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FEATURE
The Top 25 Colleges for Latinos
By: Marissa Rodriguez
 Not only is the number of Hispanics attending college on the rise, but latinos are also enrolling in higher numbers in the county's best schools, changing the faces of the most selective academic institutions.
What distinguishes a college from being excellent overall to being more specifically the best for Hispanics? There are many criteria to consider.
 Not only has HISPANIC Magazine considered the essentials—an institution’s selectivity, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratio, and academic excellence with the help of U.S. News & World Report—but, we’ve also considered other important factors such as Hispanic enrollment, cultural programs, organizations and support for Hispanic students, and the percentage of Hispanic faculty. Twenty-four of our top 25 schools were also recognized by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education in their annual “Publisher’s Pick List.”
Finances were also of concern. Typically, the best schools are also the most expensive. Ever-increasing tuition and student loan debt are important considerations when choosing a college. With that in mind, Hispanic Magazine examined the percentage of students at each institution receiving financial aid.
We’ve also selected campuses where students have created more opportunities for participation in activities and taken command of their college experience.
 1. Harvard University
Admissions Office:
Byerly Hall
8 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-1551
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: all costs reflect undergraduate fees $32,097/$9,578
Hispanic Enrollment: 5.6 percent (Harvard College)
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 7 to 1
The ultra-selective school that comes in as No. 1 also tops the U.S. News & World Report list. With a total undergraduate population of under 7,000 and Hispanic students making up only 7 percent of that, the presence is small, but you wouldn’t know that from the array of organizations such as the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, Harvard Ballet Folklórico de Aztlán, Cuban-American Undergraduate Student Association, Fuerza Latina and many others. In addition to the renowned schools of law, medicine, and business, the university also offers undergraduate programs in ethnic studies, and Latin American and Iberian studies.
 2. Princeton University
Admissions Office:
PO Box 430
Princeton, NJ 08544-0430
(609) 258-3060
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large town
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $31,450/$8,763
Hispanic Enrollment: 7 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 5 to 1
With the most recent acceptance rate a mere 11 percent, one can argue that the cream of the crop attends Princeton and 97 percent of them graduate. This small school of under 5,000 undergraduates offers students an opportunity to grow close to the faculty, which includes Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. A largely residential campus, the school guarantees oncampus housing to all undergraduates. Active student groups include the Chicano Caucus and the Princeton Caribbean Connection.
 3. Amherst College
Admissions Office:
PO Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2328
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large town
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $40,980
Hispanic Enrollment: 6 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 8 to 1
This close-knit elite institution ranked No. 2 on U.S. News & World Report’s rank of liberal arts colleges. Located in a town of 35,000 of the same name, Amherst enrolls only about 1,600 students, but offers those few 33 fields of study and more than 800 classes. Students can also attend class at nearby Smith, Mount Holyoke and Hampshire Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst through the colleges Five-College system. Residents of the campus can choose to live in the Spanish House, a Spanish-speaking residence.
 4. Yale University
Admissions Office:
Box 208234
New Haven, CT 06520-8234
(203) 432-9300
Type of School: Private
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $31,460/$9,540
Hispanic Enrollment: 8 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 6 to 1
Yale’s students have developed and fostered an atmosphere where Hispanic students thrive. Undergrads attend Yale College where all incoming students are required to take an array of classes designed to introduce them to different areas of study and build foundations. Once set, students can explore such programs as engineering, classics, ethnicity race and migration, and the total immersion Nahuatl program, where students are immersed in the indigenous language and culture of Mexico’s interior.
 5. University of Pennsylvania
Admissions Office:
1 College Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6376
(215) 898-7507
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $30,716/$8,918
Hispanic Enrollment: 5 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 6 to 1
One of the greater populated private schools, University of Pennsylvania hosts just over 10,000 undergraduates. It is home to The Wharton School, one of the nation’s top three business schools, a top-tier nursing school and the Annenberg School for Communication. Penn’s Latino Professional Pathways Program fosters connections among students, faculty, staff and alumni in hopes of establishing mentors to students. The school annually hosts Penn’s Festival Latino. Organized by the school’s several Hispanic/Latino student groups, this week-long festival brings the likes of Julia Alvarez to the campus for speaking engagements.
 6. Stanford University
Admissions Office:
Bakewell Building
355 Galvez Street
Stanford, CA 94305-3020
(650) 723-2091
Type of School: Private
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $33,243/$9,932
Hispanic Enrollment: 11 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 6.3 to 1
This selective institution has beckoned Hispanic students to its palm-tree lined campus for years. Considered the Harvard of the West, Stanford demands Ivy League academic excellence and has similarly high tuition costs. Just over a third of students at Stanford are on financial aid. Programs such as Chicano Studies and organizations such as MEChA, Ballet Folklórico de Stanford, and Mariachi Cardenal are just a few examples of the educational and cultural support Hispanic students can expect from this stellar school.
 7. Pomona College
Admissions Office:
333 N. College Way
Claremont, CA 91711-6312
(909) 621-8134
Type of School: Private
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $29,923/$10,851
Hispanic Enrollment: 11 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 8 to 1
Pomona is the only school on our list not to be recognized as one of the Top 100 from the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, but we felt it could not be overlooked. With a significant Hispanic presence in the student body and Hispanics making up 6 percent of the total faculty, this little school of just over 1,500 has as strong a Hispanic presence as it does an academic reputation. Pomona admits approximately 18 percent of applicants, preferring to keep the population small and highly selective.
 8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Admissions Office:
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Rm 3-108
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
(617) 253-4791
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $32,300/$9,500
Hispanic Enrollment: 12 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 7 to 1
MIT is extremely picky, admitting only 16 percent of all applicants, many of whom have near-perfect SAT and ACT scores. MIT hopefuls should come from rigorous high schools and have an array of extracurricular activities. Nearly half of MIT’s students are engineering majors, and most of the rest pursue computer and information science, biology, business, mathematics and physical sciences. While the MIT community lacks many Hispanic professors (only 14 of the 992 faculty members are Hispanic), Hispanic students have fostered a community through many organizations and clubs.
 9. Columbia University
Admissions Office:
1130 Amsterdam Avenue MC2807
New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-2522
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $33,246/$9,340
Hispanic Enrollment: 8 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 7 to 1
Called “the quintessential great urban university” by its president, Columbia resides in Manhattan’s Upper West Side and is as international as the city it calls home. The small student population and faculty (among whom are Nobel Prize winners) hail from 150 countries. Busy students can study a myriad of cultures and subjects and then catch up on reading at the school’s 25 libraries holding more than 8 million volumes. Among the university’s institutes are the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race and the Institute of Latin American Studies which offers classes such as History of the Brazilian Economy.
 10. Dartmouth College
Admissions Office:
6016 McNutt Hall
Hanover, NH 03755
(603) 646-2875
Type of School: Private
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $31,965/$9,390
Hispanic Enrollment: 5 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 8.5 to 1
Only a few hours from both Boston and New York City, students have access to metropolitan communities while enjoying the quiet seclusion the 200-acre campus provides. Dartmouth prides itself on its commitment to diversity—the school has the highest percentage of female tenured professors in the Ivy League as well as student programs such as the Diversity Peers Program, Diversity Forum Program and Latino/a Student Advisor. Of the 39 programs and majors offered by Dartmouth, the class of 2005 most often majored in economics, government, history, psychological and brain sciences, and English.
 11. Brown University
Admissions Office:
45 Prospect Street
PO Box 1876
Providence, RI 02912
(401) 863-2378
Type of School: Private
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $32,974/$8,796
Hispanic Enrollment: 8 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 9 to 1
Students here are as active outside the classroom as they are inside. As an NCAA Division 1 school, Brown has one of the largest arrays of varsity teams in the Ivy League with a total of 37 (17 men’s teams and 20 women’s teams). And many students find time to compete in them, no small feat considering slightly more than a third of students chose a challenging math or science major. Brown is also home to SOMOS, the school’s Latino literary magazine and MEZCLA, a Latino performing arts group.
 12. Rice University
Admissions Office:
6100 Main Street, MS17
PO Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
(713) 348-7423
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $23,746/$8,980
Hispanic Enrollment: 12 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 5 to 1
Although one of the lesser expensive private schools on this list, Rice assists 82 percent of its students through financial aid, which is no doubt a relief to those contending with Houston’s high cost of living. Of the six schools undergraduates can choose from, the School of Engineering is the most popular followed by the schools of natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, music and architecture, respectively. The School of Architecture places qualified students with architecture firms throughout the country and the very best have the opportunity to attend the Rice School of Architecture Paris.
 13. University of Notre Dame
Admissions Office:
220 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-7505
Type of School: Private
Setting: Medium city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $31,542/$8,180
Hispanic Enrollment: 9 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 13 to 1
Every year 40 top Latino high school students are selected by the university to take part in the Latino Community Leadership Seminar designed to foster commitment to the community and Catholic tradition and introduce students to Notre Dame. When students finish the seminar they will have gained one college credit that they can put toward their First Year of Studies, a program freshmen must complete before they can move on to the College of Arts and Letters, Mendoza College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Science or School of Architecture.
 14. University of California, Berkeley
Admissions Office:
110 Sproul Hall, #5800
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-3175
Type of School: Public
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $6,512 in-state, $24,332 out-of-state/ $11,629 living on campus
Hispanic Enrollment: 11 percent (undergraduate)
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16 to 1
The first public school to make an appearance on the list, Berkeley is just as selective as some of the best private colleges and accepts only a quarter of all applicants. And it has as strong a reputation for top tier students as it does for its liberal campus lifestyle. From the multitude of Latino/Hispanic academic, social and support groups (such as ChaLE, Chicanos and Latinos for Empowerment and Lucero) to its 300 degree programs, Berkeley students have a seemingly endless assortment of subjects and cultures to study.
 15. University of California, Los Angeles
Admissions Office:
1147 Murphy Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310) 825-3101
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $7,062 in-state, $24,882 out-of-state/$11,928
Hispanic Enrollment: 14 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 18 to 1
Applicants to UCLA can get lost in the school’s impressive numbers. The library, among the country’s 10 best, has 8 million volumes. It offers 118 undergraduate programs, employs more than 3,000 faculty members (over 5 percent are Hispanic) and is five miles from the Pacific. In 1969, UCLA opened four ethnic centers including the Chicano Research Center, which publishes the academic journal Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies. UCLA is also an excellent option for young people wanting to pursue a career in media through the School of Theater, Film and Television.
 16. Univeristy of Southern California
Admissions Office:
File 51158
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1158
(213) 740-1111
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board:
$32,008/$9,610
Hispanic Enrollment: 12 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 11 to 1
This second L.A. school is famous for its elite sports program. The Trojan football team recently made it to the Rose Bowl. The rest of the 16,500 undergraduates can take part in a number of other sporting activities the Southern California climate allows. The same endless possibilities exist academically. USC students can major in practically anything in its 17 professional schools from dentistry to cinema to business to social work and there are Latino/Hispanic groups active in those fields of study.
 17. University of California, San Diego
Admissions Office:
9500 Gilman Drive, 0021
La Jolla, CA 92093
(858) 534-4831
Type of School: Public
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $7,317 in-state, $25,138 out-of-state/$6,900
Hispanic Enrollment: 11 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19 to 1
San Diego’s branch of the University of California is just over 40 years old, but has been recognized for excellence by a multitude of organizations and was recently ranked 13th in the 2005 Academic Rankings of World Universities. Global studies are important to this campus of just over 20,000 undergraduates. UCSD is home to international institutions such as the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, and Institute of the Americas. The San Diego Supercomputer Center and Center for Research in Computing and the Arts also reside here.
 18. New York University
Admissions Office:
22 Washington Square North
New York, NY 10011-9108
(212) 998-4500
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $31,690/$11,440
Hispanic Enrollment: 7 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 12 to 1
The largest private university in the country, NYU resides in the hip Greenwich Village area of lower Manhattan, an area famous for its resident artists, intellectuals and writers. Students have the option to study in 14 colleges, schools and programs with focuses that range from law to dance to social work. The school supports its minority students through OASIS, the Office for African- American, Latino and Asian-American student services. NYU also houses the Hemispheric Institute Hemisferico, a performance and cultural center.
 19. University of California, Santa Barbara
Admissions Office:
1234 Cheadle Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014
(805) 893-2881
Type of School: Public
Setting: Small cityTuition and Fees/Room and Board: $6,993 in-state, $24,813 out-of-state/$10,577
Hispanic Enrollment: 20 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 17 to 1
Students can select one of the College of Arts and Letters’ 80 majors, or they can pursue independent and advanced study in the arts, math and the sciences through The College of Creative Studies. Another California school that has exceptional science and technology resources, it boasts seven centers and institutes sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The school also has the longest-running Chicano Studies program in the nation and Cesar Chavez once taught a class there. The Colección Tloque Nahuaque Unit and California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives are also part of the campus’ resources.
 20. University of California, Davis
Admissions Office:
175 Mrak Hall
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-2971
Type of School: Public
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $8,129 in-state, $25,949 out-of-state/$10,791
Hispanic Enrollment: 12 percent
Student to Faculty Ratio: 19 to 1
The largest of the University of California campuses, UC Davis occupies 5,300 acres and enrolls nearly 30,000 students. Like the other California universities, it has a strong science program awarding more bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in the biological sciences than any other institution in the country. But artistically inclined students thrive here as well and can choose to pursue degrees in design, theater, dance, art, music, film and technocultural studies. Minority students have access to several means of academic and social support at UC Davis. The Cross Cultural Center—a community resource created for African-American, Native American, Asian and Chicano/ Latino students, the four traditionally underrepresented student groups—is just one example.
 21. University of Florida
Admissions Office:
201 Criser Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000
(352) 392-1365
Type of School: Public
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $3,093 in-state, $17,222 out-of-state/$6,260
Hispanic Enrollment: 13 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 23 to 1
The University of Florida is one of the few public schools to be included in the elite Association of American Universities, a group of academically excellent schools. And of that group UF ranks fifth in public universities in the number of Ph.D.s awarded to Latinos. With the lowest instate tuition, and one of the largest and academically diverse scholastic programs in the country, the University of Florida is a best buy for resident Floridians. Plus, the university provides more than 70 percent of its students, 34,088 of which are undergrads, with some form of financial aid.
 22. University of Texas At Austin
Admissions Office:
Freshman Admissions Center
PO Box 8058
Austin, TX 78713-8058
(512) 475-7440
Type of School: Public
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $6,972 in-state, $16,310 out-of-state/$3,819
Hispanic Enrollment: 14 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 18 to 1
In terms of sports, science, humanities and research, UT is one of the country’s best and students show a fierce pride in their school. Located in the middle of Austin, the heart of Texas’ political and art worlds, student life mirrors the city’s eclecticism. Students can join any one of the 900 student groups on campus, from the College Republicans of Texas, to the Gigglepants Improv Comedy Troupe, to the Grupo Flor y Canto, a folkloric arts group. Students also take advantage of the enormous university’s resources such as its 16 colleges, 17 libraries and seven museums.
 23. University of Miami
Admissions Office:
132 Ashe Building
Box 248025
Coral Gables, FL 33124-4616
(305) 284-4323
Type of School: Private
Setting: Large city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board:
$29,504/$8,744
Hispanic Enrollment: 27 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 13 to 1
More than 10,000 undergraduates attend the picturesque University of Miami. They choose from 150 areas of study in eight schools and two colleges on the main campus located in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami located within the city. UM has one of the country’s most beautiful campuses and is a short drive to South Florida’s beaches. Tropical atmosphere makes the university the perfect place to study oceanic and marine life at the renowned Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
 24. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey- New Brunswick
Admissions Office:
65 Davidson Road, Rm 202
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8097
(732) 932-4636
Type of School: Public
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $9,221 in-state, $16,820 out-of-state/$8,578
Hispanic Enrollment: 8 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 14 to 1
The entire Rutgers system is made up of three colleges located in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick/Piscataway, where the flagship campus is located. The latter was selected above its sister schools in part because Latinos make up approximately 8 percent of its 26,8163 undergraduate student body and these active students have become a vibrant part of the community by forming such student groups as the Latino Student Council, Latinos for Academic and Social Excellence and the Latin American Women’s Organization.
 25. Texas A&M University
Admissions Office:
PO Box 30014
College Station, TX 77842-3014
(979) 845-3741
Type of School: Public
Setting: Small city
Tuition and Fees/Room and Board: $6,234 in-state, $13,914 out-of-state
Hispanic Enrollment: 14 percent
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 20 to 1
Hispanic enrollment for freshmen surpassed the 1,000 mark this past fall semester—a big step for the conservative institution known for ROTC, football and its legendary rivalry with our No. 22. The historically agricultural school is also known for its technological and science programs. Texas A&M boasts the largest undergraduate population (approximately 75 percent of whom receive financial aid) of any school on our list and has an impressive list of Hispanic student groups to go along with it. Eleven Latin American countries are represented on campus with their own student group and 5 percent of faculty is Hispanic.
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