Join us in celebrating AANAPISI Week!

What is AANAPISI Week?

AANAPISI Week takes place September 22–28, 2025 and celebrates the vital role of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) — a federal designation created by Congress on September 27, 2007. These institutions are committed to expanding access to higher education and improving outcomes for low-income, first-generation Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students.

This annual week of recognition honors the impact and achievements of AANAPISIs and provides a powerful platform for organizations, institutions, and communities to uplift and support historically underserved AANHPI students.

This year we aim to: 

1. Raise awareness and #SpeakUp about how AANAPISIs drive AANHPI student success;
2. Grow and strengthen our national network of supporters, advocates, and champions;
3. Support federal policy leaders who are pushing for sustained investment in AANAPISIs and their students.

As we shine a spotlight on the transformative work of AANAPISI institutions, we invite our partners to learn, share, and amplify. Help spread the word about AANAPISI Week and inspire others to join the movement for equitable access and success in higher education for AANHPI communities.

Being part of an AANAPISI institution has reinforced that higher education is not just about earning a degree but about being part of a community that invests in your success and believes in your potential.“

—Kailey Lawless, University of Washington

Here’s how to engage:

Use our toolkit to take action and spread the word! The toolkit includes: 

• Advocacy tools and resources 
• Social media graphics and captions 

Get the toolkit tinyurl.com/aanapisiweek25-toolkit

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-6 Congressional District NY), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), speaks about AANAPISI Week and the importance of MSI (Minority Serving Institution) programs that serve AANHPI students

ATTEND Virtual events

Join our virtual events and invite others! Event flyers and social media images are available in our Social Media Toolkit.

Without AANAPISI support in college, space there would have been no academic success for me. There would be no future career, and no desire to contribute to society. I would have no community to go to that saw me for who I was or to validate my struggles. This AANAPISI program supported my developmental needs and helped me become the educator and advocate I am today. Currently I work to provide the same support I was given for the next generation Asian American college students at my university facing the similar systemic adversities.”

— AANAPISI Program Alumni, UMass Boston

#SpeakUp for Higher Education

AAPI Data, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education, and OCA are launching #SpeakUp for Higher Education, a powerful narrative campaign to preserve higher education for our communities and ensure bolder futures for our next generations. 

Your voice should be heard and your experience matters. Your story can make a difference.  

AANAPISI Week is a reminder that this work is about more than programs—it’s about people, community, and building a future where our students thrive and give back to the place we all call home.”

—Kaelani Demapan, AANAPISI Director, Project PROA and Proa Pathway Partnership

Follow us on social media and use #AANAPISI #AANAPISIWeek

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups!

Questions? Email us at apainhighered@gmail.com

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Additional Resources 

Interested in learning more about AANAPISIs? We invite you to check out the resources below, and share them with your networks.

AANAPISI Program Basics:

The AANAPISI program provides discretionary grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to enable them to improve their academic quality, increase their self sufficiency, and strengthen their capacity to make a substantial contribution to the higher education resources of the Nation. At the time of application, IHEs applying for funds under the AANAPISI program must have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander.

• Department of Education AANAPISI Program Webpage

AANAPISI Overview:

• APAHE AANAPISI Webpage – https://apahenational.org/resources/aanapisi/
• The Minority Serving Institutions Data Project – https://www.msidata.org/
• Ensuring College Access and Success for AANHPI Students  (2024).  https://collegecampaign.org/publication/ensuring-college-access-and-success-for-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-students

Academic Literature:

• Espinoza, K. J. C., Rincón, B. E., Drake, B. M., Harbin, J. J., & Ethelbah, K. (2024). Oceania in the desert: A QuantCrit analysis of the (under)counting of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students at an AANAPISI-HSI. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2024.234967 
• Fong, T., Maramba, D., Nguyen, M.H. (Eds.). (2022). Models of Change: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions in Action. AAPI Nexus Journal, 19(1/2). http://www.aapinexus.org/2022/03/28/models-of-change-aanapisis-in-action-spring-2022/     
• Gogue, D. T.-.L., Venturanza, R. J., Cuenza-Uvas, A., & Nguyen, M. H. (2021). The role of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions in reframing leadership education. New Directions for Student Leadership, 171, 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20460  
• Nguyen, M.H., Ramirez, J., & Laderman, S. (2023). What counts as a Minority-Serving Institution?: Toward the utilization of a standardized and uniform definition and typology. Educational Researcher, 52(3), 174-179. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221105861
• Nguyen, M.H. (2023). Expanding the capacity of student affairs professionals and faculty: A case study of two Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 60(4), 447-462.  https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2022.2144740
• Nguyen, M.H. (2024). Serving Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students: Examining how Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institutions build students’ capacities. The Review of Higher Education.. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.a925900
• Nguyen, M.H. (2022). Building capacity for student success at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI): Transforming the educational experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students. The Journal of Higher Education, 93(4), 503-531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1996170
• Nguyen, M. H., Espinoza, K. J., Gogue, D. T.-L., & Dinh, D. M. (2021). AANAPISIs in context and practice: Strategies for serving Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Students. About Campus, 26(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086482221994121