'The University of California, Davis, is now eligible to be one of the nation’s few research-intensive universities designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, or HSI, after fall enrollment numbers crossed the threshold for HSI status for the first time.

Latinx enrollment at UC Davis has reached a new peak of about 8,100 students or 25.1% of undergraduate full-time-equivalent students, which surpasses the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria of at least 25% for HSIs. This fall’s 25.1% was up from 24.6% last year.

The campus has long-sought HSI designation to underscore its commitment to serving Latinx students. The status also makes the university eligible to apply for competitive grants from the federal government and foundations to support student success, innovation and institutional transformation benefiting all students.

“I’m grateful to all the members of the UC Davis community who worked for nearly a decade to reach this milestone,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “Achieving eligibility for HSI designation shows that UC Davis is fulfilling its mission to serve the state, the nation and the world. We’re empowering more young people from underserved communities and closing the gap on socioeconomic disparities in access to higher education, particularly research universities.”

In each of the past few years, UC Davis has met HSI requirements related to serving low-income students and core expenses, and it is expected that the campus will seek to renew the status for those two criteria in January. With their anticipated renewal and this fall’s enrollment numbers, the next steps are to continue working on Latinx student success at all levels and seek federal funding to further support institutional transformation.'