Hispanic-Serving Institutions with the Highest Payoff
Earnings data shows religious schools and universities in Florida and California top the list
The Top HSIs with the Highest Payoff
| Institution | Percent of Students who are Hispanic | Median Salary | State Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree | Payoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas University Florida | 52.80% | $52,159 | $42,242 | $9,917 |
| Florida International University Florida | 66.68% | $48,886 | $42,242 | $6,644 |
| College of Mount Saint Vincent New York | 42.22% | $57,439 | $53,976 | $3,463 |
| Arizona State University - West Campus Arizona | 34.90% | $50,364 | $46,912 | $3,452 |
| California Lutheran University California | 34.03% | $57,227 | $53,976 | $3,252 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California | 45.57% | $57,016 | $53,976 | $3,041 |
| University of Houston Texas | 35.17% | $54,482 | $51,534 | $2,948 |
| Mount Saint Mary's University California | 59.73% | $56,172 | $53,976 | $2,196 |
| Trinity International University - Florida Florida | 45.14% | $43,396 | $42,242 | $1,153 |
| University of St Thomas Texas | 45.53% | $52,370 | $51,534 | $836 |
Source: Equitable Value Explorer
St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University, a private Catholic school in Miami, is the top Hispanic-Serving Institution for financial payoff. Just over half of St. Thomas students are Hispanic, and alumni earn a median of about $10,000 more than other bachelor's graduates in their state.
Lightcast data shows one in three bachelor's graduates in 2020 earned their degree in registered nursing, which often leads to high alumni salaries. Graduates also favored business and criminal justice degrees.
Florida International University
This public four-year university, also located in Miami, has become highly popular for online students in recent years. FIU graduates earn a median of nearly $49,000 after college and see more than $6,500 above the state average for bachelor's graduates.
According to Lightcast data, the university awarded 1,370 bachelor's degrees in psychology in 2020, the highest rate of any undergraduate program that year. Other popular majors included biology, finance, and hospitality administration.
FIU also hosts the largest share of Hispanic or Latino students of the schools on this list, with about two-thirds of its student body identifying as Hispanic.
College of Mount Saint Vincent
Graduates of NYC-based Catholic school Mount Saint Vincent earn a median of $48,886 after college, roughly $3,500 more than the estimated average for bachelor's degree holders in the state of New York. Just over 40% of Mount Saint Vincent students are Hispanic, and students here also favor healthcare majors. Nearly half of bachelor's graduates earned their degrees in registered nursing in 2020 according to data from Lightcast.
Arizona State University - West campus
The northwest Phoenix branch of ASU offers programs in health, business, education, and interdisciplinary arts and sciences. Alumni here earned a median of $50,364 compared to the estimated state median of nearly $47,000 for bachelor's graduates. Top majors for ASU-West graduates in 2019 include business and psychology majors at the bachelor's level based on Lightcast data.
California Lutheran University
This university is a private Lutheran school just outside the city of Los Angeles and accepts students of all faiths. Graduates of Cal Lutheran earned a median of just over $57,000 with a payoff of $3,200 more than the state salary threshold for bachelor's graduates in California.
Lightcast data shows popular majors for undergraduate programs include psychology and business administration, making up about a quarter of bachelor's graduates in 2020.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Cal Poly Pomona is a public university in the suburbs of LA. Just under half of students are Hispanic, and graduates see a median salary of about $4,000 more than is typical for bachelor's alumni in California.
It's highly popular with business administration majors, which Lightcast data shows made up 24% of the 2020 graduating class. Hospitality administration, psychology, and computer science were also top programs.
University of Houston
The University of Houston is one of only two Texas universities to make the list. The school served more than 50,000 students in the 2020-21 school year, with roughly one-third identifying as Hispanic.
With a median alumni salary of $54,500, graduates saw a payoff of about $3,000 compared to other bachelor's degree holders in the state. Psychology, finance, and accounting were the top three degrees awarded to bachelor's graduates in 2020, according to Lightcast.
Mount Saint Mary's University
Mount Saint Mary's, a catholic school in LA, offers students a $2,000 payoff compared to other bachelor's graduates in the state. More than half of students at Mount Saint Mary's are Hispanic, and the university is a top choice for healthcare majors. Nursing graduates in particular are highly paid for their major, with starting salaries in the top 97% for nursing graduates across the country.
Trinity International University - Florida
The Florida branch of Christian school Trinity International University only offers a handful of degrees, including business, psychology, biblical studies, Christian ministries, and elementary education. Graduates also see a slight increase in salary compared to other college graduates in Florida, earning a median of about $1,000 more than the state threshold for bachelor's degrees.
University of St. Thomas
Alumni of this Catholic university in Houston earn a median salary of about $800 above the state threshold for bachelor's graduates. General studies and registered nursing degrees made up 25% of the graduating class of 2020. Federal earnings data shows graduates with liberal arts and general studies degrees tend to be highly paid, with earnings in the top 98% for their degree. While nursing alumni earnings are in line with the average for their program nationwide, starting salaries are around $66,000, offering students an opportunity to earn more than other bachelor's graduates in their area.
Methodology
Data was sourced from the Postsecondary Value Commission using their Equitable Value Explorer tool. Our study included all Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which typically need to serve a student body that is at least 25% Hispanic or Latino. We filtered to schools with at least 33% Hispanic students according to data from the Postsecondary Value Commission to highlight colleges that serve a higher rate of Hispanic and Latino students. Federal data was used to filter for schools where at least 50% of students enrolled were undergraduate students in the 2020-21 school year.
Median salary data for colleges and universities comes from the Equitable Value Explorer for graduates 10 years after initially enrolling. The state median salary for a bachelor's degree is estimated based on data from the American Community Survey, sourced from the Equitable Value Explorer data tool.