Community Checkup

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) released its report on minority-serving institutions (MSI). They describe MSIs as, “colleges and universities serving a large percentage of minority students” and identify 6 different subgroups of such schools.

Here are some of their findings:

• In 2004, the 1,254 MSIs accounted for just under one-third of all degree-granting Title IV institutions (schools that can disburse federal financial aid) but they enrolled nearly sixty percent of the 4.7 million minority undergraduates.

• Hispanic-serving institutions and Black-serving (non-HBCUs) accounted for 27 percent and 16 percent, respectively of MSIs followed by Asian-serving (8 percent), HBCUs (5 percent), and American Indian-serving institutions (1 percent).

• The majority of students in Hispanic- and Black-serving MSIs were enrolled in public 2-year institutions.

• When compared to four-year non-MSIs, MSIs (except for Asian-serving) had a higher percentage of institutions with open admissions policy and institutions with at least half low-income enrollment.