Colleges for Hispanic Students

Hispanic students and parents often tell me that they feel they face special challenges when considering colleges. Language issues, cultural differences, and a perceived lack of support from the educational community sometimes make Hispanic students feel like they're facing an uphill battle.

Luckily, there are some excellent resources available to help. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) website is a great place to start. CHCI offers an excellent bilingual Parent Handbook that breaks the college admissions and financial aid process down into understandable chunks. The site also offers a downloadable College Prep Kit which gives step-by-step advice on how to find the right college for your needs, apply, and get financial help to attend. You can order the CHCI Directory of Scholarships, Internships and Fellowships for Latino Students at the site, or take a look at an online list of Hispanic Scholarship opportunities. A nice touch: the site also has an online advisor program, "Ask Rocio", where students can ask specific college related questions.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) is a good place to look for colleges and universities that are committed to serving Latino populations. In order to be a full member of the HACU, at least 25% of a college's student body must be of Hispanic heritage. To see which schools are members, check the HACU Directory of Hispanic Serving Institutions. You can also find a Scholarship resources at the site.

One unique program offered by the HACU: they have partnered with Southwest Airlines to sponsor a program called "Take Off!" The program gives low income Hispanic students a travel grant to help them get to distant colleges and universities once they enroll. Details are on the HACU website.

Other sources of information about scholarships and financial aid for Hispanic students include the National Education Association Hispanic scholarship website and The Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

So, which colleges and universities are best for Hispanic students? That depends on who you ask. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education journal publishes an annual Top 100 Colleges for Hispanic Students list that ranks schools by the number of Hispanic graduates. This year's top ten on the list, including the number of Hispanic granted degrees:

1. Florida International University, 2588
2. The University of Texas-Pan American, 1477
3. The University of Texas at El Paso, 1461
4. The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1357
5. California State University-Fullerton, 1309
6. California State University-Los Angeles, 1248
7. California State University-Northridge, 1152
8. The University of Texas at Austin, 1146
9. San Diego State University, 1111
10. California State University-Long Beach, 1087

Hispanic Magazine's annual list of To 25 Colleges for Latinos takes a different approach. Rather than base its list solely on the number of Hispanic graduates, the list focuses on colleges and universities where Hispanics can excel. To make the list, each school must have an Hispanic enrollment of at least 7 percent. The top five schools on Hispanic Magazine's 2005 list:

1. Stanford
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University
4. Duke University
5. Califonia Institute of Technology