Minority Serving Institution
Encyclopedia
In the higher education
system of the United States
, minority-serving institutions (abbreviated MSI) make up a category of educational establishments (federally recognized Title IV
colleges and universities) based on enrollment criteria (typically the percentage of enrolled minorities at a particular school). Such schools are eligible for federal funding under Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965
.Until 2007, no federal legislation existed concerning Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Serving Institutions. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 made history, because it federally recognized the existence of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) serving institutions, making them eligible to be designated as minority serving institutions.
The seven categories of MSI are as follows:
Specific Executive Orders currently governing MSI operations include
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
system of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, minority-serving institutions (abbreviated MSI) make up a category of educational establishments (federally recognized Title IV
Title IV
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 covers the administration of the United States federal student financial aid programs....
colleges and universities) based on enrollment criteria (typically the percentage of enrolled minorities at a particular school). Such schools are eligible for federal funding under Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 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–San Marcos as the signing site...
.Until 2007, no federal legislation existed concerning Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Serving Institutions. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 made history, because it federally recognized the existence of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) serving institutions, making them eligible to be designated as minority serving institutions.
The seven categories of MSI are as follows:
- historically black colleges and universitiesHistorically Black Colleges and UniversitiesHistorically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
(HBCU) (e.g. Howard UniversityHoward UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
) - Black-serving non-HBCUs - institutions in which Black students comprise at least 25% of the total undergraduate enrollment, while other minority groups combined comprise less than 25% of total undergraduate enrollment (e.g. University of Arkansas at Little RockUniversity of Arkansas at Little RockUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
) - Hispanic-serving institutionHispanic-serving institutionA Hispanic-serving institution, or HSI, is a term used for a Federal program designed to assist colleges or universities in the United States that attempt to assist first generation, majority low income Hispanic students...
s - institutions in which Hispanic students comprise at least 25% of the total undergraduate enrollment, while other minority groups combined comprise less than 25% of total undergraduate enrollment (e.g. University of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at El PasoThe University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
) - Asian-serving institutions - institutions in which Asian AmericanAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
s and Pacific IslanderPacific IslanderPacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
s (API) students constitute at least 25% of the total undergraduate enrollment, while other minority groups combined comprise less than 25% of total undergraduate enrollment (e.g. University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
) - American Indian-serving institutions - tribal colleges and universitiesTribal colleges and universitiesTribal colleges and universities are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions in the United States. The educational institutions are distinguished by being controlled and operated by Native American tribes; they have become part of American Indians' institution-building in...
(TCUs) or institutions that are not HBCUs/TCUs but in which American Indian/Alaska Native students constitute at least 25 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment, while students in each of the other minority groups constitute less than 25 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment (e.g. Southeastern Oklahoma State UniversitySoutheastern Oklahoma State UniversitySoutheastern Oklahoma State University, often referred to as Southeastern and abbreviated as SE, or SOSU, is a public university located in Durant, Oklahoma, with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,229 as of 2009.-History:...
) - Other minority-serving: institutions that in which minority students constitute at least 50 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment, but do not fit any of the above categories (e.g. University of California, RiversideUniversity of California, RiversideThe University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
) - Non-minority-serving: institutions that do not meet any of the criteria described above
Specific Executive Orders currently governing MSI operations include
- E.O. 12876, Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- E.O. 12900; White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic AmericansWhite House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic AmericansThe White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanicsis a multi-agency working group within the Department of Education charged with strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high quality education while increasing opportunities for Hispanic American participation in federal...
- E.O. 13021 Tribal Colleges and Universities; E.O. 13096 American Indian and Alaska Native Education
- E.O. 13125, Increasing Federal Programs for Asian American Pacific Islanders
- E.O. 13078, Increasing Employment of Adults with Disabilities.