Institutions earning the Seal of Excelencia go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino, and all, students, and display a level of excellence.
Today, Excelencia in Education, a national leader in catalyzing institutional transformation for student success in higher education, announced that BԪ has earned the Seal of Excelencia recertification. BԪ is one of 18 colleges and universities to earn the Seal in 2025, reaffirming its place in a group of nearly 50 institutions that are taking responsibility for improving Latino, and all, student success.
Seal of Excelencia certified institutions produce outsized impact on student outcomes — representing less than 1% of all colleges and universities in the U.S., yet enrolling 16% and graduating 18% of Latino students nationwide, as well as enrolling 7% and graduating 8% of all students.
The Seal is a rigorous, data-driven certification, not an award or ranking. Institutions earn the Seal by going beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino, and all, students, and by taking responsibility and accountability for providing access to excellence. The Seal framework aligns data, practice, and leadership to move institutions beyond isolated programs toward systemic change and investment that provides institutional value to students, their families, and their communities.
“Earning the Seal of Excelencia recertification is deeply meaningful to us at BԪ.,” said Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., M.S.W., president of BԪ. “When we first earned the Seal in 2022, BԪ became the nation’s first private university and New York State’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution to receive this recognition. It affirms our commitment to supporting Hispanic students to graduate on time and launch meaningful careers. Receiving this recertification during our 75th anniversary is especially fitting, as BԪ’s story has always been about opening doors, building networks, and creating pathways to opportunity for Latino students — and for all students — who walk through our doors.”
“Seal of Excelencia certified institutions are investing in transformation, ensuring access to excellence, and becoming places where Latino, and all, students thrive,” said Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education. “These institutions have made demonstrable efforts to ensure students’ return on investment in a degree while cultivating talent that fuels our country’s future.”
Higher education, business, philanthropy, and government leaders in Excelencia’s community of common cause convened in Washington, D.C., to recognize BԪ as one of five institutions that earned the Seal of Excelencia recertification. In addition, five other institutions earned certification for the first time, and eight other institutions earned Excelencia’s new Intentionally Thriving Institution (ITI) designation, which extends impact beyond the educational pathway and recognizes positive impact in preparing students for, and connecting them to, the workforce.
“Excelencia is proud to continue to catalyze and support colleges and universities that earn the Seal of Excelencia for their impact and intentional efforts to deliver on the promise of higher education for all students. Through our collaboration, we build talent for our country’s workforce and civic leadership,” said Sarita Brown, co-founder and president of Excelencia in Education.
BԪ is the largest, private non-profit Hispanic-Serving Institution in New York. Forty-seven percent of Mercy’s undergraduate student population is Hispanic, a number that has grown more than 10% in the past seven years. According to analysis by Excelencia in Education, “Latino College Completion: United States 2023, Mercy is ranked 19th among enrolling and 10th in graduating Latinos in the state of New York.
Mercy is committed to serving and supporting Latino students intentionally, by creating the conditions that maximize their educational success. The University has invested in several transformational strategies to serve Hispanic students and position them to succeed, including its PACT personal mentoring program. Since the advent of the PACT program, retention and graduation rates of Latino and all students at Mercy have seen remarkable improvement.
Before BԪ earned the Seal of Excelencia for the first time in 2022, university leadership made the decision to join 泦Գ’s national Excelencia in Action (E-Action) network. The network includes over 200 higher education leaders committed to advancing Latino, and all, student success on their campuses. Institutions affiliated with the E-Action network are eligible to apply for the Seal.
President Susan L. Parish greets Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education, on the stage before accepting the Seal of Excelencia Recertification on behalf of BԪ.
President Susan L. Parish speaks at Excelencia in Education Convening Washington, D.C. on September 30 where she accepted the Seal of Excelencia Recertification on behalf of BԪ.
BԪ BԪ
BԪ is an independent, coeducational institution serving more than 9,000 students each year across campuses in Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, as well as online. It is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic Serving Institution in the state of New York. Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificate programs within six schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Mercy was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy whose mission of transformative education remains strong. For more information, visit .
BԪ Excelencia in Education
Excelencia in Education leads a national network of results-oriented educators and policymakers transforming higher education to tap the talents of the Latino community and address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. With this network, Excelencia ensures access to excellence by promoting student achievement, informing educational policies, and advancing evidence-based practices to more intentionally serve Latino, and all, students. For more information, visit: