Best Schools for Latinos

Aside from purchasing a home, deciding where to attend college is one of the most long-term and costliest investments most individuals will make in their lifetime.

Increasingly competitive job markets also demand the right academic credentials to more aptly begin a career track. Yet for minorities like Latinos, only 15 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, according to recent data by the Pew Research Center. There are numerous circumstances as to why the largest minority block in the United States is also one of the most educationally underserved.

Yet there are also numerous reasons why some academic institutions better serve Hispanic students. They include: the percentage of total Latino enrollment and the percentage of Latino faculty, the percentage of students who apply and receive financial aid, academic resources for minority students to acclimate to academic rigors of college life and outreach efforts by schools to add to their overall diversity.

Institutional information provided by universities, along with independent sources like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), joined data by U.S. News and World Report and other reporting agencies all served as basis for the research methodology in compiling the top 50 universities for Latinos.

The list of Colleges and Universities we're presenting in the following pages, along with interviews and chats with some academic leaders, are institutions that have excelled in their performance, outreach and academic level in their relation with the Latino student population of the Country.

Cambridge College

A total of 4,265 students call CC their academic home. For the 28 percent of Hispanic students, the private, nonprofit institution has specialized in adult learning, with five satellite locations across the country. Cambridge College is a center of ethnic diversity, with over 65 percent of its students being members of a minority group. Students of different ethnic backgrounds flourish at Cambridge due to the inclusive culture that produces a positive educational experience. Tuition is less than the cost of the average four-year college and over 60 percent of students receive financial aid.