Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI)
The Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation represents one of the most significant federal investments in supporting the education of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) communities—a frequently overlooked population due to harmful misconceptions about these students’ educational experiences. Established in 2007 by Congress as one of 11 Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), the AANAPISI designation enables institutions with substantial AA&NHPI student populations to apply for federal funding to create and implement culturally responsive programs and services. Federal support for AANAPISIs has been critical to closing educational gaps, increasing student achievement, and strengthening the U.S. workforce, thus spurring economic development. Without continued funding, these critical programs will be dismantled, leading to severe negative consequences for nearly one million undergraduate students nationwide.
THE IMPACT OF AANAPISI FUNDING: STRENGTHENING HIGHER EDUCATION FOR AA&NHPI STUDENTS
Resource Sheets
Template Letter – AANAPISI President to Members of Congress
Overview of AA&NHPIs & AANAPISIs
Serving the Fastest-Growing Student Population
- AA&NHPI students are one of the fastest-growing racial groups in U.S. higher education, with enrollment projected to grow 12% in the next four years.
- AANAPISIs enroll over 40% of all AA&NHPI undergraduates in the nation, playing a critical role in their access to and success in higher education.
- Funded AANAPISIs enroll over 980,000 total undergraduates in 2023, with nearly 1 in 5 being an AA&NHPI undergraduate.
AANAPISIs Drive College Completion & Economic Mobility
- AANAPISIs award nearly half of all associate and bachelor’s degrees earned by AA&NHPI students.
- These institutions are critical for first-generation, low-income, and immigrant students, providing tailored academic, financial, and social support that improves retention, graduation, and workforce success.
A Growing, Proven, Yet Underfunded Federal Investment
- The number of eligible AANAPISIs has grown by 81% since 2018, reflecting the increasing resource demand for institutions that equitably serve AA&NHPI students. Currently, funded AANAPISIs represent 32 public four-year, 19 public two-year, and 4 private four-year institutions across the United States.
- Although AANAPISIs represent the second-largest group of MSIs eligible for federal funding, they remain the least funded MSI designation.
- Despite their impact, only a fraction of eligible AANAPISIs receive federal grants, limiting their ability to expand programs and services for AA&NHPI students.
Interested in learning more about AANAPISIs? We invite you to check out the resources below, and share them with your networks:
AANAPISI Program Basics:
AANAPISI Overview:
- 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:
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
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
FUNDED AANAPISIs AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
| Name of Institution | Representatives | Senators |
| American Samoa Community College | Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen | N/A |
| *Berkeley Community College | Lateefah Simon | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Brooklyn College | Yvette D. Clarke | Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Charles E. Schumer |
| California State University, Fresno | Vince Fong | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| California State University, Long Beach | Robert Garcia | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| California State University, Sacramento | Doris Matsui | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Century College | Betty McCollum | Amy Klobuchar; Tina Smith |
| Chabot College | Eric Swalwell | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| City College of San Francisco | Nancy Pelosi | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| CUNY Hunter College | Jerrold Nadler | Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Charles E. Schumer |
| Evergreen Valley College | Jimmy Panetta | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Fullerton College | Derek Tran | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Green River College | Kim Schrier | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| Herzing University-Minneapolis (St. Louis Park) | Ilhan Omar | Amy Klobuchar; Tina Smith |
| Irvine Valley College | Dave Min | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Laney College | Lateefah Simon | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Leeward Community College | Ed Case | Mazie K. Hirono; Brian Schatz |
| Long Island University | Nydia M. Velazquez | Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Charles E. Schumer |
| Metropolitan State University | Betty McCollum | Amy Klobuchar; Tina Smith |
| Middlesex Community College | Seth Moulton | Edward J. Markey; Elizabeth Warren |
| Mission College | Ro Khanna | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| *Mt. San Antonio Community College | Linda T. Sanchez | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Cory A. Booker; Andy Kim | Cory A. Booker; Andy Kim |
| North Seattle College | Pramila Jayapal | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| Northern Marianas College | Kimberly King-Hinds | N/A |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Gerald E. Connolly | Tim Kaine; Mark R. Warner |
| Oakton College | Mike Quigley | Tammy Duckworth; Richard J. Durbin |
| Pacific University | Suzanne Bonamici | Jeff Merkley; Ron Wyden |
| Palau Community College | N/A | N/A |
| Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom | Marilyn Strickland | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| Portland State University | Suzanne Bonamici | Jeff Merkley; Ron Wyden |
| Queens College | Grace Meng | Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Charles E. Schumer |
| Rutgers University | Donald Norcross | Cory A. Booker; Andy Kim |
| San Diego City College | Scott H. Peters | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| San Diego Mesa College | Sara Jacobs | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| San Francisco State University | Nancy Pelosi | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| San Joaquin Delta College | Josh Harder | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Santa Ana College | J. Luis Correa | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| Seattle Central College | Pramila Jayapal | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| Shoreline Community College | Pramila Jayapal | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| South Seattle College | Pramila Jayapal | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| University of California, Berkeley | Lateefah Simon | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| University of Colorado, Denver | Diana DeGette | Michael Bennet; John Hickenlooper |
| University of Connecticut Hartford | John B. Larson | Richard Blumenthal; Christopher Murphy |
| University of Hawaii at Mānoa | Ed Case | Mazie K. Hirono; Brian Schatz |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Danny K. Davis | Tammy Duckworth; Richard J. Durbin |
| University of Massachusetts-Boston | Stephen F. Lynch | Edward J. Markey; Elizabeth Warren |
| University of Massachusetts-Lowell | Lori Trahan | Edward J. Markey; Elizabeth Warren |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Ilhan Omar | Amy Klobuchar; Tina Smith |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Dina Titus | Catherine Cortez Masto; Jacky Rosen |
| University of San Francisco | Nancy Pelosi | Alex Padilla; Adam Schiff |
| University of Washington Tacoma | Emily Randall | Maria Cantwell; Patty Murray |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Jennifer L. McClellan | Tim Kaine; Mark R. Warner |
| Virginia Tech | H. Morgan Griffith | Tim Kaine; Mark R. Warner |