Examining Academic Success for Underrepresented Minority Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Students within Hispanic Serving Institutions and Predominantly White Institutions

With the higher enrollment among underrepresented minority students (URMs) in higher education, the unique challenges first generation students face has been highly studied, especially in regards to the issue of retention and academic success. That is, how do higher education institutions and professionals best academically support these students through the completion of their undergraduate degree? This paper seeks to compare the identity development of URMs within Hispanic serving institutions (HSI) and predominantly white institutions (PWI) by building on academic literature in higher education addressing identity development and achievement for URMs pursuing an education in STEM. This study offers important insights into the role of mentorship and hands-on experiences in the development of educational outcomes from 211 URMs in STEM. Using comparison of means and multiple regression models, I analyze the isolated effects of each of these concepts on the overall educational achievement of students, paying attention to the comparative effects of institution type (HSI vs. PWI) to understand the role of these cultural environments on identity development and academic success for URM STEM students. Suggestions for how to appropriately frame STEM cultural environments for the overall success of URMs is addressed