One source said 209. The source in another story said 236. My editor asked me to sort it out. I’m a researcher and even I couldn’t give her a definitive answer to her question: How many Hispanic-Serving Institutions are there?

The U.S. Census reports that Hispanics are already the largest minority population in the country, and the numbers are growing. Hispanics are projected to account for 16.4 percent of the U.S. population in 2014, up from 13.8 percent in 2004. Hispanics are expected to account for 18.9 percent of the population in 2025 and 24 percent in 2050. These increases will almost certainly shift the racial and ethnic make-up of enrollment rates at colleges and universities, creating a fluid situation in which HSIs emerge constantly. Currently, roughly 10 percent of all institutions are classified as Minority Serving Institutions.

Both historically Black colleges and universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities define their membership by their mission to serve Black and American Indian students. But, the U.S. Department of Education does not define an HSI by its institutional mission, but rather its Hispanic enrollment and the income level of students. Its definition differs from that of the National Center for Education Statistics, which differs from the definition used by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

“An HSI is defined as a non-profit institution that has at least 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment, and of the Hispanic student enrollment, at least 50 percent are low income. Low income is defined as 150 percent of the poverty level,” states the Education Department’s definition.

That definition exists for purposes of providing grant money to institutions with growing Hispanic populations. In 1992, the federal government created the HIS classification, however, it was not until 1995 that they provided any financial support. That year, the government gave $12 million. Between 1995 and 2005, more than $550 million has been awarded to more than 185 HSIs. The current number of HSIs getting federal Title V funding is 173, according to the Education Department.