Metropolitan State University of Denver is a top college for Hispanic students, according to new national rankings released this week by Best Colleges. MSU Denver landed at No. 8, the only school in Colorado to earn a top ranking.
Studies that lump colleges and universities together in apples-and-oranges fashion offer uneven comparisons of institutions with vastly different missions, academic offerings and costs. Best Colleges, however, also considered accessibility factors such as tuition cost, availability of scholarships and financial aid, and student-support services, in addition to selectivity and academic-excellence criteria to determine the best institutions for Hispanic students. Those colleges offer a combination of specialized education options, support services and campus programs, the organization said.
“While it’s important to sit critically and reflective with any rankings, we are delighted that MSU Denver has been recognized by Best Colleges as one of the top institutions in the nation for serving Latino/a students,” Michael Benitez, Ph.D., vice president for Diversity and Inclusion said. “MSU Denver takes pride in its intentionality and culturally relevant approaches to servingness and academic excellence. We have a phenomenal representation of highly committed staff and faculty who truly understand what it means to serve and support student success, and lean into cultivating the type of university environment where our Latina/o students can thrive.”
In explaining MSU Denver’s ranking, Best Colleges noted the University’s 2019 designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
“It was a part of a 12-year plan to increase Hispanic enrollment that included adding financial aid initiatives, revising curricula, and reworking the institution’s infrastructure,” the ranking team stated.
Best Colleges also lauded MSU Denver’s Latino/a Faculty and Staff Association and Center for Multicultural Engagement and Inclusion for providing support to the University’s Latino community on and off campus.
More than 35% of MSU Denver students identify as Hispanic.