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What is an HSI?

Palomar College Hispanic Serving Institution Logo

Palomar College is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) are colleges and universities that are formally recognized for their commitment to serving the Hispanic population. Currently with 51.1% of our student population identifying as Hispanic, Palomar College is designated a HSI by the United States Department of Education. And thus we aim to surround our Hispanic/Latinx students with peers and support them with quality resources so they can succeed in their pursuit of a higher education.

What Does It Mean to be an HSI?

An institution of higher education (IHE) is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) when it has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent “Hispanic.” The HSI designation strengthens our Values toward the success of our Hispanic students. Designations must be renewed every year. Designated by the U.S. Department of Education, the HSI designation allows Palomar College to be eligible for federal grant funding, recognized as Title V, Developing Hispanic Serving Institution and Title III STEM grants.

The federal designation of HSI came out of the Higher Education Act of 1992. The term HSI was originally developed by HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities). Years of advocacy from institutions, including the Hispanic Higher Education Coalition (HHEC) and HACU at the federal level, resulted in the federal HSI designation.

Being an HSI means that Palomar continuously strives to be a reflection of our students, their cultures, values, and life experiences. Living the ‘Servingness‘ part of the HSI designation must guide the direction of our college and how we undertake all the work that we do collectively. Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging, validation, connectedness and safety on campus. And so at Palomar, we are committed to provide access to the programs and services our students deserve in order to successfully reach their academic and life goals. As an Hispanic Serving Institution, Palomar is proud to be the leading the way. Si Se Puede!

Institution Fast Facts Associate Highest Degree Offering 46.2% Percentage of Hispanic Students Undergraduate Full-time Equivalent Enrollment 46.2% Percentage of Hispanic Students Undergraduate Full-time Equivalent Enrollment 11,748 Total Undergraduate Student Full-time Equivalent Enrollment Public, 2-year Sector 5,422 Total Undergraduate Hispanic Student Equivalent Enrollment Suburb Degree of Urbanization
Summary of institutional information which includes Excelencia in Education analysis using U.S. Department of Education, NCES, IPEDS, 2020 Fall Enrollment and Institutional Characteristics Surveys. Source: Excelencia in Education

An HSI lens in everything we do

Typology of HSI Organizational Identities. Latinx-producing -Enrolls 25% Latinx Students -Produces a significant (if not equitable) number of legitimized outcomes for Latinx students -Does not have organizational structures that reflect Latinxs Latin-Enrolling -Enrolls 25% Latinx students -Does not produce an equitable number of legitimized outcomes for Latinx students -Does not have organizational structures that reflect Latinxs Latinx-Serving -Enrolls 25% Latinx students -Produces a significant (if not equitable) number of legitimized outcomes for Latinx students -Does have organizational structures that are culturally relevant and enhancing Latinx-Enhancing -Enrolls 25% Latinx students -Does not produce an equitable number of legitimized outcomes for Latinx students -Does have organizational structures that are culturally relevant and enhancing
Adapted from: What Does it Mean to be Latinx-serving? Testing the Utility of the Typology of HSI Organizational Identities