Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are defined very
differently from their counterpart, Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs). While HBCUs are defined based on their
historical enrollment, an HSI is any school whose enrollment is
25% Hispanic or better, including part-time, full-time, graduate
and under-graduate students, and where at least half of those
students come from the lower 20% of the income bracket. The HSIs
are in the 11 states most populated by Hispanics and Puerto
Rico:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Texas
- Washington
In all, 193 schools qualify for HSI
designation. Get a complete list on the Hispanic Association of Colleges &
Universities website.
That's all very well and good, but how does that funding
translate into an improved college experience for Hispanic
students? The governing body for HSIs—or the closest thing to
it—is the Hispanic
Association of Colleges and Universities, or HACU.
HACU also includes under their umbrella 101 Associate
Member Institutions (1,000 Hispanic students enrolled or 10% of
the student body) and 35 International Member Institutions-all
who qualify as HACU-member institutions.
Take a look at some of the figures HACU provides on Hispanic
Higher Education and HSIs:
- On average, 46% of the student body at HSIs are
Hispanic
- 50% of the Hispanic students in the continental U.S. and
Puerto Rico attend HSIs (763,781 in all)
- Hispanics account for 4% of college presidents nationwide,
but 33% of HSIs are led by Hispanics
Clearly, then one of the advantages of education at HSIs for
Hispanics is the opportunity to get a degree surrounded by people
of similar ethnicity. Beyond that, students at HSIs are eligible
for special programs from HACU, which include:
HACU Scholarship
Programs
Program criteria and eligibility vary, but HACU-member
institutions have a number of scholarships available to their
students. Most awards total between $500-$2000 per year. To find
out what scholarships are available to you, visit the financial
aid office of your local HACU-member school, or apply via HACU's
online application, which will be available in early 2004.
Annual Conference
Scholarships
HACU has two programs designed to help students attend their
annual conference in the fall, which includes workshops,
leadership forums, student mixers, and a career fair. To get more
information about this year's conference or to apply for a
scholarship to pay for your trip, visit the website.
HACU
National Internship Program (HNIP)
The HACU National Internship Program (HNIP) recruits college
students for summer- and semester-long internships at federal
agencies and private corporations around the country-all paid.
Over the past ten years, HNIP has placed over 4,400 college
students in ten- and fifteen-week internship programs that give
college students direct experience in a diversity of careers in
the federal and corporate sectors. These scholarships are only
available to students at HACU-member institutions.