Quick Facts

HOSTOS FACTS

2024 - 2025  

  • Hostos Community College was established in the heart of the South Bronx in 1968 in response to the protests of the predominantly Puerto Rican local community, who took to the streets to demand access to higher education within their neighborhood.

  • Named after the Puerto Rican philosopher, pedagogue, and writer Eugenio María de Hostos (1839-1903), the institution reflects his unwavering dedication to progress, education, and justice.

  • As gathered by the Hostos Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Assessment (OIERA), our students embody the diversity of the Bronx. Nearly half are Black (45.23%) and Latino (46.7%), and more than three-quarters speak a language other than English at home, reflecting the multilingual vibrancy of our community. The majority (72.9%) call the Bronx home, with 66% identifying as female and 31.9% as male. At an average age of 25, Hostos students represent the energy, determination, and promise of the Bronx and beyond.

  • Offering 28 associate degree programs and one certificate program, Hostos provides students with a clear path to seamless transfers to four-year colleges within CUNY and beyond. Notably, Hostos graduates have regularly achieved admission to prestigious universities, including the Ivy League.
  • The institution is one of only six national winners - and the only one in New York state - of the U.S. Department of Education's inaugural Postsecondary Success Recognition Program for promoting equitable access, success, and positive post-college outcomes for underserved students.

  • Beginning in Fall 2025, Hostos is expanding its campus into the historic Bronx General Post Office building at 558 Grand Concourse. Once renovations are completed, the building will be the new home of the Allied Health program and the Natural Sciences department.

  • Robust financial assistance programs further underscore the College's commitment to educational success. Ninety-one percent of our students receive financial aid.

  • Impressively, 55% of the student population is first-generation college attendees, emphasizing the institution's dedication to breaking down educational barriers.

  • The College has twice been recognized as a Top Ten Community College in the nation by the Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence.

  • Hostos President Daisy Cocco De Filippis of Hostos is recognized as a trailblazing leader in higher education. Recently, she inspired youth at the Bronx Chamber of Commerce Women of Distinction Luncheon as the keynote speaker. She was also honored by Senator José M. Serrano as one of the 2025 Women of Distinction for her contributions to the Bronx community.
  • Another resounding endorsement of the College’s work was the generous $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which has been used to fund scholarships, establish the Hostos Research Center, and other initiatives.

  • The College holds the largest endowed scholarship in its history thanks to a $1 million gift from Aspira Capital Management and the Wright Foundation. This historic endowment will support South Bronx STEM students in perpetuity, providing annual scholarships of $1,500 to $7,000 to those nearing graduation.

  • A total of 694 students have enrolled in the Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD)’s no-cost programming. Over the past three fiscal years, CEWD has raised $1,518,433 to enable our students to enroll in an occupational training or basic education program at no cost to them.

  • Hostos is home to the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture (HCAC), a leading Latino arts center in the northeast, reflecting the cultural richness and talent of the community.

  • The College boasts both men's and women's basketball teams, which have won multiple CUNY Athletic Conference and National Junior College Athletic Association championships, with the women's team making history in 2025 as the only team ever to secure eight consecutive titles in CUNY’s history.

  • The College is actively engaged in multiple National Science Foundation projects focused on STEM education and socio-economic mobility. As of Spring 2025, there are 7 NSF projects at Hostos, the most in the College’s history.

  • Our faculty is also a model of inclusivity. Sixty percent of our full-time faculty are women, and over 50% identify as non-White.

  • Hostos’ staff also embodies the diversity ethos, with 58% being female and a significant 85% hailing from non-White backgrounds.

  • Our academic bona fides are also solid: 53% of our full-time faculty hold doctoral-level degrees, and includes Fulbright grant recipients and world-renowned artists who have exhibited international
  • We are the only community college in New York City to offer a Game Design program. And only two-year institution in New York to offer a paid internship as part of educational and training experience in the gaming industry.

  • Hostos was the first-ever community college to be invited to participate in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest performing arts festival. Continuing that legacy, the Hostos Repertory Company proudly represented the College for the third time in 2023 at the festival in Scotland.

  • Hostos alumna Kay Bell was named the 2023-2025 Bronx Poet Laureate, promoting poetry and creative expression within the community.

  • In the summer of 2023, the College received a $1.5 million grant from Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson for cafeteria renovations. For his part, Congressman Ritchie Torres presented $1 million in Community Project Funding to Hostos. Under the name “Building Transfer Pathways and Pipeline Initiative,” this funding has enabled 16 exceptional students to transfer to high-quality baccalaureate and postgraduate programs in Public Health at Columbia University, Engineering at City College's Grove School, and Arts Administration at Queens College.

  • In April 2023, Hostos was awarded the Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant from the Dept. of Education.  The five-year $2.86 million grant is to help the College improve student access, increase retention, and improve graduation rate.