In the
higher education system of the United States, minority-serving institution (abbreviated MSI) is a descriptive term for universities and colleges that enroll a significant percentage of students from minority groups.
Definition
The term MSI is not defined by US federal statute, and accordingly federal agencies do not maintain a listing of MSIs. Most definitions of MSI are based on historical origin and also based on enrollment criteria (typically the percentage of enrolled minorities at a particular school). For example, a report from the
U.S. Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
on the characteristics of MSIs defined MSI based on either of two separate criteria; 1) legislation (e.g.
HBCU,
TCU,
HSIPBI etc)
or 2) percentage of minority undergraduate enrollment based on IPEDS data (i.e. "institutions that enroll at least 25 percent of a specific minority group are designated as “minority-serving” for that group").
Disambiguation
The similar term “minority institutions” (MIs) is defined by § 365(3) of the
Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 (20 U.S.C. § 1067k(3)).
This legal definition of “minority institutions” applies only to the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) and other programs whose statutes or regulations reference the same MI definition. A list of minority institutions compiled for the purposes of the MSEIP is published by the US Department of Education.
Background
Many MSIs, such as
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and
Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), began in response to a history of inequality and a lack of access for people of color to majority institutions. MSIs overall now occupy a unique place in the nation, serving primarily, but not exclusively, low-income students, first generation students, and students of color. These institutions have highly diverse faculties and staffs, enhance student learning and promote leadership skills, and provide programs of study address deficiencies that originated at the primary and secondary level. MSIs play an important role in the nation’s economy by preparing a diverse workforce and prepare underrepresented students for graduate and professional school.
Until 2007, no federal legislation existed concernin
institutions serving Asian American and Pacific Islanders The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 made history, because it granted federal recognition to these institutions, making them eligible to be designated as minority serving institutions.
MSIs serve a large number of financially-challenged students: 98 percent of African Americans and Native Americans who enroll at HBCUs or TCUs receive or qualify for federal financial aid, and over 50% of all students enrolled at MSIs receive Pell Grant support. As a point of comparison, only 31 percent of all college students receive Pell Grant support. Moreover, nearly half of MSI students are first generation college students. In comparison, only 35 percent of students attending Predominantly White Institutions.
Federal funding
MSIs are eligible for federal and private funding based on specific eligibility requirements, as determined by the funding agency.
Federal funding is provided directly to some MSIs under Title III of the
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) () was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University (then called " Southwest Te ...
:
#
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
(HBCU) – institutions founded prior to the enactment of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 that were created primarily to educate
African Americans (e.g.,
Alabama State University
Alabama State University (ASU) is a public historically black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, ASU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
History
Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the ...
,
Morgan State University
Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...
, and
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...
)
# Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) – institutions that do not meet the legal definition of HBCUs, but primarily serve African Americans. Eligibility is based on serving an undergraduate population that is both low income (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and in which African American students constitute at least 40% (e.g.,
Georgia State University
Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...
,
Trinity Washington University
Trinity Washington University is a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C. Trinity is a comprehensive university with five schools; the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences maintains its original mission as a liberal arts women's ...
,
Community College of Philadelphia
The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) is a public community college with campuses throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1965 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It offers over ...
).
#
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) – institutions that serve an undergraduate population that is both low income (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and in which
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
students constitute at least 25% (e.g.,
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
,
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno Pacific University (FPU) is a private Christian university in Fresno, California. It was founded as the Pacific Bible Institute in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first Bac ...
, and
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas ...
).
#
Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCU) – institutions of higher education which are formally controlled, or have been formally sanctioned, or chartered, by the governing body of a
Native American tribe
In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, tribal nation, or similar concept is any extant or historical clan, tribe, band, nation, or other group or community of Native Americans in the Unit ...
(e.g.,
Diné College
Diné College is a public tribal land-grant college in Tsaile, Arizona, serving the Navajo Nation. It offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and academic certificates.
Campus
The main campus of Diné College is in Tsaile, a census-des ...
).
#Native American Non-Tribal Institutions (NANTI) – institutions other than TCUs that serve an undergraduate population that is both low income (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and in which
American Indian students constitute at least 10% (e.g.,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern, SE, or SOSU) is a public university in Durant, Oklahoma. It had an undergraduate enrollment of 4,824 in 2019.
History
On March 6, 1909, the Second Oklahoma State Legislature approved an ac ...
).
#Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHI) – institutions that serve an undergraduate population that is both low income (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and in which
Alaska Native students constitute at least 20% or
Hawaiian Native
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
students constitute at least 10% (e.g.,
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for c ...
and
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
).
#Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) – institutions that serve an undergraduate population that is both low income (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and in which
Asian American or
Native American Pacific Islander students constitute at least 10% (e.g.,
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...
and
University of Guam
University of Guam ( ch, Unibetsedåt Guåhan) (U.O.G.) is a public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level a ...
).
Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) institutions serve a low income undergraduate population (at least 50% receiving Title IV needs-based assistance) and are eligible for federal funding under Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. However, as there are no requirements for minority enrollment under Title III Part A, in some cases these institutions may or may not be considered MSIs.
Executive Orders
Specific Executive Orders currently referencing MSIs include:
* E.O. 13779; White House Initiative To Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
* E.O. 13230;
* E.O. 13270;
Tribal colleges and universities
In the United States, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Each qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Un ...
* E.O. 13336; American Indian and Alaska Native Education
* E.O. 13515; Increasing Federal Programs for Asian American Pacific Islanders
* E.O. 13078; Increasing Employment of Adults with Disabilities.
References
External links
Minority Institution site for the U.S. Department of Education*
*{{cite journal, last=Li, first=Xiaojie, author2=C. Dennis Carroll, date=November 2007, title=Characteristics of Minority-Serving Institutions and Minority Undergraduates Enrolled in These Institutions: Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report, journal=Institute of Education Sciences, publisher=US Department of Education, url=http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008156.pdf
Race and education in the United States
Education policy