Infographic by Lupita Ferreyra
San José State students say the cuts could take away opportunities that have helped them stay in school after the U.S. Department of Education announced it would cut a key source of the federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which includes the university.
The cut ends certain discretionary grants as the eligibility rules may be in violation of the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, according to a Sept. 10 press release from the Department of Education.
The change was made after a legal review by the Department found that certain Minority -Serving Institution grant programs used race or ethnicity as part of their eligibility requirements, according to the same source.
These programs include the Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Program (Title V, Part A), the Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program (Title V, Part B), and the Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program (Title III, Part B).
The decision will cut off an estimated amount of $350 million in grants that were planned for fiscal year 2025, according to a report published on Sept.19 from Georgetown University’s FutureEd policy center.
At SJSU, where Hispanic is the second leading ethnicity, according to data from SJSU’s Institutional Research, HSI grants have helped fund tutoring, mentoring, and technology access that support students’ academic success.
Students who have benefited from these programs say the cuts could take away opportunities that have helped them stay in school.
Maria Diaz, a third-year business student at SJSU, said mentoring helped her adjust from her transition from high school to college.
“When I first started coming here, I used to depend a lot on the mentoring groups they have … those sessions helped me adjust from high school work to the workload here,” Diaz said.
Most recent data shows that 44.1% of undergraduates are first-generation college students and about 28.2% identify as Hispanic or Latino at SJSU, according to a webpage from the SJSU’s Office of Institutional Research.
Adriana Avila, a second-year engineering student, said HSI funding has helped her along her path by funding field trips that have allowed for her to gain real-world experience.
“I’m a first-gen student and the funding helped pay for a couple field trips I’ve got to go on which is really cool because I didn’t think I’d be having field trips in college … Those field trips helped give me real experience(s),” Avila said.
“Without new grants, those opportunities can either become less and less or completely stop altogether … Those field trips also felt like a little break out of class which helped with motivation,” Avila also added.
Commuter students also said the programs funded by these grants made higher education more affordable.
Mateo Espinoza,said tutoring has been a great resource to have with his busy schedule.
“As a commuter, balancing everything I got going on is hard,” Espinoza said.
“Especially because I work full-time too. The funding helped me with tutoring and I’m sure it paid for other things like my computer labs. I heard those can be expensive if you need to pay out of pocket,” Espinoza also added.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), which represents more than 500 HSIs nationwide, strongly criticized the Department of Education’s decision.
In a public statement, HACU said the cuts “erase decades of progress and hurt millions of students who depend on these programs to complete their education.”
The organization noted that these federal grants supported campus programs that benefited all students, not just those that come from Hispanic backgrounds.
The civil rights group LatinoJustice PRLDEF, which advocates for Latino students nationwide, has also spoken out against the Department’s action.
In a statement, the group said the cuts “undermine the federal government’s long-standing commitment to education equity and opportunity for communities of color” and that it is considering possible legal challenges.
The California State University system has received over $600 million in HSI grants since the start of the program, according to a Sept.10 article by the San Francisco Chronicle.
So far, SJSU has not issued an official statement about how the cuts will affect its programs.
The Spartan Daily did not receive a comment from Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of media relations at SJSU, in time for publication.
Avila said that the funding cuts could potentially widen existing inequalities.
“We’ve come a long way in making college more accessible, losing this support could push a lot of students backwards,” Avila said.