Hispanic Outlook’s Top 50 Institutions for 2020-21
Completing a graduate degree is a challenging feat, particularly for students from under-represented groups. The latest data indicates, however, that large numbers of Hispanic/Latino students continue to take on this challenge, despite the setbacks in enrollment caused by the pandemic. According to H.O.’s analysis of data from the NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the 2020-21 academic year, the top 50 institutions for Hispanics/Latinos listed below (defined as such due to having the highest number of Hispanic/Latino graduate enrollments) enrolled a total of 140,311 Hispanic/Latino students in all graduate programs (this includes doctoral and master’s programs, full and part time enrollments, enrollments by degree- and certificate-seeking students, and enrollments in graduate courses by non-degree/certificate-seeking students).
Of the 50 institutions included in the list of top Hispanic/Latino enrollments in graduate programs, nearly half (23) are Hispanic Serving Institutions (which includes 18 public and 5 private HSIs), while 10 are emerging HSIs (6 public and 4 private); the remaining 17 are non-HSIs (5 public and 12 private). Although the majority of these top 50 institutions are public (29, including HSIs and non-HSIs), it is notable that among the top ten, eight are private.
More than 1,600 Hispanic/Latino students were enrolled in graduate programs at each one of these 50 institutions. The top four – Grand Canyon University, Florida International University, the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and Western Governors University – enrolled more than 5,500 Hispanic/Latino graduate students each.
Regarding graduate degrees for Hispanic/Latino students, Grand Canyon University conferred the highest number (2,345), followed by Florida International University (2,025), Western Governors University (1,647) and the University of Southern California (1,593). In total, the top 50 institutions on this list conferred 36,160 graduate degrees to Hispanic/Latino students in the 2020-21 academic year, providing gateways to new opportunities for them.
Among these top 50 institutions, three had a large proportion of Hispanic/Latino students among their graduate student body (more than half): The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (77%), the University of Texas at El Paso (65%) and California State University Los Angeles (53%). Another six institutions had Hispanic/Latino students comprising more than a third of their student body. Miami Regional University stands out for conferring the largest proportion of graduate degrees to Hispanic/Latino students (97%), followed by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (78%) and the University of Texas at El Paso (64%).
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2020-2021- H.O. Top 50 Graduate Enrollment
|
|
|
Institution
|
State
|
Total Hispanic/Latino Students
|
Grand Total All Students
|
Hispanic/Latino men
|
Hispanic/Latino women
|
Percentage Hispanic/Latino
|
|
1
|
Grand Canyon University
|
AZ
|
9762
|
61923
|
2252
|
7510
|
16%
|
|
2
|
Florida International University
|
FL
|
6275
|
12817
|
2346
|
3929
|
49%
|
|
3
|
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
|
TX
|
5825
|
7524
|
1947
|
3878
|
77%
|
|
4
|
Western Governors University
|
UT
|
5523
|
65330
|
1815
|
3708
|
8%
|
|
5
|
Nova Southeastern University
|
FL
|
5097
|
16925
|
1397
|
3700
|
30%
|
|
6
|
National University
|
CA
|
5025
|
15659
|
1461
|
3564
|
32%
|
|
7
|
Walden University
|
MN
|
4445
|
64337
|
939
|
3506
|
7%
|
|
8
|
University of Southern California
|
CA
|
4443
|
30328
|
1548
|
2895
|
15%
|
|
9
|
Capella University
|
MN
|
4080
|
42849
|
735
|
3345
|
10%
|
|
10
|
Liberty University
|
VA
|
3774
|
64558
|
1515
|
2259
|
6%
|
|
11
|
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
|
AZ
|
3194
|
20270
|
959
|
2235
|
16%
|
|
12
|
The University of Texas at El Paso
|
TX
|
3168
|
4888
|
1293
|
1875
|
65%
|
|
13
|
The University of Texas at Arlington
|
TX
|
3081
|
17052
|
724
|
2357
|
18%
|
|
14
|
University of Florida
|
FL
|
3080
|
21664
|
1227
|
1853
|
14%
|
|
15
|
Southern New Hampshire University
|
NH
|
2849
|
34053
|
865
|
1984
|
8%
|
|
16
|
University of Phoenix-Arizona
|
AZ
|
2782
|
33178
|
715
|
2067
|
8%
|
|
17
|
California State University-Long Beach
|
CA
|
2715
|
6709
|
889
|
1826
|
40%
|
|
18
|
Lamar University
|
TX
|
2634
|
12490
|
624
|
2010
|
21%
|
|
19
|
New York University
|
NY
|
2598
|
29683
|
867
|
1731
|
9%
|
|
20
|
The University of Texas at San Antonio
|
TX
|
2487
|
5549
|
958
|
1529
|
45%
|
|
21
|
University of Central Florida
|
FL
|
2403
|
12792
|
896
|
1507
|
19%
|
|
22
|
California State University-Los Angeles
|
CA
|
2333
|
4438
|
788
|
1545
|
53%
|
|
23
|
Harvard University
|
MA
|
2299
|
26793
|
1084
|
1215
|
9%
|
|
24
|
Texas A & M University-College Station
|
TX
|
2273
|
16871
|
998
|
1275
|
13%
|
|
25
|
University of Miami
|
FL
|
2262
|
7852
|
896
|
1366
|
29%
|
|
26
|
University of Arizona
|
AZ
|
2163
|
11968
|
876
|
1287
|
18%
|
|
27
|
Johns Hopkins University
|
MD
|
2122
|
28959
|
1026
|
1096
|
7%
|
|
28
|
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
|
NM
|
2103
|
6760
|
870
|
1233
|
31%
|
|
29
|
California State University-Northridge
|
CA
|
2098
|
6507
|
638
|
1460
|
32%
|
|
30
|
Chamberlain University-Illinois
|
IL
|
2089
|
20685
|
245
|
1844
|
10%
|
|
31
|
George Washington University
|
DC
|
2036
|
17464
|
601
|
1435
|
12%
|
|
32
|
American Public University System
|
WV
|
2010
|
17631
|
1248
|
762
|
11%
|
|
33
|
University of South Florida
|
FL
|
1968
|
14506
|
677
|
1291
|
14%
|
|
34
|
University of California-Los Angeles
|
CA
|
1898
|
13528
|
777
|
1121
|
14%
|
|
35
|
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
|
NJ
|
1892
|
16305
|
525
|
1367
|
12%
|
|
36
|
San Jose State University
|
CA
|
1862
|
10119
|
573
|
1289
|
18%
|
|
37
|
Azusa Pacific University
|
CA
|
1821
|
5396
|
449
|
1372
|
34%
|
|
38
|
California State University-Fullerton
|
CA
|
1807
|
5768
|
614
|
1193
|
31%
|
|
39
|
CUNY Hunter College
|
NY
|
1786
|
7678
|
368
|
1418
|
23%
|
|
40
|
Florida State University
|
FL
|
1756
|
12945
|
624
|
1132
|
14%
|
|
41
|
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
|
AZ
|
1689
|
13884
|
671
|
1018
|
12%
|
|
42
|
California Baptist University
|
CA
|
1684
|
4411
|
414
|
1270
|
38%
|
|
43
|
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
|
GA
|
1663
|
29799
|
1304
|
359
|
6%
|
|
44
|
San Diego State University
|
CA
|
1655
|
5426
|
528
|
1127
|
31%
|
|
45
|
University of Illinois Chicago
|
IL
|
1645
|
13067
|
580
|
1065
|
13%
|
|
46
|
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
|
IL
|
1644
|
23759
|
778
|
866
|
7%
|
|
47
|
University of La Verne
|
CA
|
1637
|
3534
|
459
|
1178
|
46%
|
|
48
|
Purdue University Global
|
IN
|
1632
|
15058
|
470
|
1162
|
11%
|
|
49
|
Texas Woman's University
|
TX
|
1625
|
7900
|
158
|
1467
|
21%
|
|
50
|
Northcentral University
|
CA
|
1619
|
16640
|
391
|
1228
|
10%
|
|
|
2020-2021- H.O. Top 50 Graduate Degrees Granted
|
|
|
Institutions
|
State
|
Total Hispanic/Latino Students
|
Total All Students
|
Hispanic/Latino Men
|
Hispanic/Latino Women
|
Percentage Hispanic/Latino
|
|
1
|
Grand Canyon University
|
AZ
|
2345
|
15207
|
551
|
1794
|
15%
|
|
2
|
Florida International University
|
FL
|
2025
|
4139
|
792
|
1233
|
49%
|
|
3
|
Western Governors University
|
UT
|
1647
|
22759
|
526
|
1121
|
7%
|
|
4
|
University of Southern California
|
CA
|
1593
|
11042
|
522
|
1071
|
14%
|
|
5
|
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
|
TX
|
1545
|
1972
|
507
|
1038
|
78%
|
|
6
|
National University
|
CA
|
1313
|
4343
|
386
|
927
|
30%
|
|
7
|
Nova Southeastern University
|
FL
|
1313
|
4431
|
343
|
970
|
30%
|
|
8
|
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
|
AZ
|
862
|
4990
|
252
|
610
|
17%
|
|
9
|
The University of Texas at Arlington
|
TX
|
835
|
5178
|
199
|
636
|
16%
|
|
10
|
The University of Texas at El Paso
|
TX
|
829
|
1300
|
342
|
487
|
64%
|
|
11
|
University of Miami
|
FL
|
801
|
2576
|
319
|
482
|
31%
|
|
12
|
University of Phoenix-Arizona
|
AZ
|
799
|
6906
|
225
|
574
|
12%
|
|
13
|
New York University
|
NY
|
777
|
10553
|
258
|
519
|
7%
|
|
14
|
University of Florida
|
FL
|
762
|
5874
|
322
|
440
|
13%
|
|
15
|
Capella University
|
MN
|
686
|
8029
|
140
|
546
|
9%
|
|
16
|
Texas A & M University-College Station
|
TX
|
674
|
5063
|
299
|
375
|
13%
|
|
17
|
The University of Texas at San Antonio
|
TX
|
660
|
1445
|
240
|
420
|
46%
|
|
18
|
University of California-Los Angeles
|
CA
|
633
|
4485
|
225
|
408
|
14%
|
|
19
|
California State University-Long Beach
|
CA
|
600
|
1678
|
219
|
381
|
36%
|
|
20
|
Liberty University
|
VA
|
591
|
11224
|
246
|
345
|
5%
|
|
21
|
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
|
AZ
|
581
|
4823
|
239
|
342
|
12%
|
|
22
|
The University of Texas at Austin
|
TX
|
580
|
4383
|
254
|
326
|
13%
|
|
23
|
University of Central Florida
|
FL
|
578
|
3212
|
190
|
388
|
18%
|
|
24
|
California State University-Los Angeles
|
CA
|
576
|
1198
|
191
|
385
|
48%
|
|
25
|
Walden University
|
MN
|
576
|
10589
|
144
|
432
|
5%
|
|
26
|
University of Arizona
|
AZ
|
557
|
3266
|
216
|
341
|
17%
|
|
27
|
Southern New Hampshire University
|
NH
|
553
|
7386
|
190
|
363
|
7%
|
|
28
|
Columbia University in the City of New York
|
NY
|
549
|
10029
|
183
|
366
|
5%
|
|
29
|
Lamar University
|
TX
|
547
|
2748
|
148
|
399
|
20%
|
|
30
|
Harvard University
|
MA
|
526
|
6114
|
263
|
263
|
9%
|
|
31
|
California State University-Northridge
|
CA
|
513
|
1681
|
155
|
358
|
31%
|
|
32
|
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
|
NJ
|
513
|
4458
|
126
|
387
|
12%
|
|
33
|
University of South Florida
|
FL
|
513
|
4256
|
192
|
321
|
12%
|
|
34
|
CUNY Hunter College
|
NY
|
511
|
2156
|
107
|
404
|
24%
|
|
35
|
Johns Hopkins University
|
MD
|
485
|
7686
|
228
|
257
|
6%
|
|
36
|
Fordham University
|
NY
|
477
|
3143
|
111
|
366
|
15%
|
|
37
|
Miami Regional University
|
FL
|
477
|
494
|
196
|
281
|
97%
|
|
38
|
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
|
NM
|
471
|
1520
|
182
|
289
|
31%
|
|
39
|
University of Houston
|
TX
|
470
|
2691
|
180
|
290
|
17%
|
|
40
|
California Baptist University
|
CA
|
466
|
1324
|
118
|
348
|
35%
|
|
41
|
San Jose State University
|
CA
|
466
|
2926
|
124
|
342
|
16%
|
|
42
|
University of Redlands
|
CA
|
460
|
995
|
113
|
347
|
46%
|
|
43
|
California State University-Fullerton
|
CA
|
450
|
1642
|
154
|
296
|
27%
|
|
44
|
University of Illinois Chicago
|
IL
|
445
|
3618
|
136
|
309
|
12%
|
|
45
|
University of La Verne
|
CA
|
442
|
1109
|
127
|
315
|
40%
|
|
46
|
San Diego State University
|
CA
|
428
|
1696
|
143
|
285
|
25%
|
|
47
|
Florida State University
|
FL
|
427
|
3154
|
161
|
266
|
14%
|
|
48
|
University of Massachusetts Global
|
CA
|
418
|
1819
|
111
|
307
|
23%
|
|
49
|
Chamberlain University-Illinois
|
IL
|
401
|
4598
|
48
|
353
|
9%
|
|
50
|
University of the Incarnate Word
|
TX
|
399
|
1027
|
171
|
228
|
39%
|
|
|
Source: NCES, IPEDS Database as of Fall 2020 and Spring 2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Hispanics/Latinos in Graduate Education
Spotlight on Doctoral Degrees
The number of doctoral degrees conferred to Hispanic/Latino students has grown substantially over the past twenty years, from a mere 5,204 in 2001 to 14,868 in 2020, reflecting the overall growth of the Hispanic/Latino community. The percentage of total U.S. doctor’s degrees that are conferred to Hispanic/Latino students has also increased from 4.9% in 2001 to 8.9% in 2020, according to the NCES Digest of Education Statistics. Although this is an important improvement, Hispanics/Latinos are still under-represented at this level of higher education, given that they represent nearly 20% of the total U.S. population.
For the first time, Hispanic Outlook highlights the highest level of formal educational attainment by offering its readers a list of the 50 institutions across the country that confer the highest number of doctoral degrees – in research or in practice, as medical professionals or as scholars in other fields - to Hispanic/Latino students. In the 2020-21 academic year, according to NCES IPEDS data, these top 50 institutions conferred a total of 6,086 doctoral degrees to Hispanic/Latino students. Nova Southeastern University, a private Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Florida, stands out for conferring 500 doctoral degrees to Hispanic/Latino students; the other universities in the top five on this list each conferred more than 200 of these degrees – the University of Florida (a public emerging HSI), the University of Miami (a private emerging HSI), the University of Southern California (a private emerging HSI) and Florida International University (a public HSI). The institutions where more than a third of all doctoral degrees were conferred to Hispanic/Latino students are the University of Texas at El Paso (55%), St. Thomas University (50%), St. Mary’s University (46%), and Florida International University (36%).
