About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986 with a founding membership of eighteen institutions. Today, HACU represents over 500 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, and Spain as well as Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSDs) in the U.S. HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Together HSIs represent only 18% of institutions nationwide yet they are home to almost two-thirds of the Hispanic student population. Among other requirements laid out in the Higher Education Act (HEA), HSIs enroll at least 25% full-time enrollment Hispanic undergraduate students and offer access to a significant proportion of the nation’s most underserved and underrepresented student groups. HACU’s mission is to champion Hispanic success in higher education.

Growth and Location of HSIs

An HSI is defined as a nonprofit higher education institution with enrollment of at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate full-time equivalent students. In the 2021-22school year HSIs grew to 572 institutions, a 2.3% increase from 2019-2020. The number of HSIs is now above prepandemic years. While the number of HSIs has increased, funding has remained fairly static relative to the growth of HSIs. The following page also provides a map showing the relative distribution of Hispanic undergraduate students, HSIs, and emerging HSIs across the nation.

Source for Hispanic Enrollment: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_306.30.asp?current=yes

*HSIs for 2022 and 2023 are projections