Choosing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): A Closer Look at Latino Students' College Choices

This brief examines Latino students' college choices. While Latino students may not be aware of the HSI designation, they are in fact converting existing colleges and institutions into HSIs simply as a function of their own decisions - a trend that shows signs of continuing for several more years. To examine Latino students' college choices, we blended analysis of national enrollment patterns with data from focus groups conducted with Latino college students from different institutions across the country. The results show the impact of Latino students' emphasis on selecting colleges near their homes. This emphasis, coupled with the concentration of Latino housing patterns, leads to the concentrated enrollments of Latino students that form HSIs.