“The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans strongly supports the Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) Fairness Act, introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono and Representative Judy Chu to help all students have equal opportunities in higher education,” said National Director Christopher Kang. “Currently, higher education institutions that serve minority populations historically underrepresented in higher education may receive only one type of MSI grant even if they would otherwise qualify for two. This unfairly forces these institutions to choose one underserved group of students over another. We applaud Senator Hirono, Senator Cornyn, Representative Chu and Representative Royce, for their leadership in ensuring that all students and the institutions that serve them would be able to receive the funding and resources they need."

Minority-serving institutions may be dual-eligible because they serve a high concentration of more than one minority student population. For example, De Anza Community College in California qualifies as both a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI). However, such institutions can only receive one MSI grant for one minority group. AANAPISIs are disproportionately underfunded compared to other MSIs, which gives institutions little, if any, incentive to select AANAPISI grants when they are dual-eligible.

The Minority-Serving Institutions Fairness Act would allow MSIs to apply for more than one MSI grant. It also would reserve 35 percent of MSI funding for institutions that are eligible for only one designation, protecting their funding.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.