx Recognition Ceremony. These programs are some of many factors that help achieve parity in retention outcomes. In 2022-23, Latino full-time students were retained at a rate of 80%, similar to 80% for all students, and Latino part-time students are retained at a rate of 54%, similar to 53% for all students.

Certified: 2024-2027

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is a regional comprehensive university located in one of California’s fastest growing and diverse areas. CSUSB’s diverse student body is 71% Latino, 79% first-generation, and 56% Pell recipients. With 90% of the undergraduates residing in the local counties of San Bernardino and Riverside, CSUSB is dedicated to defining the future for its Latino students and communities. 

MEETING THE FINANCIAL NEEDS OF LATINO STUDENTS 

Removing financial barriers to completion. As part of its efforts to meet the financial needs of Latino, and all, students, CSUSB provides tuition assistance for students close to graduation through its Graduation Initiative Grant (GIG). CSUSB invests in students who are on the cusp of graduation with GIG allowing them to attend during summer session to complete their graduation requirements. The intentionality behind GIG is that it removes a barrier to completion by supporting low-income students financially who must work in the summer. In 2022-2023, over 350 students were awarded close to $772,000 in Graduate Initiative Grants (GIG). Of the students awarded GIGs, 80% were Latino, leading to 1,154 Latino GIG recipients graduating from CSUSB over the last 5 years. 

Fundraising to support Latino student success. A key foundation of CSUSB’s student success pillar is to remove financial barriers for students. In 2021, CSUSB launched a blended fundraising campaign, “Our Defining Moment,” to raise funds from both philanthropic and research and sponsored programs for scholarship funding to support student success. The University Advancement and Financial Aid offices work collaboratively and intentionally to advertise scholarship opportunities in support of undocumented and Latino students. Private scholarship funding for CSUSB’s students has increased from $2 million in 2020 to nearly $2.2 million for 2024. The 2-year average of scholarship support to Latino students has increased by 9%, with awards totaling $2.7 million to Latino students between 2023 to 2024, compared to $2.4 million between 2021 to 2022.

Certified: 2024-2027

California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) is a regional university located in North San Diego County dedicated to serving nearly 16,000 students, of which 52% of undergraduates identify as Latino. CSUSM is committed to providing accessible, top-tier education to the Latino community and other underserved groups while addressing their unique needs. CSUSM prioritizes social mobility because it has a transformative impact on individuals, families, and communities, empowering students to unlock their full potential for lifelong success by overcoming barriers that may have hindered earlier generations. 

BUILDING THRIVING ENVIRONMENTS FOR LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS 

Increasing Latino representation in faculty, administration, and staff. CSUSM's inclusive hiring practices have increased Latino representation among faculty, administrators, and staff. Search committees are diverse with members undergoing diversity training to recognize biases and learn strategies for fair and equitable evaluations. All faculty and administrator searches must have a “DEI Advocate” who completes specialized training, ensuring committees uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. The holistic reviews of faculty candidates consider teaching effectiveness, community engagement, contributions to diverse, equity and inclusion, and experience working with underserved students. CSUSM monitors metrics including demographic composition of applicant pools, interviewees, and hires to identify areas for improvement and inform future hiring strategies. From AY 2020-21 to 2022-23, there were 74 faculty searches. There has been a notable increase in the number of Latinx faculty members, administrators, and staff. The number of full-time Latino faculty increased by 29%, Latino administrators by 8%, and Latino staff by 31%. 

Laying the foundation for Latino students’ academic journey to completion. CSUSM’s first-year experience seminar, GEL-101, lays the foundation for Latino students to succeed. GEL-101 builds social capital, helping establish relationships with peers, faculty, and resources. It also focuses on time management and study habits, crucial skills for handling higher-level courses and reaching graduation. The Career Center engages GEL-101 students in career-focused activities to link majors to careers early, helping to envision professional life after graduation. GEL-101 instructors attend CSUSM’s HSI Summit, gaining insights for serving Latinx students, and participate in a Validation Theory to pedagogy learning community. Latino students participating in GEL-101 had 6-year graduation rates higher than non-participants. In the Fall 2016 cohort of incoming first-year students, 55% of Latino GEL-101 students graduated within 6 years, compared to 32% of Latino non-participants and 39% of all non-participating students. Similarly, in the Fall 2017 cohort, the 6-year graduation rate for Latino GEL-101 participants was 53%, versus 39% of Latino non-participating students and 45% of all non-participating students.

Certified: 2024-2027

Cerritos College is a public, two-year community college located in Norwalk, in Southeastern Los Angeles County. Cerritos serves approximately 31,000 students annually with 70% identifying as Latino. In service of community needs, Cerritos College’s degree and certificate programs deliver measurable value with associate degree graduates experiencing an average annual earnings boost of nearly $11,000 while career technical education certificate earners see a 60% hourly wage increase. 

FOSTERING LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH INTENTIONAL SUPPORT 

Removing housing barriers for Latino students. Cerritos College is addressing the affordable housing crisis that affects Latino student success. In 2020, Cerritos opened The Village, California's first community college housing development exclusively for students facing homelessness, after a student survey found that 15% of respondents had experienced homelessness in the previous year. The Village is located near campus and provides wraparound services including case management, counseling, and tutoring. Since 2020, almost 60% of Village residents have been Latino and have completed their degree or certificate programs in an average of 3.4 years, compared to the collegewide average of 5.2 years. Additionally, 14% of Latino Village residents transferred to four-year institutions, exceeding the collegewide transfer rate of 10%. Cerritos is scaling this evidence-based practice with a $68 million investment in future on-campus student housing to accommodate almost 400 students and feature communal kitchens, study spaces, and private offices for case managers, mental health specialists, and tutors to meet with students. 

Mentoring and tutoring support for Latino student retention and completion. Cerritos College launched its Academic Support Keys (ASK) program in 2020 to assist students who did not pass transfer-level math or English on their first attempt. ASK pairs each student with a personal success mentor, a trained subject-area tutor providing academic and holistic support, that meets individually with their mentees at least twice a week. Mentors review course concepts, help with homework, model and promote positive study and time management habits, and connect mentees to appropriate campus resources. The ASK program serves almost 800 students each year. In 2023-2024, Latinos comprised 75% of ASK participants. The fall-to-spring retention rate for Latino ASK participants is 86%, compared to 76% for Latino non-participants. Similarly, the fall-to-fall retention rate for Latino ASK participants is 67%, compared to 59% for Latino non-participants. Additionally, 76% of ASK participants, including 64% of Latino participants, pass transfer-level math compared to the overall pass rate of 45%. Seventy-eight percent of ASK participants, including 70% of Latino participants, pass transfer-level English, compared to the 54% overall pass rate. On average, ASK participants complete their certificate or degree programs in 3.5 years, compared to 5.2 years collegewide.

Recertified: 2022-2025

EPCC serves nearly 25,000 undergraduates, of which over 85% are Latino, across five campuses in El Paso County, Texas.

Integrating inclusive environments and pathways to close equity gaps

Inclusive environments: When EPCC analyzed data and learned that more than two of every five students are also parents, it set out to strategically nurture a culture of care and inclusiveness. Since 2021, EPCC has tapped into a variety of funding resources to coordinate childcare, food pantries, lactation stations, mental health centers, and financial support beyond financial aid, and it will soon offer Family Resource Centers at each of its five campuses. Coupled with efforts to dismantle policies that limit children on campus and increase faculty/staff awareness of the needs of student parents, EPCC’s “Family Friendly College” has propelled EPCC to its highest completion rate for Latino students, nearly doubled from seven years ago.

Inclusive pathways: EPCC has adapted Guided Pathways to be inclusive to all students pursuing credentials, grounded in a multi-pronged approach of wrap-around student supports, program maps, differentiated advising strategies, and high-impact engagement activities. EPCC is building on its current high school and industry partnerships to offer 36 early college high schools and 18 P-TECH programs, both of which provide college credit and associate degree pathways for high school students, by Fall 2023. Currently about 84% of students are Latino. All EPCC students seeking an associate degree now complete their degree, on average, in just 3.9 years–improved from 5 years–and with 79 credits–improved from 103 credits–simultaneously decreasing students’ time to degree and cost of attendance.

Recertified: 2022-2025

FIU, a Hispanic serving research university, serves nearly 40,000 undergraduates, of which two-thirds are Latino, across several campuses in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Dismantling institutional and financial barriers to holistically support students to degree completion

Dismantling institutional barriers: FIU has invested in hiring additional staff to build on a strategy of high-touch student outreach, contacting students across the institution to support their retention and completion. This outreach team analyzes data to identify targeted populations of students, including Latinos, and help resolve issues related to re-enrollment, registration holds, incomplete grades, and graduation eligibility. Over 1,000 additional students–including 668 Latino students–have graduated as a direct result of these outreach efforts since 2020, and FIU has seen increases in their graduation rate for all students, including a 34% increase in its four-year graduation rate for Latino students over a five-year period.

Dismantling financial barriers: FIU scaled its strategies to provide timely financial support to Latino and all students, building an infrastructure to deliver retention-focused emergency aid and seeking additional donations and institutional funds to increase its budget for completion grants. Given that 74% of FIU Pell grant recipients are Latino, multiple FIU offices, like the Financial Wellness Program, coordinated a coaching model that accounts for the impact of financial emergencies, like students’ ability to enroll in and pay for courses. From 2020-2021, FIU saw a 62% decrease in the number of Latino students dropped from their courses for nonpayment, and 98% of Latino completion grant recipients graduated within one year of receiving the grant.

Recertified: 2022-2025

GVSU, a public liberal arts university located in West Michigan, serves over 18,000 undergraduates, of which less than 10% are Latino.

Data-informed decision making to enroll and retain more Latino students

Strategic enrollment management: GVSU created a Latino Transformation Team and charged them with reviewing key data and identifying recruitment and retention efforts that intentionally serve Latino students as a pillar of their Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. Fourteen transformation teams, each with a focus on a distinct student population, collaborate with senior leadership to develop evidence-informed strategies that harness the strengths of Latino and all students. Reviewing its most recent year of available data, it is clear that GVSU has reaped the benefits of this cross-functional approach, awarding the highest number of degrees to Latinos in the institution’s history.

Mental health supports: In recent GVSU student surveys, data indicated that Latino students were unlikely to seek mental health services yet likely to experience stress, depression, and isolation. The University Counseling Center responded by structuring support groups for Latino students and DACA recipients, many of whom are Latino at GVSU, and hiring additional staff to develop robust resources and programming for Latino students and other students of color. These efforts, along with retention and financial aid efforts implemented with a Latino lens, have kept GVSU’s retention rate among Latino students consistent, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Certified: 2024-2027

Hartnell College’s main campus is in Salinas, California with a service area that spans about 90 miles through the heart of the Salinas Valley. Approximately 80% of the Salinas community identifies as Latino and 75% of residents speak Spanish as their primary language, with high poverty rates and low levels of educational attainment. Hartnell College addresses the needs of its Latino community and student population through a structural, programmatic, and community-focused approach, enrolling approximately 12,000 students annually, with 83% identifying as Latino and 75% enrolling part-time due to family and work obligations. 

MEETING STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE FOR POST-COMPLETION SUCCESS 

Creating pathways of success in the tech industry. Hartnell’s Computer Science in 3 (CSin3) is a partnership between CSU Monterey Bay and Hartnell College, and a part of a larger statewide Computing Talent Initiative designed to increase the number of computer science graduates. The program offers a pre-defined course pathway to earn a BS degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Software Engineering in 3 years. CSin3 is recognized for its cohort-based model and extensive student support which have improved transfer and graduation rates with an 85% transfer rate to CSUMB within just 1.5 years and a 68% graduation rate within three years. Since its inception in 2013, 80% of the students have been Latino and 80% of those Latino students graduated within 3 years. Additionally, 86% of graduates secure gainful employment within a year of completing the program.

Partnerships to equip students with knowledge, skills, and workforce experience. The STEM Internship Program, now in its eighteenth year, has led to a new college-wide internship program for all majors. The STEM Internship Program offers students hands-on experience in their chosen fields through partnerships with local businesses. Internships help students apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges and build professional networks. To support underserved Latino students and those with full-time jobs, 25-hour faculty-led research projects (micro-internships) were established as were 65-75-hour paid nano-internships, led by faculty or industry professionals. These serve as steppingstones to full-time 8 to 10-week external internships. Over 80% of interns are Latino, reflecting the college's demographics. From 2016 to 2023, 67% of interns transferred to 4-year colleges, 54% earned their Associate of Science degrees, and 16% remained enrolled at Hartnell College. Building on this success, in 2023-2024, a new college-wide internship program was launched to extend these opportunities to all students. Interns in 2023-2024 were 93% Latino and 44% were female, aligning with Hartnell’s student demographics.

Recertified: 2023-2026

Long Beach City College (LBCC) is the fourth-largest community college in California, serving nearly 24,000 undergraduate students. In 2023, over half (56%) of their students served were Latino, compared to 36% in 2010.

LINKING FIRST-YEAR ENROLLMENT AND COURSE SUCCESS METRICS TO INTENTIONALLY SERVE

Multi-tiered partnership strategy for first-year enrollment. LBCC serves Latino students through enrollment with systemic and interpersonal approaches. The Long Beach College Promise is a partnership among Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), LBCC, and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), wherein partners work as one system to help students transition between institutions. At LBCC, this means that eligible students can attend tuition-free for their first year. To complement this financial incentive, LBCC has increased direct student support offered to LBUSD students. For example, in five high schools with high proportions of Latino students, LBCC is implementing a case management approach to enrollment, as well as piloting a compulsory college application process for graduating seniors. The combination of these strategies has contributed to a 25% increase since 2019 in the number of Latino students from LBUSD who enroll at LBCC immediately following high school graduation.

Course success rates as a proxy for retention. LBCC is ensuring that faculty and staff play a pivotal role in retention efforts. Academic departments and campus leadership review course success data annually, with an intentional focus on Latino student outcomes. Faculty also participate in communities of practice, which offer spaces to engage in dialogue around the improvement of students’ course success outcomes, as well as strategic professional development opportunities in equitable grading, trauma-informed student support, and culturally responsive curriculum approaches. Faculty and staff ensure that students participate in embedded tutoring, learning communities, and programs like LBCC’s First-Year Experience. Latino participants in First-Year Experience are over three-times more likely to complete transfer-level math and English compared to Latinos who do not participate.  

Certified: 2022-2025

Mercy University has cultivated roots in the community by offering an affordable, high-quality education with well-designed supports to help Latino students succeed. Mercy is the largest private HSI in the region, enrolling 5,860 undergraduates, and 42% identify as Latino. Mercy also leads among private HSIs nationally in awarding bachelor's degrees to Latinos for 2019-20.

Community connections and personalized programs increase student success

Strengthening retention through personalization: Closing equity gaps has been a top strategic priority since 2008. The Personalized Achievement Contract (PACT) Program plays a key role in this strategy by providing a pathway to graduation with mentoring and support in areas like registration, advising, career exploration, and financial literacy. PACT employs nearly 50 mentors, including Mercy alumni, Spanish-speakers, first-generation college graduates, and individuals with experience in the student's field of study. In 2018, the retention rate for Latino, first-time in college, full-time students was 77%, up from 60% before the implementation of PACT. A 15% retention gap for Latino students at Mercy was eliminated by 2019.

STEM mentorship increases GPA and retention: The STEM mentoring program is one of a host of specialized programs that work for Latino students by providing individualized attention with resources and mentoring programs to help students stay on track and succeed. The program emphasizes a growth mindset and integrates support between first-year STEM students and their peers, professional advisors, and faculty. In Fall 2021, Latino program participants averaged a 3.2 GPA, comparable to the program’s overall average, and higher than that of both Latino non-participants (2.7 GPA) and overall non-participants (2.8 GPA). The retention rate for Latinos in the STEM mentoring program from Fall 2020-Spring 2022 was 93%, compared to 81% for Latinos who did not participate. The average term-to-term retention rate for mentored students is 90%, compared to 73%-83% for non-mentored students.

Certified: 2023-2026

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) is a public comprehensive university offering a relevant, rigorous and innovative education in the heart of downtown Denver. The university serves 17,000 students of all ages and backgrounds with more than 90 majors and 10 graduate programs. MSU Denver, the most diverse institution in the state, serves 15,682 undergraduates, of which 95% are from Colorado and 54% are students of color, including 36% Latinx.

CREATING CLASSROOMS WHERE LATINO STUDENTS THRIVE

Supporting faculty development to serve Latinx students. MSU Denver provides professional development opportunities in culturally responsive teaching that prioritize serving Latinx students and the institutional community to reinforce the vital role that faculty and staff play in creating an inclusive and supportive environment for Latinx students. Partnering with entities like ESCALA and ACUE, MSU Denver focuses on enhancing teaching practices and cultural responsiveness and the use of evidence-based teaching practices to drive student engagement, retention, and learning. To date, a total of 137 instructors, five cohorts, have engaged with the ACUE programming, consisting of 70% white and 11% Latino.

Faculty mentoring increasing Latino student retention. The MSU Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program employs students in roles that connect them with a faculty member in their field of study to support teaching and learning in the classroom. TAs gain personally and professionally from mentoring and training opportunities. Students in TA-supported courses also gain from engaging with and learning from a more advanced peer, who can better relate to their challenges. MSU Denver intentionally selects TAs to reflect the general student population, with 24%-36% of all TAs identifying as Latino between Fall 2020 and Spring 2023. Latino student retention in TA-supported courses increased from 69% to 76% between Fall 2020 and Spring 2022, compared to university-wide retention from 66% to 69%, and overall Latino retention from 65% to 69% for the same period. Initially implemented with specialized funding during the pandemic, MSU Denver has institutionalized the TA program to continue increasing Latino, and all, student retention.

Recertified: 2024-2027

Miami Dade College (MDC) consists of eight campuses and multiple outreach centers in Miami-Dade County in Florida. MDC serves a percentage of Hispanic students that is slightly higher than the 70% of Hispanic residents that reside in the county— enrolling 74,937 credit-seeking students, 77% of whom are Hispanic. MDC students are 58% first-generation college students, 68% identified as low-income, 63% attend college part-time, and 73% work while attending college. 

SUPPORTING LATINO STUDENTS TO COMPLETION AND BEYOND 

Advising model improves Latino student retention. MDC’s goal is to help students develop a sense of belonging; this positively impacts retention while providing a variety of student support services to help their diverse Latino population succeed. Credit-seeking students at MDC are assigned an advisor who helps with career exploration, academic plan development and progress, and identifying support (e.g., librarians or tutors) for course success. The advisor also assists with graduation and transfer preparation including selecting a university, preparing to transition, budgeting, and financial aid and scholarship assistance. The implementation of the new advisement model resulted in an increase of 6% in fall-to-fall retention for full-time students and an increase of 9% increase for part-time students. Latino full-time students continue to have higher retention rates with a 79% retention rate in 2021-22 and a 75% retention rate in 2022-23. Retention rates for all part-time students has increased to 54% and 55% for Latino part-time students, from 45% and 47%, respectively, in 2021-22. 

Increasing completion rates with stackable credentials. MDC students can earn a credential (e.g., a College Credit or Career Technical Certificate) in their first year of enrollment and use that credential to find employment while continuing enrollment towards an AA or AS degree, eventually leading to a baccalaureate degree. The 72 college credit certificates, 35 career technical certificates, 49 industry certifications, 65 associate in science degrees, and 17 baccalaureate degrees that MDC offers can be stacked to create coherent academic and career pathways with multiple entry and exit points for its Latino, and all, students. MDC’s Stackable Credentials Model has increased completion rates for all students. In 2016-17, more than 1,200 students, 89% of which were Latino, completed a credit certification. In 2022-23, more than 8,000 students, 78% of which are Latino, completed a credit certification. This model has resulted in an increase of Latino completers from 848 in 2016-17 to 6,408 in 2022-23.

Certified: 2023-2026

Phoenix College’s student population of approximately 10,000 represents the diversity of the state of Arizona with 56% Latino students, 76% underrepresented minorities, and 66% first-generation college goers. By preparing students for university transfer and providing career and technical education, Phoenix College serves as a gateway to higher education and plays a central role in the economic vitality and workforce development of the state.

REMOVING BARRIERS TO COLLEGE AND CAREERS

Engaging students and families for college access and completion. Intentional contact with families throughout the program means multiple generations are learning about higher education and how to navigate the challenges to and through college. Phoenix College’s Achieving College Education (ACE) program uses intensive and intentional strategies to assist underserved and at-risk students transition from high school to community college and to a university. ACE’s success is based on providing cohort classes, a bilingual staff, and required student and family activities designed to remove barriers such as financial aid, tax preparation, and career workshops. Families are also responsible for completing 10 hours per term of workshops and meetings with ACE staff and faculty. The program currently serves 447 students, 86% of whom are Latino, 59% Latina, and 85% first-generation college goers. ACE has a 99% graduation rate.

Increasing Latino representation in STEM.

Phoenix College’s course-based undergraduate research (CURE) equips Latino students with critical research experience in STEM fields, facilitating transfer to and success at a 4-year institution. Through CURE, Phoenix College is ensuring that their Latino STEM students have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, usually inaccessible to community college students. In addition to gains in science identity, communication skills, and self-efficacy, CUREs are impactful in supporting students across a number of student outcomes including persistence in science, increasing transfer rates to STEM degrees at 4-year universities, completion, and entry into STEM careers. More than 700 students have participated in CURE since Fall 2019. Nearly 61% of students are Latino. Latino CURE completers transfer to 4-year universities at almost double the rate of peers not completing a CURE (67% versus 35%). Given CURE’s success in Latino transfer and completion, Phoenix College has expanded the program to include other majors in both STEM and non-STEM pathways.

Certified: 2024-2027

Pima Community College (PCC) is located just one-hour north of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tucson, Arizona. The PCC student population reflects 49% Latino, of which 66% attend part-time and 33% attend full-time. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution dedicated to fostering pathways to high-skill, high-wage jobs, PCC has undertaken a strategic approach to align their educational offerings with the needs of the local labor market, presenting significant opportunities for social and economic mobility, particularly to its Latino community. 

SERVING LATINO STUDENTS WITH EXCELLENCE AND INCLUSIVITY 

Building cultural wealth and success skills of Latino males. The MoCAP program aims to build and increase Men of Color (MoC) students’ cultural community wealth and vital student success skills, expanding support across the entire student’s experience at PCC. Using a relationship-rich and strength-based holistic coaching style, MoCAP aids in dismantling barriers and stigmas that many MoC face in higher education, leveraging various forms of capital -navigational, social, familial, aspirational, resistance, and linguistic - to support their academic preparation, personal growth, community engagement, and career readiness. Services are delivered through one-on-one coaching sessions, referrals to campus allies, and presentations from internal and external resources and services. MoCAP allows participants to foster a sense of community and build brotherhood amongst themselves and staff. Two leading indicators demonstrate MoCAP’s impact on PCC Latino students. Latino MoCAP students are less likely to have the lowest term GPA (8 %) than their Latino non—participating peers (20%). There is also a 20% increase in MoCAP Latino students attending full-time compared to non-participating students (57% versus 36%). 

Fostering thriving classrooms for Latino student success. PCC is increasing retention rates of Latino, and all, students by embedding tutors in challenging courses like IT, math, and science. These classrooms foster supportive and collaborative environments, encouraging persistence and resilience aligned to PCC’s Culture of Care. The embedded tutors provide immediate, personalized assistance that helps students grasp difficult concepts, enhance their problem-solving skills, and remain engaged in the learning process. This practice has impacted retention rates by increasing productive grade rates (grades between A-C) for Latino students in the classes with embedded tutors. In Fall 2022, Latino students in classes with embedded tutors had a 71% productive grade rate compared to 69% for Latinos in classes with no embedded tutors. In Spring 2023, the productive grade rates for Latinos in classes with embedded tutors was 78% compared to 71% of Latinos in non-embedded classes. In Summer 2023, the productive grade rate for Latino students in classes with embedded tutors was 80% compared to a productive grade rate of 76% for Latinos enrolled in classes without embedded tutors.

Certified: 2023-2026

Richard J. Daley College (Daley College) serves over 8,000 students annually with 4,823 enrolled in credit programs, 2,832 enrolled in adult education courses, and 626 enrolled in continuing education. Latinos represent 77% of students. Daley College empowers its diverse community through innovative, high-quality and affordable education in a supportive, inclusive, and equitable environment for life-long learning.

INTENTIONAL PROGRAMMING TO SERVE LATINO STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS

Responding to Latino community workforce and health needs. Daley College’s Community Health Worker program is a partnership with area community health organizations increasing the number of Spanish-speaking certified community health workers in Chicago. In partnership with Enlace Chicago in 2018, Daley developed an English/Spanish college-level basic certificate for Community Health Worker that offers wrap around services to students in cohorts, resulting in high retention rates. Three cohorts have completed the program as of Summer 2022 with a retention and completion rate of 95% and all students identifying as Latinos. Recognizing this evidence-based practice, the Latino Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Alliance added Daley College as a sub-awardee on a Health Resources and Services Administration grant to train 165 community members over 3 years. Out of 83 organizations awarded, Daley is one of a few training Latinos in a bilingual format. Daley College continues to grow the Community Health Worker program, addressing community needs in both workforce and access to healthcare.

Facilitating seamless transitions for Latino economic mobility. Daley College’s Adult Education Bridge Program is a powerful force in empowering Latino and female students to achieve their career aspirations by facilitating a seamless transition of adult education students, GED and English-language learners into college credit programs. With an enrollment of 70% Latino and 75% female, the program effectively addresses its participants' diverse needs and interests, specifically in Manufacturing, Early Childhood Education, and Health Science. The program's growth of 30% in the last fiscal year, coupled with an impressive 90% persistence rate, highlights its effectiveness in serving students with guidance and support in their native language and in a cultural context. Daley College’s Gateway program further supports Latino students financially by providing 50% tuition scholarships to high school equivalency and ESL students. Daley College is intentionally addressing educational and financial barriers through its intentional programming to foster improved economic mobility for its Latino, and all, students.

Certified: 2022-2025

SAC is a 2-year, public HSI located in San Antonio, Texas, a city of 1.45 million of which 65% are Hispanic. SAC meets student and employer needs by providing: 1) an affordable, high-quality education for students seeking a BA through a transfer program, and 2) career-focused continuing education for students pursuing entry into the workforce.

Cultivating success through proactive advising and transfer pathways

Cultivating success through advising: SAC’s AlamoADVISE is a proactive advising model creating opportunities for students to earn a credential and transfer to a 4-year institution in less time with a lower financial burden. The model is based on intentional conversations between students, faculty, and staff aimed at supporting the achievement of students’ educational and career goals. Key to this personalized model is a case management approach that includes a comprehensive 60-hour training component, ensuring a consistent student advising experience while decreasing the advisor to student ratio to an institutional low of 1:350. Students file an academic plan and mission statement in their first semester. Students receive advising support to stay on track and maintain momentum towards completion. Since the implementation of AlamoADVISE, the retention rate for full-time Hispanic students has increased by 5%. Pre-pandemic, gains in fall-to-fall persistence went from 65% in 2015-16 to 68% in 2019-20. SAC combines this proactive advising model with other holistic support services to create a strong foundation for more intentionally supporting the journey to completion.

Cultivating success through transfer pathways: SAC’s AlamoINSTITUTES and Transfer Advising Guides (TAG) guide students through certificates or associate degrees and facilitate the transition to a 4-year institution or employment. AlamoINSTITUTES, derived from Guided Pathways, map out six distinct career pathways with related academic programs. The TAG within each AlamoINSTITUTES provides a roadmap that specifies the applicability of SAC courses to university degree plans. The information they provide helps students minimize loss of credits in the transfer process and are important tools for advisors and faculty mentors to monitor student progress and support degree completion. The AlamoINSTITUTES along with TAGs have helped reduce time-to-degree from nearly 5 years in 2017 to almost 4 years in 2021 for many of their Hispanic students. Additionally, in 2021, the average cumulative credit hours earned for a 60-hour degree was 70, compared to a state average of 80. Further, SAC's 6-year transfer rate for the 2015 cohort was 33%, up from 23% for the 2009 cohort.

Recertified: 2024-2027

San Diego State University (SDSU) has continued its commitment to intentionally serve Latino students and the Latino community through focused areas of effort—a cornerstone to its 2020-2025 strategic plan. SDSU serves more than 33,000 students with 35% of the students identifying as Latino. Of these, more than 50% are eligible for the federal Pell grant. SDSU stands out as one of the nation's premier Hispanic-Serving, Hispanic-Thriving research universities. 

INTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND CARE FOR LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS 

Targeted Engagement of Latino Transfer Students. Campus partners at SDSU collaborate to implement recruitment activities that target and effectively engaged Latino transfer prospective students and families. These activities include the Adelante Tours, a campus tour dedicated to learning more about Latinx/Chicanx student experience, and Descubriendo IV, a prospective student event to learn more about Imperial Valley Campus. Specifically for transfer students, SDSU offers Explore SDSU, Transfer Student Welcome Breakfast, Transfer Student Mixer, Transfer Student Allies Panel; all coordinated with offices across the entire university. These concerted efforts offer high-quality experiences for prospective and admitted students to intentionally coordinate tailored events to address the diverse incoming student population while showcasing SDSU’s vibrant campus community. With intentional outreach activities and increased engagement, SDSU has seen a more diverse transfer applicant pool, a common pathway for Latino students. For fall 2023, these efforts resulted in over 2,200 Latino transfer students enrolling, 46% of the incoming transfer class. 

Coordinated Comprehensive Care for Latino Retention. SDSU has implemented a comprehensive, coordinated care model to drive undergraduate student success, with a particular focus on serving its traditionally underserved populations. The approach includes coordinated proactive wraparound services such as academic advising, robust mental health and wellness resources, peer mentoring programs, and academic support. Each first-year student is assigned a coordinated care advisor during their first two years at SDSU to ensure navigational and developmental support with embedded cultural competence to ensure they effectively meet the unique needs of Latino students. Through this effort, SDSU Latino students are achieving higher retention rates compared to national averages. In the Fall 2022 cohort, 6,573 first-time freshmen participated in the Coordinated Care Initiative, 30% of whom were Latino, and 4,091 transfers, 49% Latino. SDSU retained 90% of Latino first-year students and 91% of Latino transfer students.

Certified: 2024-2027

San Francisco State University (SFSU) is a comprehensive, public, urban university serving six Bay Area Counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara). SUSU draws just over 60% of its students from these counties. As of fall 2023, Latino students represented 37% of SFSU’s student body. The SFSU student body has become increasingly more diverse, and the university has earned Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation in 2012 and Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation in 2016. 

CULTIVATING A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS 

Peer mentoring to build belonging for Latino incoming and transfer students. SFSU’s Peer2Peer matches incoming and transfer Latino, minoritized, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students with a trained continuing student mentor to ease the transition to SFSU, cultivate a sense of belonging, reduce summer melt, and increase retention and graduation rates with a focus of serving Latino students. The program began in the College of Health and Social Sciences. Based on the success of Peer2Peer, the program was scaled up in 2023 to include all transfer students. During 2023-2024, the number of mentees provided with a mentor increased to 3,216, 46% of whom were transfer students and 17% were Latino transfer students. Latino transfer students participating in Peer2Peer have higher first-year retention rates than non-participating Latino transfer students ranging up to 9%. 

Promoting belonging early through learning communities. The Metro College Success Program at SFSU promotes early belonging and increased access by channeling one-third of first-time, full-time students into a dynamic two-year learning community as part of the recruitment effort for Latino students. With a focus on serving historically underserved populations, Metro designed a two-year, scaffolded general education curriculum for repeated practice of core academic skills (critical thinking, math, writing, and communication skills), empowering students to thrive academically. By embedding learning in real-world challenges, Metro fosters a sense of agency to effect positive change in both the personal and societal spheres of participating students. Academic support center staff engage in recruitment efforts with a focus on enrolling Latino and other underrepresented minority students, increasing the enrollment yield of Latino students by cultivating an early sense of belonging and facilitating access to a college education. Yield rates for Latino students who applied to Metro were significantly higher (38%-57%) than the overall Latino yield (9%-12%).

Recertified: 2022-2025

STC serves nearly 30,000 undergraduates, of which 95% are Latino, across nine locations in the Rio Grande Valley.

Increasing enrollment and completion through differentiated customer service models

Differentiated enrollment fast tracks: STC redesigned its onboarding program to balance students’ need for a “one-stop” service model and institutional needs to more efficiently serve three distinct student types with three programs and strengthen Latino enrollment: 1) Dual Credit Fast Track propels dual credit high school students to complete the degree they started in high school, 2) Senior Fast Track 2.0 empowers graduating high school seniors to take ownership of their educational pathway, and, 3) Back on Track reengages students who have paused their enrollment. Through partnership efforts externally with local high schools and internally across various departments, STC staff work collaboratively to recruit, advise, and register several thousand students, all with customized activities aligned to each student type, and have contributed to STC’s 2021-22 Latino enrollment bouncing back from a dip in 2020-21.

Differentiated student communication: STC’s new Enrollment Management Plan centers on (re)engaging the over 140,000 Latino adults in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. By Fall 2023, STC will integrate and align enrollment and student services to serve the enrollment and completion needs of three adult learner populations: first-time-in-college, stop-outs, and those enrolled in continuing education programs. As 71% of all STC students are part-time, this new approach to enrollment management will create a seamless enrollment process for Latino adults with targeted recruitment communications, customized enrollment support, and virtual support to meet the unique needs of Latino adults who face time constraints due to family and work commitments.

Certified: 2023-2026

St. Edward’s University (St. Edward’s) is a private university in Austin, Texas that enrolls 2,766 undergraduate students, of whom 51% are Latino, and 40% are Pell Grant recipients. St. Edward’s was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, from which it acquired distinguishing characteristics: the courage to take risks, an international perspective and the commitment to provide educational opportunities for students of varied cultural, religious, educational and economic backgrounds.

DELIVERING ON THEIR MISSION

Using data for evidence-based action. At St. Edward’s, on-demand Student Success Tableau data dashboards facilitate real time tracking of how initiatives are impacting Latino, and all, students. St. Edward’s dashboards inform senior leadership at the macro level and faculty and staff at an operational level to more intentionally serve their Latino, and all, students. The dashboards enable data-informed decisions by including multiple student variables to disaggregate data and help identify equity gaps that inform Latino student success. For example, if students are falling behind academically or are experiencing barriers to registration, staff use the dashboards to identify each student and intervene. St. Edward’s can also readily identify evidence-based practices that work for Latino students to scale and to incorporate into other university initiatives.

Seamless pathways and connections. St. Edward’s Transfer Success Team implements a centralized advising-coaching model that provides holistic support focused on individualized on-boarding and advising, coordinated communication, building community, and career readiness, all of which foster engagement. Students begin their transfer process with a required Success Coach meeting, including collaborative assessment of earned hours to optimize transfer credits towards degree completion. Transfers are also connected with Career Coaches, to launch students toward advanced experiential learning opportunities and gain knowledge of services, and with Student Financial Services’ Advisors to prepare them fiscally for their time at St. Edward’s. Over the last five years the transfer one-year retention rate for Latino students increased to 90% and to 86% for all students. As a result of this success, this advising-coaching model has been scaled to serve all first-year students as well.

Certified: 2024-2027

Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a small, diverse community that values personal interactions, with the mission to deliver quality undergraduate and graduate education. SRSU is a Hispanic-serving public institution located in Alpine, Texas with instructional sites along the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde, serving 13 counties as the only public university. SRSU has a 97% acceptance rate with 68% of its students being Latino.

MEETING LATINO STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE AND SUPPORTING THEIR RETENTION 

Increasing Latino student retention in the classroom. The SRSU Connecting with Students for Success Program recognizes that the classroom is the single most important location for students to build relationships and feel connections throughout their journeys to graduation. Faculty participating may teach first year, sophomore, junior and/or senior courses, so students in those courses continue to experience the four transforming practices: 1) Learn students’ names early, 2) Provide actionable feedback on assignments, 3) Hold high standards and offer support, and 4) Schedule individual conferences with students. More than 50% of the program participants have been Latino each year. The Connecting with Students for Success program has resulted in greater retention of Latino, and all, students, exceeding SRSU’s target retention rate of 55%. Overall retention of students participating in the program in 2022-23 is 63% vs. 62% for Latinos, and in 2023-24, overall is 86% and 87% for Latinos. 

Academically supporting Latino student retention. SRSU seeks to help students persist by supporting tutoring services across different media and platforms. The Tutoring and Learning Center (TLC) offers in-person tutoring for students needing assistance with writing, math, or science. The Online Writing Center (OWC) offers both asynchronous and synchronous tutoring flexibility for students needing help with anything related to reading, research, and writing. Graduate-level tutors provide personalized sessions geared towards specific needs and goals. To better support remote and distance education students, SRSU is expanding tutoring services with an online 24/7 service in both English and Spanish. SRSU found that students who engaged with the TLC have increasing retention rates, 58% in 2020-2021 to 65% in 2023-2024. The retention rate for Latino students was much higher with 70% in 2020, 66% in 2021, 52% in 2022, and 79% in 2023. In 2022-2023, the OWC assisted 42 students, 21 of which were Latino. This number doubled in 2023-2024 with 78 student participants, 44 of which were Latino. This has garnered a 57% retention rate for all students and 67% for Latino students in 2023-2024.

Certified: 2022-2025

TXST, serving 37,800 students, 40% of which are Hispanic, understands that fostering a familia culture increases sense of belonging and is essential to retention and an inclusive campus climate. The university goes beyond celebrating its HSI identity through culturally relevant curriculum and programming.

Wrap-around services for 1st-year success and completion

Comprehensive supports increase grad rates: Understanding the significant difference a college degree makes in the life of Latino students, their family, and community, TXST’s comprehensive approach to college completion includes: (a) multifaceted support and retention efforts, (b) intentional support to address financial barriers and loan debt, and (c) re-engaging students temporarily stopped out. Efforts have resulted in an 83% increase in degrees awarded from 2013 to 2021. Bachelor's degrees increased 98% in the same period. By 2019, TXST was among the top 3 Texas universities to award bachelor's degrees to Latino students in more than 50 degree programs. Based on 2014 6-year graduation rates, TXST has the second highest 6-year Latino graduation rate of Seal of Excelencia certified institutions in Texas.

Wrap-around support for completion: TXST’s PACE program assigns a team of individuals (an academic advisor, a peer mentor, and a success coach) to assist students with the academic and social transition to college. Using a data-informed approach to identify Latino students who would most benefit from the program is a way for TXST to center student learning as the foundation for success at the institution. Program data indicates that between 2016 and 2020, 77% of Latinos who attended academic advising their first year were retained, compared to only 62% for Latino students who did not attend. Peer mentoring through the program is also making a difference. Of Latinos who received peer mentoring during the same period, 78% were retained compared to 66% of Latino non-participants.

Certified: 2023-2026

Texas Woman’s University (TWU), the nation’s first woman-focused university system, enrolls 10,150 undergraduate students, of whom 34% are Latino students and 56% are Pell Grant recipients. TWU’s academic and student life missions together is the overarching vision of a university experience that develops the whole person. Built on the cornerstones of experiential learning and leadership development, TWU aims to graduate thriving individuals who have a strong sense of community, health, prosperity, and purpose.

COMMITMENT TO IDENTIFYING AND INVESTING IN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES

Disaggregating data to inform and predict. TWU has built a centralized Office of Institutional Research and Data Management that advances its capability to quickly and accurately make data-informed decisions and to feed baseline data into predictive modeling that helps evaluate potential practices and policy before implementation. This effort has impacted the success of Latinx students, connecting previously siloed student data, from intake to outcomes data as well as faculty data and even housing data. Through data disaggregating, TWU has learned such things as the communication types that work best for Latinx students in navigating pre-registration cycles. Disaggregating financial aid data has helped TWU uncover gaps between Latinx and non-Latinx students raising awareness of the reasons for the gaps and leading to the implementation of practices such as targeted scholarships. The commitment to identifying interventions through data disaggregation is a regular component of TWU’s day-to-day integration of data into the university’s strategies, policies, and practices that intentionally promote Latinx success.

Financial support to increase access and completion. TWU increases college access for Latinx students through a coordinated financial support strategy that addresses cost, lowers indebtedness, and shortens time to degree. TWU disaggregated data shows that lack of financial resources impedes Latinx enrollment, especially for those families living far from campus. To overcome this barrier, TWU employs a strategy that balances merit and need-based aid. TWU offers a merit scholarship based on school performance, not test scores. Additionally, a companion scholarship (Boldly Go) is awarded based on distance to TWU, overcoming the barrier travel imposes for Latinx families. TWU also provides the Zero Tuition Guarantee program for first time in-college and transfer students receiving a Pell Grant that covers 100% of tuition and fees. The tuition guarantee program impacts every Pell Grant recipient, currently 56% of the undergraduate population, of which 43% are Latinx students. In May 2023, 43% of undergraduate students (38% Latinx) graduating had no debt.

Certified: 2022-2025

UTA is committed to creating strong pathways to higher education for Latino students by operationalizing access in multiple ways. The growing Latino undergraduate population, which has increased 20% in the past five years, now totals 10,992 students and represents UTA’s largest undergraduate ethnic group. UTA’s efforts to ensure Latino educational success earning bachelor’s degrees has increased 34% over the past five years.

Creating success pathways to and through UTA

Success pathways to UTA: UTA’s commitment to establishing Latino student success pathways to higher education is evident in its efforts through 16 GoCenters, Bound for Success, and the Maverick Transfer Pathway. Together, these programs have contributed to the large increase in UTA’s Latino population from 2016-2021: 1) GoCenters serve 22 largely underserved high schools utilizing 31 UTA student mentors (47% Hispanic) providing students with information and support with test preparation, applying to college, and navigating financial aid. Between Fall 2020-Summer 2021, over 10,000 students, 6,338 Hispanic, and 1,677 parents were assisted; 2) Bound for Success places counselors in partner school districts, offers unconditional admission to the top 30% graduates, and provides college preparation and financial aid workshops throughout the year. In 2020-21, the program served 1,349 students, 73% identified as Latino; and 3) The Maverick Transfer Pathway increases transfer student success by providing course credit equivalencies to degree plans and by enhancing their ability to complete advising and registration. The Pathway has provided more than 550 customized degree audits. 603 Latino students have used the portal and 87 have enrolled.

Success pathways to completion: The Success with Academic Timeliness (SWAT) initiative aims to increase graduation rates by focusing on students with 90+ earned credit hours. The initiative leverages expanded machine learning analytics to generate insights and predictions on students’ likelihood to earn a credential. The process includes working with advisors to review degree maps, forecasting potential issues, and taking a proactive approach to assist students with timely degree completion. Outreach to students identifies other barriers impeding completion. From 2018-2021, within the targeted group, Latinos represented 27% and 30% of each graduation cohort respectively. During the same timeframe, the 4-year and 6-year graduation rates for Latino students increased 4% and 3%, respectively. In 2020-21, the institution conferred a record number of degrees (14,338).

Recertified: 2023-2026

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) is a Hispanic serving research university that serves over 40,000 undergraduate students, 27% of whom are Latino. UT has seen year-over-year increases in Latino student enrollment, both in raw numbers and as a percentage of overall enrollment, from 2015-2023.

INSTITUTIONALIZING SERVING THROUGH LEADERSHIP BUY-IN AND INVESTMENT

Uniting a large university strategy through HSI committees. UT launched an HSI Transition Committee in 2019 with several goals, one of which was to foster an inclusive and supportive campus environment poised to serve an increasingly diverse student population. In Fall 2021, the HSI Transition Committee produced a report outlining recommendations UT could take to support Latino students, staff, and faculty. These recommendations were incorporated and aligned to UT’s 10-year strategic plan and its strategic direction for an equitable and inclusive campus. The President then created and funded a Presidential HSI Steering Committee whose charge is to work across campus stakeholders to implement the initiatives and strategies outlined by the Transition Committee. The Steering Committee continues the commitment of the university and its leadership to intentionally serve Latino students, and has even established a student advisory committee to deepen the communication and relationship with Latino students and community at UT.

Investing in academic units to SERVE with structured autonomy. UT provides designated funding to its 11 academic colleges and schools to implement retention-focused Student Success Initiatives (SSIs). These initiatives are designed based on college-specific data that identifies barriers for Latino and all students, like, for some academic programs, completing calculus within a student’s first year. In 2021-22, SSIs served a combined 2,193 Latino students, representing 56% of students. While implementation of these initiatives varies by college, this decentralized approach has yielded significant outcomes. Among first-time-in-college Latino students beginning at UT in Fall 2021, the College of Education lauded a 100% retention rate, and the McCombs School of Business increased its retention rate to 97%. UT will allot $2.4M across the colleges and schools in 2023 to scale and support these efforts, with funding distributed based on review of college-specific data of Latino, Black, and first-generation students.

Recertified: 2022-2025

UTEP, a Hispanic serving research university in El Paso, Texas, serves over 20,000 undergraduates of which about 85% are Latino. UTEP is the only open-access R1 university in the United States.

Community and data-informed strategies improving Latino student success

Connecting students to community: UTEP is reimagining its core curriculum courses to increase local relevance and engagement with the bicultural border community of El Paso County (84% Latino) as a strategy to increase retention of UTEP students (87% Latino). With the highest percentage of full-time Latino faculty among R1 universities (38% and growing), UTEP invested nearly $300,000 in 2021 on myriad efforts to incorporate community into the classroom, such as embedding a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) framework into course curricula, facilitating professional development for faculty on project-based learning and place-based learning, and engaging local experts and community partners in curriculum design. This strategy builds on UTEP’s approach to first-year student success, as retention rates for Latino students have consistently exceeded retention rates for all students since 2018.

Data-informed interventions: UTEP has spent significant time developing a metrics-based planning framework to identify actionable data. The Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP) tracks progress on key measures and develops tools that provide just-in-time data to campus units. One example of this, the Degree Completion Data Tool, allows academic colleges to track retention during the registration process and identify students who are eligible to re-enroll. The colleges then use this information to provide targeted interventions that help students overcome registration barriers. In Fall 2020, prior to slight dips during COVID, first-year retention and term-to-term retention reached historic highs of 77% and 85%, respectively, for first-time undergraduates including Latinos.

Recertified: 2023-2026

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Hispanic serving research university that serves nearly 30,000 undergraduate students, 61% of whom are Latino. UTSA is committed to becoming a Hispanic thriving institution, supporting the San Antonio community through: the enhancement of an educated workforce; the application of knowledge to solve societal grand challenges; the development of new innovations, businesses and social programs; and the preparation of the next generation of Hispanic leaders.

INTENTIONAL RESOURCE ALLOCATION TO SUPPORT FACULTY HIRING AND STUDENT AFFORDABILITY

Strategic faculty hiring SERVES Latino students. UTSA’s Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative is composed of five complementary programs that support academic colleges in recruiting and hiring well-qualified diverse faculty. These programs provide designated funding to hire nationally recognized faculty, support dual career academic partners, and recruit groups of scholars through clustered and connected hiring. This initiative is one factor contributing to a significant increase in Latino faculty representation. From 2015-2023, the number of Latino full-time faculty has increased by 60%, and the number of Latino tenured faculty has increased by 25%.

Promise programs addressing multiple student needs. To ensure student affordability and create social mobility, UTSA prioritizes financial support to intentionally serve Latino students. Their strategy includes several coordinated programs: Bold Promise, which covers eight semesters worth of tuition and fees for Texas residents in the top 25% of their high school graduating class and have a family income of no more than $70,000 a year; Bold Scholars, which meets Bold Promise students’ remaining gap of financial need to provide free on-campus housing, enabling students to fully participate in career-focused experiential learning; and Promise to Promise, which covers four semesters worth of tuition and fees for transfer students from the Alamo Colleges who meet minimum transfer GPA requirements and have a family income of no more than $70,000 a year. Collectively, these programs provide financial and related support to ensure Latino student retention. For example, the one-year retention rate for Bold Promise Latino students is five percentage points higher than that of other first-time-full-time Latino students with similar family incomes, and the second-to-third year retention rate is 10 percentage points higher. With the added support for Bold Scholars, Latino students achieved even more, earning higher GPAs and more credit hours.

Recertified: 2024-2027

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a comprehensive academic institution of higher education located along the Texas-Mexico Border, with a population that is 94% Latino. UTRGV recognizes that one of its strengths is the bilingual and bicultural community it serves and is committed to being a model bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate institution, implementing several strategic initiatives to meet that goal. UTRGV embraces the historical and cultural heritage of the region it serves by building curricula and programming that reflect the community assets and intellectual wealth. 

TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT IN LATINO STUDENT COMPLETION 

Increasing retention and graduation rates through on-campus employment. UTRGV’s on-campus internship program, the Student Experience Initiative (SEI), provides employment aligned to a student’s degree program. SEI was created as a retention and timely graduation strategy that recognized the compelling needs of RGV students to work while attending college. It addresses the variables that could hinder academic progress such as off-campus work obligations. It’s a rigorous, incentive-based model requiring academic performance accountability. Participating students must enroll full-time each semester, maintain a cumulative and semester 3.0 or above GPA, and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Students must also have completed 12-90 credit hours to be eligible. Since 2020, SEI has connected over 200 students to over 50 departments across campus. Latino SEI student fall 2023 persistence rates were 93% versus 76% for non-SEI Latino students. On average, Latino SEI students graduate in 2.87 years versus 3.06 years for non-SEI Latino students. Post-graduation, SEI students stand out to employers and recruiters as they can articulate their learning experiences and tie them to their field of study. 

Addressing degree completion through cooperative learning. UTRGV’s Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) was designed to address a barrier to students making timely progress toward degree completion. High enrollment, high failure rate courses, particularly gateway courses in STEM majors, were targeted because large numbers of students repeat these courses, pushing students to change majors and leading to low persistence/retention. PLTL positively impacts student success in these courses by building peer cooperative learning opportunities into the course structure itself, normalizing academic support for all students. Facilitated by peer leaders, students have an additional meeting time each week in which they engage actively with classmates for deeper learning. After initiating in three courses in Fall 2016 and based on its proven success, PLTL has been scaled through significant institutional investment and now serves 48,000 students. Success of the program, offered for all students, has been significant especially for Latino students with pass rates of 70% compared to 55% for those not participating in PLTL sessions.

Certified: 2022-2025

UAlbany invests in and cultivates an inclusive environment in which Latino student success “ceases to be remarkable and is… a fact of everyday life.” With 18% undergraduate Latino enrollment, UAlbany is an eHSI where nearly 40% of undergraduates come from underrepresented backgrounds, and almost one third are first generation. It has nearly closed graduation gaps for underrepresented students and is nationally recognized for its Latino and Black student success. The success of its students defines who UAlbany is as an institution.

Serving through pathway programs and living learning communities

Serving through pathway programs: The Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) establishes a pathway from K-12 to UAlbany and increases Latino participation in STEM. STEP prepares high school and middle school students for majors in STEM and provides them tools to succeed in higher education. Once at UAlbany, the Collegiate STEP program provides enrolled Latino students peer mentoring, tutoring, enhanced academic advisement, standardized test preparation, discounts on graduate prep courses, academic and career development, access to internships, research opportunities, symposiums and workshops. The CSTEP program is intentionally designed to increase retention of Latino and other underrepresented students to boost graduation rates and address the vast disparity in their representation in the STEM workforce. The first-year retention rate for Latino freshmen who participated in CSTEP in 2016 and 2017 showed a 9-10% higher retention rate than non-participants. In 2016, the four-year graduation rate for Latino freshman CSTEP participants was 81%, compared to 74% for non-Latino students in the program, and 28% higher than Latino students who did not participate in CSTEP.

Serving through learning communities: Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are a key part of UAlbany’s strategy to increase Latino enrollment, retention, and graduation. LLCs transform the large university experience for Latino freshmen and transfers by tailoring their residential experience into smaller cohorts built around common academic, professional, and personal interests. High demand from incoming Latino students and outcome data indicating they contribute to higher GPAs, retention, and graduation rates incentivized the growth of the program to 18 LLCs with over 450 students. Latino students enrolled in LLCs now represent 21% of the LLC population, exceeding their representation in the undergraduate student body. Between 2015-2017, Latino students participating in LLCs earned a significantly higher first-year GPA than their non-LLC peers. Four-year graduation rates for Latino LLC students were on average 4% higher than their peers.

Recertified: 2022-2025

UA is a Hispanic serving research university in Tucson, Arizona, that serves nearly 40,000 undergraduates, of which over 28% are Latino.

Institutionalizing intentionality and empowering students to foster inclusive excellence for Latino students

Institutionalizing intentionality: The Office of HSI Initiatives was created to strengthen UA’s intentionality and approach to Latino student success university-wide. Located in the Office of the Provost, HSI Initiatives is supported with a strategic plan, a permanent budget with a growing number of staff, and leadership who serves on the President’s Senior Leadership Team. To strengthen HSI leadership among faculty and staff, the Office has established a flagship professional development experience, known as the HSI Fellows Program, to expand institutional capacity for supporting Latino students. The Office also received federal funds (Title V grant) to strengthen college-going outreach efforts with local high Latino-enrolling high schools, offer culturally responsive pre-calculus dual enrollment courses, and strengthen capacity to offer culturally responsive STEM engagement, transfer articulation, and research.

Empowering students: UA’s First Cats Initiatives program provides support to first-generation and Pell grant eligible students, offering students, faculty, and staff with opportunities to explore and take pride in their first-generation identity and experiences. About two-thirds of First Cats participants are Latino. The program connects first-generation students, faculty, and staff at various social and academic events, including community-building and cultural activities, workshops to bridge gaps in academic preparation, outreach programs for families, and coordinated peer mentoring. The program’s retention rate is 93% for full-time students and 83% for part-time students.

Recertified: 2024-2027

University of California, Merced (UC Merced) continues to enroll increasing numbers of students as one of the fastest-growing campuses in the UC system. In fall 2023, more than 8,000 undergraduate students enrolled at UC Merced with 54% identifying as Latino. The 2023 first-year class of 2,416 students, the largest in campus history, comes almost entirely from California of which 60% are Pell Grant-eligible and more than 62% are the first in their family to attend college. 

INVESTING IN LATINO STUDENT, PARENT, AND FACULTY ENGAGEMENT 

Student and parent engagement and support for matriculation. Students lose a support system during in the summer prior to their transition to college, leading to confusion and a long list of requirements to complete to successfully enroll. UC Merced has initiated an Anti-Melt & Parent Engagement plan designed to facilitate the early enrollment process for students, fostering strong campus support networks, and cultivating excitement about joining UC Merced. Key components of the plan include proactive email and calling campaigns, monthly e-newsletters, timely text messages on dates and deadlines, bilingual webinars, social media campaign, and real-time support. A random sample of 804 SIR students (Statement of Intent to Register) analysis revealed that students who enrolled at UC Merced reported 7.33 instances of engagement by UC Merced than those who did not enroll (2.15). Moreover, of those students who enrolled at UC Merced, approximately 7% reported no instances of engagement, whereas 53% of students who did not enroll reported no instances of engagement. 

Increasing Latino representation for inclusive environments for students. Established in 1984, the University of California’s President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to enhance career development and opportunities for PhDs from backgrounds historically underrepresented in academia. UC campuses are allowed to employ a streamlined process for hiring Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows (PPFs) and receive time-limited funding towards salary and, when available, start-up funds. UC Merced promotes and actively participates in this program. Each academic year, departments are encouraged to consider whether there may be PPFs to pursue for a faculty position. UC Merced regularly offers faculty positions to PPFs, who are highly competitive on the market. From the 2016-17 to 2022-23 AY, there were increases in both the raw number (+22) and percentage (+3%) of UC Merced’s full-time faculty who identify as Latino. Twenty-nine (29) faculty offers were made to PPFs since the 2018-19 AY and 11 were successfully hired.

Recertified: 2024-2027

University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) serves the Inland Empire, a region characterized by its significant Chicano/Latino population comprising more than 51% of its residents. UC Riverside focuses on enhancing graduation rates, narrowing equity disparities, and broadening the scope of high-impact practices and career and leadership development opportunities for more than 22,000 undergraduates, including more than 9,000 Latino students. 

INTENTIONALLY FOCUSING ON UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING THE LATINO STUDENT JOURNEY

Supporting Latino students transitioning to the University. UCR Learning Communities are designed to help transition students to the university experience, led by dynamic faculty and advising professionals who introduce small groups of students to academic values, research opportunities, and university resources. They also offer peer mentoring which is robust across many academic and non-academic programs. In the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS), the CHASS F1rst Learning Communities serve about 94% of first year students (2,772 students in Fall 2023), with nearly half (1,311) identifying as Latino. In CHASS, there is virtually no gap in the rate of students completing the learning community courses successfully. For first year students, the DFW rate last fall for the general student population and the Latino student population was 9%. Additionally, CHASS F1RST has successfully recruited Latino peer mentors with 42% identifying as Latino in the last two cohorts. 

Providing financial support to underserved students who give back to their underserved communities. UCR commits to make the dream of attending UCR a reality despite students’ financial obstacles, especially the more than 53% Latino Pell Grant-eligible students. The Tilga Internship Fund offers up to $6,000 to students who secure a professional, unpaid or low paying, internship. Students must complete a brief application that includes an explanation of the financial barriers to participating in an internship. Another effort, College Corps, provides up to $10,000 for meaningful work in the community such as providing tutoring in a K-6 educational setting, addressing climate action issues, and combatting food insecurity. Undocumented students may also apply to be College Corps fellows. In 2023, the Tilga supported 45 UCR students, of which 33% were Latino. In 2022-2023, 41% of 150 College Corps participants identified as Latino, and in 2023-2024, the number increased to 55%. In addition, 16 undocumented students participated in the 2022-2023, and 20 participated in 2022-2023. Year one exit survey data showed the financial support helped students with living allowance payments (61%) and food (68%), and 65% stated that the support helped with future educational expenses.

Certified: 2022-2025

UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) has earned international distinction for its high-impact research and uncommon commitment to teaching, public service, and social justice. UCSC provides its students unparalleled learning opportunities through cutting-edge research and hands-on experiences. One of 10 University of California campuses, UCSC is an Hispanic-Serving Research Institution (HSRI) with 17,864 undergraduates, of which 28% are Latinx and 34% are first-generation college students.

Strengthening transfer and completion through relationship building and experiential learning

Transfer-receptive cultures: UCSC’s transfer strategy to create a transfer-receptive culture is research-based, predicated on relationship building among students, staff, and faculty, and sustained through transfer, retention, and graduation. UCSC’s transfer-receptive culture fosters relationships with prospective community college students, while also providing tools and resources to help them transfer successfully. Cultivamos Excelencia, a partnership with San Jose City College, is designed to increase transfer rates by offering cross-enrollment courses, providing cross-campus peer mentoring, and information about transfer admissions and financial aid to Latinx families. Key resources include the Transfer Preparation Program (TPP), the Transfer Admission Planner, an online tool that helps prospective transfer students plan coursework and communicate with UCSC staff; and the Transfer Admission Guarantee. Transfers through the Cultivamos Excelencia program increased 100% from nine in Fall 2015, of which 55% were Latinx, to an annual average of 18 from 2016-2020. On the other hand, Latinx participation in the TPP program increased from 22% in 2018-19 to 33% in 2021-22.

Experiential learning and completion: Core to UCSC’s completion strategy is degree coursework that involves experiential learning, faculty-led research or embedded in the coursework, and internships. These experiences are relevant and affirming, and bolster students’ academic identities and career trajectories. One example is the UC LEADS (Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees) program. Scholars engage in cutting edge research throughout the year and are subsequently encouraged to develop their research interests and training skills at another UC campus. Of 130 scholars that have participated in the program, 69 identify as Latinx. Of these, 57% enrolled in prestigious graduate schools and 87% are currently working in STEM sectors. In addition, the Social Science Division faculty conduct leading-edge research, frequently working with students in research clusters that link departments with Division-wide research centers. In 2021, the division awarded 51% of campus degrees to Latinx students. These evidence-based, high-impact practices contribute to significant improvements in Latinx 4-year graduation rates, from 55-59% over the past three years compared to 39-46% in previous years.

Recertified: 2024-2027

University of Central Florida (UCF) is a metropolitan research university that enrolls more than 60,000 students with 31% identifying as Latino. UCF is committed to meeting students where they are and developing various pathways to degree completion. Their intentional enrollment, retention, and engagement practices help UCF serve their Latino, and all, students through completion. UCF leverages innovative learning, discovery and partnerships to foster social mobility while developing the skilled talent needed to advance regional, state, and national industries. 

HOLISTIC SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS 

Supporting Latino transfer students intentionally. The DirectConnect to UCF® (DC) program is an award-winning, nationally recognized program that supports transfer students in partnership with six Florida College System state colleges. It is designed to increase student access and success, reduce transitional barriers, and provide a quality education that is affordable for transfer students. It focuses on major and transfer readiness for students, providing opportunity for Latino and other minoritized students. In the 2022-2023 academic year, more than 25% (4,933) were DC transfer students and approximately 40% of these were Latino. Since its inception in 2006-07, DC has granted more than 73,000 degrees, with 25% (18,513) awarded to Latino students. DC has seen a substantial increase in the number of degrees awarded to Latino transfer students with a growth of 319% (356 degrees in 2006-2007 to 1,492 degrees in 2022-2023). Since 2016-2017, DC awarded 36,908 degrees, with 30% (11,188) of those degrees being awarded to Latino students representing an approximately 53% increase from 2016-2017 until present. 

Affirming Latino student identity and belonging. The CREAR (College REadiness, Achievement and Retention) Futuros Peer Mentoring Program at UCF is a national initiative funded by the Hispanic Federation, Inc., purposefully crafted to bolster Latino student achievement. The program has a built-in support system that reinforces sense of belonging through peer role models. Creyentes (proteges) are typically first-year freshmen who are paired with knowledgeable and highly trained upperclassman, UCF Peer-Mentors, that introduce them to campus resources and offer first-hand advice on how to make the most out of their UCF experience. Creyentes are also provided with the opportunity to hear from the local Latino professionals who share their personal journeys and offer valuable insights on academic and career success. Latino cultural pride is woven into all discussions and activities in the program to affirm identities and empower Latino students to embrace and leverage their cultural wealth. The 2022-23 first year retention rate of CREAR Futuros Latino participants is 95%, compared to 92% of their Latino peers.

Recertified: 2023-2026

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Hispanic serving research university that serves nearly 22,000 undergraduate students, 36% of whom are Latino. From 2015-2023, Latino students comprised over two-thirds (68%) of the institution’s enrollment growth. UIC enrolls and graduates the largest number of Latino students in Illinois.

EARLY, FREQUENT, AND SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT OF LATINO STUDENTS

Growing an evidence-based model of supporting Latino students. Since 1975, the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services program (LARES) focuses on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of low-income and underserved Latino students from the Chicagoland area. LARES has grown from serving approximately 100 Latino students to its current enrollment of more than 3,300. The LARES model is distinctive, when Latino students enroll at UIC, they continue their relationship with their LARES recruiter as an advisor throughout their UIC career. LARES staff implement a holistic model of strength-based advising, parent outreach, and direct student support navigating academic, socioemotional, financial, and completion barriers. In 2021-22, LARES students were retained at a rate of 84%, which is 12 percentage points higher than Latino students who do not engage with LARES advisors, as well as 6 percentage points higher than the retention rate for all full-time students at UIC.

Reframing summer as an opportunity for incoming students. In an effort to increase affordability and decrease students’ time-to-degree, UIC has developed strategies to invest in students taking advantage of summer session offerings. For incoming students who place into developmental writing, math, chemistry, and music theory courses, Summer College provides them with no-cost options to learn relevant material so they can move into credit-bearing courses that fulfill graduation requirements as they start their first semester at UIC. Among those who enrolled in Summer College from 2012 through 2014, Latino students who participated in the Chemistry, Writing, and/or Math programs graduated in six years at a rate that was 8 percentage points higher than Latino students who were eligible but did not participate. In 2018, UIC began the Accelerate Your Success program, which provides a scholarship for low-income students to enroll in at least 5 credit hours of credit-bearing coursework during the summer. As of 2022, 98% of Latino participants were registered for the fall term or earned a degree immediately following their summer term. These summer options for students, both developmental and credit, have contributed to UIC awarding degrees to Latino students at an all-time high of 1,529 in 2022, a 136% increase from 2011.

Recertified: 2024-2027

Wilbur Wright College (Wright College), one of the institutions of the City Colleges of Chicago, is in the Northwest side of the city of Chicago, which has a heavy Latino representation. Of the more than 7,500 students enrolled at Wright, 62% are Latino. The college emphasizes collaboration, communication, and intentionality with a focus on serving and deepening partnerships with the community to serve its students. 

INTENTIONAL SUPPORT TO ADVANCE LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS 

Latino-focused transfer partnerships and pathways. Transfer success for Wright students is achieved through local partnerships, while taking advantage of larger system-wide articulation agreements. Wright College is intentional in building partnerships directly with the Latino-focused support units at the top transfer destinations like University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) such as LARES at UIC and Caminos Al Éxito at NEIU. Through this intentionality, Latino transfer students from Wright are connected to targeted services, programming, and resources focused on their success. In FY 2023, 57% of Wright’s prior degree completers transferred to four-year institutions within two years, up from 53% in FY 2022. Of this cohort, 59% were Latino and 56% of these students transferred within the measured time frame. From fall 2016 to fall 2020, over 1,600 students transferred to 160 four-year institutions, with 51% being Latino. Approximately two-thirds of all transfer students attended Northeastern Illinois University or the University of Illinois Chicago, a proportion mirrored by Latino students. 

Tailored comprehensive support for limited-English proficiency students. Wright College has implemented targeted initiatives and program-specific approaches tailored to address the unique needs of the Northwest side of Chicago, an area with the city’s largest Latino population. Wright’s Avanza Program is a bilingual first-year initiative tailored to Spanish-speaking students with limited English proficiency. Bridging credit and Adult Education, Avanza delivers comprehensive bilingual student support, faculty, and wrap-around services. Bilingual college advisors provide personalized onboarding, registration, academic, and transfer advising services, ensuring Latino students receive tailored support for success. Avanza began with 10 students and has expanded to 36, serving approximately 60 students to date. The fall-to-spring retention rates for Avanza participants have been consistently high (84% and above). The second cohort's fall-to-fall retention rate of 58% slightly surpassed the college's recent rate of 55%. Fall-to-spring retention rate within the cohorts exceeded the college's overall rate of 76% for fall 2023 students.