California State University, Stanislaus was awarded $5.8 million in federal grants on Friday to offer additional services to underserved Hispanic students.

The two Title V grants are designated specifically for federally-recognized Hispanic-serving institutions, such as CSU Stanislaus. The university’s student body is 30.7 percent Hispanic.

A $3 million Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program grant, distributed over five years, is intended to improve student engagement, retention, and graduation rates with special attention to Hispanic and first-generation students. The funds will be used to refine and expand the first-year experience program and the student success and retention program,

A further $2.8 million Promoting Post baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program grant, also distributed over five years, will be used to improve graduate-student engagement, retention and graduation rates, with special attention to Hispanic and first-generation students. The grant will be used to assess graduate students’ learning success in order to improve mentoring and to better engage students via community-based curricula and research opportunities with the help of the Office of Service Learning.