FIU Awards Most Higher Ed. Degrees to Latinos

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Florida International University (FIU), in Miami, Fla. (70.7% Latino population), has been recognized as the four-year institution that has awarded the most degrees to Latinos in the country. Taking into account degrees conferred up until the 2014-2015 school year, Florida International had awarded 5,754 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to Latino students.

A story entitled: “The 25th Annual Top 100 Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral Degrees Conferred” online magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education compiled the list. California State University, Fullerton (CSU-Fullerton), in Fullerton, Calif. (34.7% Latino population) was identified as the school that had awarded the second most degrees to Latinos. During the same time period, the school awarded 2,704 degrees to Latinos.

Education consistently ranks as one of the most significant issues to the current Latino population, and while great strides have been made in Latinos obtaining higher education degrees. In 2014, 15% of Latinos age 25-29 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This still lags behind whites (41%), blacks (22%), and Asians (63%) of the same age.

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The “new” University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas (84.99% Latino population) was ranked third on the list. The university is the combination of two “legacy institutions,” UT-Pan American and UT-Brownsville.

“This is a tremendous honor for [the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley],” said University Provost Havidán Rodríguez in a news release. “We strive to serve our students from all backgrounds, and it is truly a privilege to be recognized for our commitment and dedication to our Hispanic community in the Rio Grande Valley.”

The enrollment at UTRGV was noted in the report as being of note; during the 2014-2015 school year, the total enrollment was 28,584, of which 89% were Latinos.