HACU Membership Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What type of institutions can join HACU?

For national membership (U.S. and Puerto Rico), any regionally accredited, nonprofit tax-exempt (as determined by the IRS) institution of higher education, either college or university, is eligible to join HACU.

For international membership (outside of the U.S. and Puerto Rico), any institution of higher education abroad that is a legally constituted entity authorized to operate in its country according to the rules and regulations required by its government, is eligible to join HACU.

For school district membership (K-12), any school district in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total district enrollment, is eligible to join as a Hispanic-Serving School District (HSSD) affiliate of HACU.

For Educational Affiliation (nonprofits), any nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, association or council that supports HACU's mission is eligible to join as an Educational Affiliate of HACU.

For-profit institutions of higher education (in the U.S. and Puerto Rico), companies and foundations are ineligible to join.  These organizations, however, may consider partnering with HACU or donating to La Hache de HACU.  Contact HACU’s Development Department for more information on these opportunities at development@hacu.net. 

2.  Can individuals join HACU?

Yes, if you are a faculty or staff person at a nonprofit institution of higher learning, you are eligible to join HACU.  The Faculty & Staff Affiliation is an individual membership and is not transferable to another person.

Students at nonprofit institutions of higher education may also join as Student Affiliates and student organizations may join as Student Organization Affiliates.

3.  Is my institution a member of HACU?

HACU has five categories of membership and these listings are located on our website. For a compete list of our members or to research if your institution is a member, please visit HACU's online Membership Directory by clicking here. 

4.  If my institution is not a member or I’d like to join as a Faculty and Staff Affiliate, what is the application process?

Membership applications for new members can be found at Members/New Member Application. Individuals can join by using the Faculty and Staff Affiliate Application. HACU will review and approve your application within five working days from submission. If there are any questions regarding your application, HACU will contact the HACU Contact, Administrative Assistant and/or President (institutional membership) or the individual applying for Faculty and Staff Affiliate membership. Upon approval of your membership application, an invoice will be e-mailed to the Accounting/Billing Contact listed on the application or directly to the Faculty and Staff Affiliate for individual membership.

5.  What is HACU’s membership year?

HACU’s membership year runs from January 1 to December 31.  Institutions, however, can join any time during the year.

6.  Where can I find membership dues rates?

The dues sheet is located on HACU’s website under Members/Membership Dues.  Membership dues are published a few months prior to the start of the calendar year.  Please base your payment on the official invoice submitted to you after the application or renewal approval. Do not base your dues on previous year’s invoices or applications.

7.  What payment methods are available to pay for membership dues?

Payment options include credit card, check, purchase order, and wire transfer (international members only). 

8.  Which individuals are requested on the institutional membership application?

HACU maintains several contacts for each member institution, which may include:

1. President *
2. HACU Contact *
3. Administrative Assistant for President/CEO or HACU Contact *
4. Accounting/Billing Contact *
5. Verifier of Financial Aid
6. Director of Grants and Contracts
7. Director of Career Services
8. Director of Government Relations
9. Director of International Programs
10. Director of Communications
11. Director of Admissions
12. Title V Director (For HSIs only)  

*Contact required to process membership application.

9.  What type of enrollment statistics are required during the institutional membership application or renewal process?

For national members (U.S. and Puerto Rico), your institution’s undergraduate, graduate, and total enrollment statistics and the number of Hispanic students in each of these categories for the fall prior to the membership year will be required. For example, the 2015 membership year application will request enrollment statistics for Fall 2014. “Total Enrollment” is defined as including full-time and part-time students whether at the undergraduate or graduate level (including professional schools) of the institution, or both (headcount, for-credit students).

International members will be asked to provide total enrollment statistics for their institution and the date, month, year of these statistics. They will also be asked to list their institution’s three principal areas of study and the total enrollment in each of these programs.

Hispanic-Serving School Districts will be asked to provide total enrollment statistics at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, as well as the number of Hispanic students at each of these categories for the fall prior to the membership year being applying for by the district.

10.  If I want to renew my membership, what is the renewal process?

Renewal notifications are sent via e-mail approximately two months prior to the start of the new membership year (January 1).

For institutional renewals, the President, HACU Contact, Administrative Assistant, and Accounting/Billing Contact receive this notification.  Institutions can renew their membership here. Only the President’s, HACU Contact’s, Administrative Assistant's, and Accounting/Billing Contact's usernames and passwords are authorized to renew their institution’s membership. Existing member contacts data will populate the institutional renewal application and can be updated as necessary. However, enrollment statistics will be blank and must be updated for the renewal to be processed.

Faculty and Staff Affiliates can renew their membership using the Faculty and Staff Affiliate Renewal Application. Affiliates’ usernames and passwords authorize them to renew their membership. Existing member contact data will populate their renewal application and can be updated as necessary.

11.  How do I retrieve my password if I’ve lost it?

You can request a Password Reminder from HACU’s website under Members/Member Login Info.  Enter your user name, leave the password field blank and click on the “Login” button.  A red message will appear saying your password is being emailed to you. If you do not receive your password, please contact the Membership Department to double check your e-mail address on file to make sure what we have is correct.

12.  What if I’ve forgotten my username?

Usernames and passwords are sent via e-mail to all institutional contacts and Faculty and Staff Affiliates upon approval of their membership. If you can not locate your username, please contact our Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net.

13.  As one of the contacts at my institution or as a Faculty and Staff Affiliate, can I update my own individual profile?

Yes. You can visit HACU’s website at Update Your Individual Profile. You will need your user name and password to login, so please have these available. You will not be allowed to change your name or the name of your institution during the update. If these have changed, please contact our Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net.

14.  Some of the contacts at my institution have changed or my institution’s general information has changed.   What is the online process to update this information?

Only the President, HACU Contact, Administrative Assistant, and Accounting/Billing Contact usernames and passwords can modify the member institution’s profile by visiting Update Your Institutional Profile on our website.  Institutions can add or remove contacts at the member institution or edit general institutional information.  However, required contacts (Presidents, HACU Contacts, Administrative Assistants and Accounting/Billing Contacts) cannot remove themselves as contacts.  For instance, if there is a new President, the current President cannot login with his/her username and replace him/herself with a new President.  In this instance, the Administrative Assistant, HACU Contact or Accounting/Billing Contact could make this change or the President’s staff person could contact the Membership Department to make the change.  The same applies to HACU Contacts, Administrative Assistants and Accounting/Billing Contacts. You are not allowed to change your name, the name of your institution, or enrollment statistics during updates. If these have changed, please contact the Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net.

15.  If my institution is a HACU member and I want to be one of the contacts, what can I do?

A fixed number of contacts is maintained per member institution and only the President, HACU Contact or Administrative Assistant can add or remove these.  You will need to contact your President, HACU Contact or Administrative Assistant and request that you replace one of the contacts that HACU currently maintains with your institution.  You can also consider joining as HACU a Faculty and Staff Affiliate, available to individuals at HACU-member and non-member institutions.

16.  What are some of the additional benefits of Faculty and Staff Affiliate membership?

All Faculty and Staff Affiliates receive an additional discount on the already reduced member rate to attend HACU conference and events. They also receive a subscription to The Voice and e-mail updates regarding advocacy, grants and contracts, student programs, internships, and scholarships.

17.  Can I purchase HACU’s membership addresses?

Yes, the Member List Order Form is available on HACU’s website under HACU Members/Member Addresses.  You may submit the completed form to HACU with payment to receive a list of our members. Payment is required in full before the order is processed.  Purchased lists include the following contact information: contact name, contact title and institutional mailing address. An additional discount is available for addresses purchased by HACU members.

If you have questions or would like information on our Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSD) affiliation, please contact Jeanette Morales, Director of PK-12 Initiatives, at (210) 576-3220 or jeanette.morales@hacu.net.