Glossary and key to acronyms

High-Hispanic-enrollment institutions. HHEs are public and private nonprofit academic institutions whose undergraduate, full-time equivalent student enrollment is at least 25% Hispanic. The list of HHEs included in this report is based on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Fall 2016 Enrollment Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Historically black colleges or universities. HBCUs are academic institutions on a list maintained by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges or Universities. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as “...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” See https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/.

Minority. A minority is a racial or ethnic group that is a small percentage of the U.S. population. Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, Asians, and persons reporting more than one race are minority groups.

Scientists and engineers. In this report, persons classified as scientists and engineers are residents of the United States who have a baccalaureate degree or higher and are either educated as or working as a scientist or engineer. A baccalaureate or higher degree is a bachelor's, master's, doctoral, or professional degree.

S&E technologies. A group of fields that includes science, engineering, health, and other technologies that prepare students for skilled technical jobs.

Tribal college. Tribal colleges are fully accredited academic institutions on a list maintained by the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. These institutions are included in the Tribal Colleges category in the basic classification scheme of the 2015 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. See http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/.

Underrepresented minority. This category comprises three racial or ethnic minority groups (blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives) whose representation in S&E education or employment is smaller than their representation in the U.S. population.

HBCU: historically black college or university

HHE: high-Hispanic-enrollment institution

S&E: science and engineering