What is a Hispanic Serving Institution?

Union Institute & University (Union) has been proud to be a leader in adult education and redefining higher education since 1964. For students looking to complete a bachelor’s degree or further their professional development through certification or an advanced degree, Union offers academic programs to match each student’s needs, schedule, and goals. What many may not realize, however, is that Union Institute & University is the only Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Ohio.

What is an HSI? A Hispanic Serving Institution is a designation by the U.S. Department of Education, indicating an accredited, degree-granting, nonprofit institution of higher learning with a full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic. Across the Midwest, there are only 18 HSI colleges, and Union is proud to be the only one in Ohio, with Hispanic students representing 31 percent of our 2019 undergraduate enrollment.

Union provides educational programs that help students pursue a lifetime of learning, service, and social responsibility and advance their careers. Of course, this is only one of the benefits of attending Union. Union is a leader not just in undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs but also in high-quality certificate programs. A private, nonprofit, regionally accredited, international higher educational institution, Union has academic centers in Ohio, Florida, and California. Additionally, Union allows students to complete their studies online, providing adult students the flexibility to succeed.

Part of the mission of Union is to cultivate an ethnically diverse, highly motivated student population, allowing adult students to thrive in an atmosphere that promotes creative thinking, engagement, and research. Union students engage with socially relevant education that helps them achieve their goals and impact their communities. Union offers students credit for their life experience and workplace training, providing a free unofficial transcript review that allows the transfer of up to 90 credit hours. In some cases, this will enable students to finish their bachelor’s degrees in less than one year. Most classes are eight weeks long, and Union waives SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT scores and charges no application fee. The result is flexible and convenient education at an institution dedicated to helping students succeed.

Founded in 1964, Union Institute & University has changed the lives of tens of thousands of graduates for nearly 60 years. The Union experience reflects the understanding that higher education has many faces, and union graduates have become educators, elected leaders, published authors, advocates for social justice, and more. By offering various certifications and bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, Union provides students with a wealth of opportunities to advance their careers by furthering their education. Contact Union Institute & University to request information about our degree programs or apply online.