Santa Barbara City College is recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). An HSI is defined in Federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student enrollment. 

On March 11, 2021, SBCC was notified by the U.S. Department of Education that it is eligible to apply for a new grant under Title V – “Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions.”

Serving Hispanic/Latine Students

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program (Title V, Part A) provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability. The purpose is to:

• Expand educational opportunities for; and improve the academic attainment of Hispanic students; and
• Expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of the colleges and universities that educate the majority of Hispanic students.

¡Raíces: First Year and Beyond! is an empowerment program to affirm Latine cultures and diaspora, to honor Latine leadership and contributions to our community, to embrace our Hispanic Serving Institution identity, and to center the academic and personal achievements of our Latine students.

Serving Diverse Students

The College attracts students who reflect the growing diversity of the region. Alongside the Office of Equity, Diversity and Cultural Competency, SBCC advances campus-wide diversity and equity goals and supports multiple student equity centers and services:

The Student Equity and Achievement Committee champions progress on removing barriers to  success for students of varying race and ethnicity, students with disabilities, and students who are economically disadvantaged, first-generation, LGBTQIA+, or members of other historically marginalized populations. 

SBCC has more than 30 remote and in-person student support departments and services that provide advising, counseling, financial aid, tutoring, mentoring, childcare, food and housing resources, mental and physical health care, and focused support for specific student populations.

As a result of receiving the HSI designation, SBCC is also eligible for a waiver of the non-federal share matching requirements under the Federal Work Study Program (FWS), the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG) and the TRIO Student Support Services Program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). SBCC is also potentially eligible for a waiver of the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Program matching requirement, pending a demonstration of the need for such a waiver.

March 11, 2021 - Eligibility letter from the Department of Education
“A California Briefing on 25 Years of HSIs” published by Excelencia in Education

For more information about the DHSI Program: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program

U.S. Department of Education: https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/