Raising the Bar for Hispanic Serving Institutions

Abstract

Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) in California have the potential to play a key role in raising Latino college completion rates. However, while HSIs provide access to higher education for Latinos, student success, persistence, and completion rates remain low. This study utilized the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the California Community College Data Mart to examine student outcomes at 2-year and 4-year HSIs in California. Among the key findings, the majority of HSIs show lower college completion rates between Latino students and their peers despite promising persistence rates and college units earned. The findings suggest that traditional models of success may be less relevant for Latino students in predicting college success and 4-year degree completion. Finally, this study introduces new approaches for HSIs to consider in their data collection, reporting, and analytical processes to better serve Latino students and increase college success and completion.