Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 28— - HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - DEVELOPING INSTITUTIONS › Part Part A— - Hispanic-Serving Institutions › § 1101a
Says which colleges can qualify for a federal program and explains the main words used to decide eligibility. educational and general expenditures — all the money a college spends on teaching, research, public service, academic support (like libraries), student services, campus administration, scholarships and fellowships, building operation and maintenance, and any transfers it must pay by law. eligible institution — a college that meets several rules: it must have the required enrollment of needy students (see below), generally spend less per full‑time undergraduate than similar schools (except as allowed under section 1103a(b)), award a bachelor’s degree or be a junior/community college, be accredited or making reasonable progress toward accreditation, meet any other Secretary requirements, and be located in a State; a branch campus can qualify on its own if it meets the needy‑enrollment and spending tests. endowment fund — a fund set up by state law, the school, or a tax‑exempt foundation to produce income for the school and that does not include real estate. full‑time equivalent students — the number of full‑time students plus the part‑time students converted to full‑time by adding their credit hours and dividing by 12. Hispanic‑serving institution — an eligible institution with at least 25 percent Hispanic undergraduate FTE students at the end of the award year before applying. junior or community college — a school that admits adults who can benefit from its programs, does not award bachelor’s degrees, and offers either at least 2‑year programs that count toward a degree or 2‑year technical programs in fields like engineering or the sciences. enrollment of needy students — either at least 50 percent of degree students received need‑based aid under subchapter IV in the second fiscal year before the decision (excluding loans with interest subsidies under section 1078), or a substantial share received Federal Pell Grants in that same second fiscal year compared with all such institutions (unless waived under section 1103a(a)).
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Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
20 U.S.C. § 1101a
Title 20 — Education
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73