Ten Institutions Earn "Seal of Excelencia" by Proving Latino Student Success Through Data

Ten higher education institutions have earned the Seal of Excelencia certification from the national organization Excelencia in Education, dedicated to Latino student success. They join 14 other institutions that have earned the seal since it was created in 2019.

To earn the certification, Excelencia says an institution must prove, through evidence and data, that its institutional practices serving Latino students are effective; that it has positive Latino student progress; that it's created an environment "where Latino students thrive"; and that its leadership strategies contribute to Latino student success.

“These Seal certified institutions have been able to articulate and demonstrate they are modeling the behavior we need to see to accelerate Latino student success,” said Dr. Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education. “They are having measurable impact in changing the face of higher education.”

Santiago added: “These 24 Seal certified institutions are trendsetters. Combined, they enrolled 10% of all Latino college students and graduated 12% of all Latinos in the U.S. That is powerful and says a lot about their intentionality.”

The ten most recent institutions to earn the certification are:

● California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)

● California State University, Fullerton (CSUF)

● Miami Dade College (MDC)

● San Diego State University (SDSU)

● Texas A&M University – San Antonio (TAMUSA)

● University of California, Merced (UCM)

● University of California, Riverside (UCR)

● University of Central Florida (UCF)

● University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)

● Wilbur Wright College (WWC)