Latinos freshman enrollment at a four-year public institution are the fastest growing group in 2022.  

According to the most recent research by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC), Latinos were the only sector that reflected a 13.3% increase during the spring of 2022, compared to 2021 and 2020. This staggered increase at public four-year colleges and universities was recorded despite the nationwide drop in students generated by the pandemic.

Latinos freshmen also reflected a 4% increase in all academic categories compared to spring of last year. However, the racial disparity continues after black freshmen faced a 6.5% drop for spring of this year and a 13% decrease for spring 2021.

Between January and April 2020, a total of 63,319 Latino freshmen were enrolled at any public four-year institution. By spring 2021, Latino enrollment dropped to 58,410. By spring 2021, Latino enrollment rose to 60,736.

Freshmen at community colleges increased this spring (3.1%) after experiencing a double-digit decline the previous spring (-10.7%). In addition, Latinos at 2-year public universities also saw a 3.9% increase in enrollment for this 2022.

Excelencia in Education projects a 15% increase in Hispanic enrollment from 2020 to 2029. However, this increase would be below the figures reflected in the previous decade, where Hispanic enrollment increased by 38%.  The Latino population is also expected to have a considerable increase of 25% within an eight-year period.

The NSCRS research was released last May 26, 2022 to highlight the status of higher education from the start of the pandemic in 2020 to the present.