Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

NIFA certifies HSACUs under three criteria:

• Qualify as a Hispanic Serving Institution per the Department of Education's eligibility matrix; meaning an institution of higher education that: 
  • Is an eligible institution, as that term is defined at 20 U.S.C. 1101a; and 
  • Has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System during the fall semester of the previous academic year. 
• The institution offers associate, bachelors, or other accredited programs in agriculture-related fields pursuant to 7 CFR 3434.5.
• Hispanic students receive at least 15 percent of the degrees awarded in agriculture-related programs over the two most recent completed academic years.

NIFA will determine annually which institutions to certify, effective for one year, by using the U.S. Department of Education's statistics on degrees conferred. HSACUs do not include 1862 Institutions.

Institutions seeking to be considered for certification may review these documents: 

• Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and HSIs with Hispanic-Serving Agricultural College and Universities (HSACU) Certification
• Agriculture-Related Fields
• Appeal Process 

Regulations and Notices

• Final Rule (FY 2015 update)
• Final Rule
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Previous Certifications

• FY 2022 HSACU Institutions
• FY 2019 HSACU Institutions

Contact Information

For further information, contact HSACU.