Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

9/21/23: Biden-Harris Administration Awards More Than $40 Million to Support Hispanic-Serving Institutions


Hispanic-Serving Institutions:

A Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is defined as an institution of higher education that—

  • is an eligible institution; and
  • has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

Facts about Hispanic Serving Institutions

List of Designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions as of Fall 2021


U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division

For specific inquiries regarding Department’s HSIs grant programs, contact: Stacey Slijepcevic, Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division Director; Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education; Phone: (202) 453-6150; Email:stacey.slijepcevic@ed.gov

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division Website


Program Eligibility

Institutions must be designated as an eligible institution of higher education in order to apply for the Title V program and must meet the program-specific requirements to be defined as an HSI.

To be designated as an eligible institution of higher education, an institution must apply for and receive designation through an application process. Please refer to the most recent Application for Designation as an Eligible Institution. You may contact the program office if you have questions regarding eligibility.

Eligibility Process Infographic

Designation as an Eligible Institution: Title III & Title V Programs Guide


U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions Grant Programs

The U.S. Department of Education offers 3 discretionary grants to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division manages these grant programs.

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program (Title V, Part A) provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability. The purpose is to:

  • To expand educational opportunities for; and improve the academic attainment of Hispanic students; and
  • Expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of the colleges and universities that educate the majority of Hispanic students.

Grant Recipients


Hispanic-Serving Institutions – Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (HSI STEM) and Articulation Program

The purpose of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions – Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (HSI STEM) and Articulation Programs (Title III, Part F) is to:

  • increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and
  • to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year and four-year institutions in such fields.

Grant Recipients


Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program

The Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program (Title V, Part B) provides grants to:

  • expand postbaccalaureate educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students; and
  • expand the postbaccalaureate academic offerings as well as enhance the program quality in the institutions of higher education that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees.

Grant Recipients


Become a Peer Reviewer:

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) looks to create a pool of peer reviewers to complete to review grant applications that represent academia’s disciplinary, geographic, and institutional diversity. Current reviewers include practitioners, educators, administrators/managers, analysts, researchers, evaluators, and board members. OPE is also looking for reviewers who focus on innovation and specialists with a background in entrepreneurialism, technology and corporate learning. Peer reviewers play an integral role in the OPE grant administration process and are ultimately making positive contributions to the growth and development of students and institutions of higher education across the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions


OPE Program Guide

Outside of grants administered by the HSI Division, there are other grants administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education. In this OPE Program Guide, OPE has organized their programs by their primary purpose. The guide provides a brief summary of the programs that HSIs may be eligible for.


Hispanic Serving Institutions Week

National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week

Presidential Proclamation on National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week

Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Hispanic Serving Institutions Week Video

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Dr. Nasser Paydar’s Hispanic Serving Institutions Week Video


Hispanic-Serving Institutions Organizations

Organizations such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Excelencia in Education and the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions Educators provide additional information and supports for HSIs. Some provide comprehensive HSI membership lists on their respective Web sites. Institutions on these lists have self-identified as Hispanic-Serving Institutions or emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions. They generally have not received a federal designation as an HSI, and as such, do not receive federal funding. There may, however, be some overlap among the HACU, Excelencia and Department lists.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

Excelencia in Education

Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions Educators

National Community College Hispanic Council

American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education

Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Career Collaborative

University of California’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Initiative

Arizona Hispanic-Serving Institutions Consortium

Texas Hispanic-Serving Institutions Consortium

Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions