Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are institutions of higher education that serve high concentrations of minority students who, historically, have been under-resourced. MSIs tend to have relatively low educational and general expenditures and high enrollments of needy students.
Minority Serving Institutions include, but are not limited to:
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions
- Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions
- Hispanic-Serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges & Universities
- Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions
- Predominantly Black Institutions
- Tribal Colleges
Minority Institutions (MI) are defined as an institution of higher education whose enrollment of a single ethnic minority or a combination of ethnic minorities exceeds 50 percent of the total enrollment. Per § 365(3) of the HEA (3) (20 U.S.C. § 1067k(3)). “Minority” is defined as: American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander.
Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are institutions of higher education that exceed an enrollment threshold of 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent students, have relatively low educational and general expenditures, and have high enrollments of needy students of all backgrounds.
Currently, there are 602 HSIs across the U.S., including 28 HSIs in Florida. To learn more, read A Florida Briefing on 25 Years of HSIs and R1 Hispanic Serving Institutions: Potential for Growth and Opportunity.
UCF’s Eligibility: While UCF has been federally recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2019, it is not yet considered a Minority Institution as defined in § 365(3) of the HEA (3) (20 U.S.C. § 1067k(3)), as evidenced by a 40.1% Minority enrollment in fall 2025.