The latest Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) data released by Excelencia in Education and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) show the number of HSIs in the U.S. is on the rise, reflecting growing student enrollment.

In general, HSIs have 25 percent or more Latino enrollment. In 2015-16, 14 percent of colleges and universities identified as HSIs enrolled 64 percent of all Latino undergraduates in the U.S., according to these new numbers released in 2017.

Additionally, the number of Emerging HSIs, or colleges approaching the 25 percent Latino student enrollment threshold, also shows an upward trajectory from 310 to 323. While these numbers are promising at first glance, the success of Latino students at these schools continues to be a challenge. Excelencia and HACU indicate they’re implementing programs and conducting the research to inform ways to improve the success of these students.

San Antonio, TX-based HACU, hacu.net, collaborates with member colleges and universities to improve access to and the quality of postsecondary educational opportunities for Hispanic students.

Washington, DC-based Excelencia , edexcelencia.org, works with presidents, faculty and staff at higher education institutions as well as researchers and other experts to identify, inform and promote programs that accelerate Latino student success.

“Since 2006 we’ve seen a 78 percent increase in the number of institutions classified as HSIs, and with a growing number of Emerging HSIs. I’m confident this trend will continue,” says Deborah Santiago, COO and vice president for policy at Excelencia.

“This means we must be laser-focused on the success of the Latino student population, making sure these institutions are investing in practices that clear a path from matriculation to commencement. We aim to inform those practices with our data and research through our HSI Center for Policy and Practice (HSI-CP2).”

Key facts about HSIs include:

• HSIs enroll nearly two thirds of all Latino undergraduates.

• When you put together the student population at all HSIs, 46 percent of students are Latino.

• Many HSIs have relatively low enrollment, with 59 percent of HSIs enrolling 2,000 or less total full-time students.

• Forty four percent of HSIs were community colleges, and 66 percent were public institutions.

• A majority of HSIs are located in urban areas and are concentrated geographically, with 81 percent of these institutions in California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Florida, New York and New Mexico.

• HSIs and Emerging HSIs are present in all but 13 states, including those less known for their Latino population, such as Indiana, Kansas and Tennessee.

“The continuing growth in the number of HSIs is a positive sign of progress in educational opportunity and achievement for Hispanics, who account for almost three quarters of the growth in the U.S. workforce in this decade. Hispanic educational success is vital to America’s future prosperity and security,” adds John Moder, senior vice president and COO at HACU.