Minority Serving Institutions (MSI)
Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) are postsecondary colleges and universities that enroll some of the most racially and ethnically diverse students across the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.
Today, MSIs are overwhelmingly celebrated and 11 different MSI designations have been Congressionally established to provide federal funding and resources to support student educational advancement.
MSIs are unique in their ability to support the educational advancement of students of color and often provide a wide array of academic offerings, co curricular programming, and research opportunities, among others, in order to ultimately serve and enhance student outcomes. Recognizing their importance to the postsecondary landscape, MSI designations were established by Congress in order to provide financial support to these colleges and universities. However, it should be noted that formal and informal education and schooling has existed for Black, Indigenous, and people of color far before any formal federal recognition of MSIs. And the history of American higher education, the schooling of Black, Indigenous, and students of color, as well as the early formation of MSIs, maintain roots with vast contradictions and racism.
Classifying and Defining MSIs
Each MSI designation has a unique history and rationale behind its creation. In recognition of
the complexity and vast differences for each type of MSI, the MSI Data Project has developed a typology to classify and define MSIs in a more systematic and accurate manner, which benefits researchers, advocates, and policymakers by yielding greater precision in data and data analysis.
MISSION BASED MSIs
Institutions that were established with the explicit mission to serve their respective student populations. Thus, only HBCUs, HBGI, HBCU Masters, and TCCUs are classified as mission-based MSIs. And with a few exceptions, Congress appropriates funding for all mission-based MSIs receive federal funding based on their status as an MSI.
ENROLLMENT BASED MSIs
Colleges and universities that have met a specific undergraduate enrollment percentage for their specific student population, along with several other important criteria including a finance requirement focused on institutional expenditures and enrollment of low-income students and other classifications (e.g., Title IV, public or not-for profit, etc.). Thus, enrollment-based MSIs are historically white institutions that due to changing demographics and enrollment patterns have met federal requirements.
Explore the MSI Designations
The Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) program was authorized by Congress in 2007 through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act with the purpose of providing competitive federal grants to expand the capacity of institutions to serve Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are institutions that were established with the purpose and mission to serve the educational needs of African and/or Black Americans, given racist laws and policies that forcibly denied their access to postsecondary educational institutions. Most HBCUs were established between 1867 and 1900, and today Congress appropriates funding that supports their mission to advance educational opportunity for African and/or Black American students.
The Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) program was first established in 1992 by the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, with the purpose providing competitive federal grants in order to expand educational opportunity and attainment of Latinx students, and strengthen the capacity of institutions with a large proportion of Latinx students.
Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU) are postsecondary institutions with the unique mission to serve Native American students. In order to qualify for federal funding from the TCCU program, colleges and universities must meet a unique set of requirements. This includes the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978, where institutions must be formally controlled, or have been formally sanctioned or chartered, by a Native American Tribe and must have a majority of students who are Native American. Or institutions can meet the Navajo Community College Act, or be cited in Section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (EELGSA).
The Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHSI) program was first authorized by Congress in 1998, with the purpose of providing competitive federal grants to expand the capacity of institutions to serve Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students.
Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions was authorized by Congress in 2007 through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, with the purpose of providing competitive federal grants to expand the capacity of institutions to serve Native American students.
The purpose of the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI) program is to provide formula-based grants to enable HBCUs with graduate and professional programs to strengthentheir capacity to serve Black/African American students in graduate programs.
The HBCU Masters program was established by Congress in 2008 through the he Higher Education Opportunity Act (P.L. 110-315), with the purpose of providing federal funding to institutions to enhance their master’s level education for Black/African American students.
The Predominantly Black Institutions program was established by Congress in 2007 through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, with the purpose of providing federal funding to expand
the capacity of institutions to serve Black/African American students.
The Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program was established by Congress with the purpose providing competitive federal grants in order to expand educational attainment of Latinx students in STEM fields and to develop transfer and articulation agreements between two-year HSIs and four-year institutions for Latinx students in STEM fields.
The Promoting Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) program was established by Congress in 2008 through the Higher Education Opportunity Act (P.L. 110-315),
with the purpose of providing federal grants to expand post-baccalaureate educational opportunities for Latinx students.