Cal State San Bernardino ranked 12th in the nation for its enrollment of Hispanic graduate students, according to The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, a journal focusing on Hispanic issues on college campuses.

Cal State San Bernardino officials attributed the university's ranking to the area's large Hispanic population, the school's significant Latino undergraduate enrollment and outreach and recruitment efforts in the past decade.

Cal State San Bernardino had 3,715 Hispanic undergraduates this year, which was 30.7 percent of its undergraduate enrollment, said Ross Moran, the university's director of institutional research. The university had 388 Hispanic full-time graduate students among its total of 1,742 grad students in fall 2001, according to the journal's study.

"We do have the reputation of being a friendly, accommodating atmosphere," Moran said.

The journal's April edition looked at the number of graduate students, including students seeking teaching credentials, second bachelor's degrees and master's degrees, Moran said.

President Al Karnig said the university's progress in reaching out to Hispanic students means that the campus can move ahead with plans to expand offerings that might appeal to the Hispanic population. For example, Karnig said, the university plans to offer a master's degree in Spanish this fall.

The numbers also are important for the economic and social mobility of a minority group long underrepresented in American universities, he said.

"As the number and percent in graduate programs increase, it means their level of education is increasing," Karnig said.

This marks the first time that the journal has compiled a list focusing on graduate student enrollment, said Mary Ann Cooper, executive editor.

Cooper said she used 2001 data from the National Center for Education Statistics in Washington, D.C.

Several other California schools figure prominently on the list of the 25 universities with the largest Hispanic graduate enrollments. While National University, an online school, is first, Cal State Los Angeles is second; UCLA, fourth; San Diego State, eighth; and Cal State Fullerton, No. 16.

"It's a very elite list," Cooper said. "What it demonstrates perhaps is that it (Cal State San Bernardino) has a nurturing environment for Hispanic students. It's welcoming. It seeks to attract diversity."

Monica Barragan, a senior at Cal State San Bernardino, said the university's atmosphere has made her want to continue as a graduate student. She plans to enroll in a master's program in counseling in January.

The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, Barragan, 27, of Hemet is the first member of her family to attend college.

"I feel really comfortable here," the sociology major said. "I feel like the instructors really help their students. They really care for them."

The university's flexible class schedule and affordability particularly appealed to Barragan, who has a 6-month-old daughter, Samantha, and is employed part-time in her parents' jewelry business.

"It's more reasonable than other places," Barragan said.

It costs $2,046 per year for undergraduates to attend Cal State San Bernardino. Graduate student tuition is $2,256. Under Gov. Schwarzenegger's state budget proposal, fees are expected to increase 10 percent for undergraduates and 40 percent for graduate students next year.

Barragan also said she likes the required classes in the university's Capstone program. The courses address Latino culture, racism and gender issues.

"They talk about issues that you wouldn't talk about," she said. "They make you be aware."

Cooper, the journal's executive editor, said enrollment numbers are important to track because of their link with the number of Hispanic students completing advanced degrees.

"It's just like baseball," Cooper said. "If you can get up to the plate enough, eventually you're going to get a hit."