California State University, Chico and San Francisco State University are the two newest CSU campuses to be classified as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)—bringing the total number of CSU HSI universities to 20 of 23 statewide. Of the 418,243 undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2015, 39 percent are Hispanic. The classification allows campuses to compete for federal funding to enhance and expand educational opportunities for their students, including those of Hispanic descent.
HSIs are defined under the Higher Education Act (HEA) as colleges or universities where at least 25 percent of the undergraduate, full-time enrollment is Hispanic and at least half of the institution's degree-seeking students are low-income.
Other CSU campuses in addition to Chico and San Francisco that are HSIs include: Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Humboldt, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose, San Marcos and Stanislaus.
The CSU is the nation's largest four-year public university system — educating approximately 474,600 students at 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers. CSU's student population is the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student body in the nation and our students are more successful than ever. Completion rates are at an all-time high and the university continues to invest in strategies to reach degree completion targets and close the achievement gap for underserved and low-income students. Since the launch of the CSU's Graduation Initiative in 2009, the CSU has raised overall six-year graduation rates for first-time freshman by 11 percent, achieving a 57 percent rate. The time to degree for first-time, full-time freshmen now averages 4.7 years and the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025 aims to push those graduation rates even higher.
To learn more about the CSU and our partnerships in the Hispanic community, visit: www.calstate.edu/mediacenter and www.calstate.edu/externalrelations.