Northern Arizona University continues to be ranked as one of the nation’s top institutions for Latinos, according to the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine.
In its May 5 edition, Hispanic Outlookranks NAU 19th in the nation for graduating Latinos with master’s degrees and 65th for undergraduates—similar to last year’s rankings.
For granting doctoral degrees to Latinos, NAU ranks 55 in the nation, up 17 spots over 2007.
Overall, NAU ranks 66th in the nation with a Latino enrollment of 2,542, representing 12 percent of NAU’s total enrollment.
The magazine further analyzes degrees awarded to Latinos by academic program, and for the third year in a row, NAU ranks ninth in the nation for bachelor’s degrees in education.
“Our main objective for all our students is that they feel a connection to the university,” said David Camacho, associate vice president for Diversity and Equity. “Clearly our ranking as one of the best universities for Latinos, coupled with the recognition we received for our success with Latino students, shows that NAU provides a setting that leads toward academic success.”
Camacho added that, “Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the state’s population, and as a practical matter, we need to be prepared for the demographics we serve.”
The rankings were derived from 2007 data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics, which points to a continuing upward surge of Latinos earning their college degrees.
Hispanic Outlook reported its current Top 100 colleges and universities collectively granted 59,568 bachelor’s degrees, 18,057 master’s degrees and 1,342 doctorates to Latinos.
Hispanic Outlook will publish a complete listing of the nation’s top 100 schools for Latinos online.