Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) comprise half of the nation’s community colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees, according to recent research.
Of the 187 higher education institutions approved to confer community college baccalaureates (CCB) in 2023, 94 were MSIs, and 93 were predominantly White institutions, says the report from the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) and its research partner Bragg & Associates. Just over three-quarters of those MSIs are classified as Hispanic-serving institutions, where full-time equivalent Hispanic students comprise at least 25% of undergraduate enrollment. Another 13% of the MSIs enroll students associated with multiple groups (such as Black and Hispanic students) and another 8% are recognized as Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving institutions, the report says.
The racial composition of CCB graduates in 2021-22 resembled the institutional classification, with about half from non-White race/ethnic groups, the researchers add. Of the 7,028 graduates of color, 52% were Hispanic/Latine, 29% were Black/African American, 9% were Asian and 7% were of two or more races. About 4% of CCB graduates are international students, the report notes.
CCBA also examined from which CCB programs students of color graduated. Business is the largest major program category for all groups except Asian graduates, with a higher percentage of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latine graduates. More than 20% of White, Black/African American and American Indian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander graduates were in nursing, the report shows.
