Hispanic and Latino/a Students in Higher Education: Facts and Statistics

Updated on September 8, 2023

Edited by

• Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Nearly 18% of college undergraduates are Hispanic and Latino/a. Discover the data about Hispanic and Latino/a college students in our report.

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Credit: Image Credit: FG Trade Latin / E+ / Getty Images

Data Summary

Hispanic and Latino/a undergraduate students made up 17.5% of the total student undergraduate population in 2022.^[1]
There were roughly 282,940 Hispanic and Latino/a graduate students, and they made up around 9% of the total graduate student population.^{Note Reference [1]}
40% of Hispanic and Latino/a students attended public, two-year colleges.^{Note Reference [1]}
The percentage of Mexican American college enrollees increased by the most percentage points of any Hispanic and Latino/a ethnic group, going from 21% in 2005 to 33% in 2021.^[2]
Hispanic and Latino/a students were more likely to be first-generation college students than any other racial/ethnic group in 2019.^[3]
67% of Hispanic and Latino/a students attended a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in 2019-2020.^[4]
Hispanic and Latino/a students accounted for nearly 46% of all undocumented students in higher education.^[5]

September marks Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the history and culture of Hispanic and Latino/a Americans. This report covers higher education data on Hispanic and Latino/a students.

Discover enrollment statistics by institution type, gender, and degree level. Also explore first-generation student statistics, faculty demographics, and college resources for Hispanic and Latino/a students.

Hispanic and Latino/a Student Demographics

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Hispanic and Latino/a undergraduate students made up 17.5% of the total student population in 2022.^{Note Reference [1]}

Women made up nearly 59% of the Hispanic and Latino/a undergraduate population, and men made up 39%.^{Note Reference [1]}
Public, two-year schools were the most popular institution type among Hispanic and Latino/a students with 37% attending them in 2022.^{Note Reference [1]}
34% of Hispanic and Latino/a students were enrolled in public, four-year schools.^{Note Reference [1]}

Hispanic and Latino/a Undergraduate Student Enrollment by Origin Group

While statistics on Hispanic and Latino/a students are frequently reported under a single figure, many diverse origin groups make up the Hispanic and Latino/a student population.

Cuban Americans made up one of the largest proportions of Hispanic and Latino/a U.S. college enrollees, in both 2005 and 2021 (43% and 46%, respectively).^{Note Reference [2]}
South Americans made up nearly half (47%) of Hispanic and Latino/a U.S. college enrollees in 2021 — a 2.2 percentage point increase from 2005.^{Note Reference [2]}
The percentage of Mexican American college enrollees increased by the most percentage points of any Hispanic and Latino/a ethnic group, going from 21% in 2005 to 33% in 2021.^{Note Reference [2]}

Hispanic and Latino/a Graduate Student Enrollment

There were roughly 282,940 Hispanic and Latino/a graduate students in 2022, and they made up around 9% of the total graduate student population.^{Note Reference [1]}

Women made up the overwhelming majority of the total Hispanic and Latino/a graduate student population.

95,560 Hispanic and Latino/a graduate students (34%) were men; nearly 185,060 (66%) were women.^{Note Reference [1]}
Hispanic and Latina women also made up almost 6% of the total graduate student population.^{Note Reference [1]}
Hispanic and Latino men made up 3% of the total graduate student population.^{Note Reference [1]}

(Note: The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data does not report data on the number of nonbinary and/or trans Hispanic and Latino/a students.)

First-Generation Hispanic and Latino/a College Students

Hispanic and Latino/a students were more likely to be first-generation college students than any other racial/ethnic group in 2019.^{Note Reference [2]}

Roughly 44% of Hispanic and Latino/a students were the first in their families to attend college.^{Note Reference [3]}
In contrast, 22% of white students and 34% of Black students were the first in their families to attend college.^{Note Reference [3]}

Hispanic and Latino/a Students and Family Involvement

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 27% of Hispanic and Latino/a college students lived with their parents as of 2020.^[6]
This was a significantly higher percentage than for Black (13%), Asian (7%), or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander college students (1%). However, a greater percentage of white students lived with their parents than Hispanic and Latino/a college students (43%).^{Note Reference [6]}

Hispanic and Latino/a College Students and Their Residences While Enrolled, 2020
Residence While Enrolled	Percentage of Hispanic and Latino/a Students Enrolled
On Campus	12%
Off Campus	19%
Living With Parents	27%

Source: NCES^{Note Reference [6]}

Hispanic and Latino/a Students and Financial Aid

Hispanic and Latino/a students received fewer grants — both from schools and the federal government — than the overall average among all races/ethnicities. Applying to scholarships specifically for Hispanic and Latino/a students can help close the gap in those figures.

More than half of Hispanic and Latino/a students (51%) received federal grants in 2020.^[7]
Nearly 70% of Hispanic and Latino/a students (67%) received grants of any kind.^{Note Reference [7]}
Hispanic and Latino/a students received an average of $8,485 in grants, a little below the total average of $9,280 among all races/ethnicities.^[8]

Hispanic and Latino/a Faculty Demographics

For fall 2020, Hispanic faculty members made up 6% of all full-time faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions: 3% were Hispanic men and 3% were Hispanic women.^[9]

Did You Know…

What is an HSI?

The federal government recognizes colleges that pay special attention to historically excluded student populations. These schools are called Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are a subset of this group.

To be considered an HSI, an institution must have an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 25% Hispanic and Latino/a.

Nearly 70% of Hispanic and Latino/a students (67%) attended HSIs in 2019-2020.^{Note Reference [4]}

In 2021-2022, there were over 570 HSIs and 401 emerging HSIs serving nearly 1.4 million Hispanic and Latino/a undergraduates.^{Note Reference [4]}

You can browse HSIs and other campuses committed to college access and success for Hispanic and Latino/a students on the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) website.

Undocumented Students

There are over 427,000 undocumented students in higher education in the U.S., including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.^[10]

Hispanic and Latino/a students accounted for nearly 46% of all undocumented students in higher education.^{Note Reference [5]}

According to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, 24 states and Washington, D.C., provide in-state tuition to undocumented students living within the state.^{Note Reference [10]} Of those states, 18 states and the District of Columbia give undocumented students access to state financial aid as well.

Each state has its own specific policies on whether funds are limited for DACA students or whether universities are required to provide aid to all learners. The following states provide comprehensive access to state financial aid for undocumented students:

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Washington, D.C.
Hawaii
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington

California had the highest number of undocumented students in higher education in 2021, with nearly 83,000 students.^{Note Reference [10]} Texas came in second with over 59,020 students.