A new report highlights the four student need areas two-year MSIs serve; discusses need for support and growth.
According to new research, two-year minority-serving institutions (MSIs), which are tasked with educating students-in-need, are given the fewest resources.
This revelation is concerning, say researchers, since MSIs are uniquely positioned to play an important role in educational attainment and the workforce, according to On Their Own Terms: Two-Year Minority Serving Institutions, a new report examining MSIs’ potential for students and society.
A large number of all students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities attend two-year MSIs. In fact, two-year MSIs enroll 30 percent of Hispanics/Latinos, 26 percent of Pacific Islanders,
22 percent of Asian Americans, 12 percent of American Indians, 10 percent of blacks/African
Americans, and 6 percent of whites.
Two-year MSIs “linger in the shadows of American higher education research,” the authors note, adding that four-year colleges and universities receive the majority of research attention, and when that attention does turn to two-year institutions, MSIs are not always placed in their own category.
(Next page: What research reveals about two-year MSIs)
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland's prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all) - Weak tech could push students, faculty to other institutions - April 13, 2026
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