Oakton became the first community college in Illinois to receive the Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation in 2020. AANAPISI is one of eight federally designated Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) programs established by the U.S. Department of Education.

The AANAPISI program provides federal funding for colleges and universities and works to improve the availability and quality of higher education for Asian American, Pacific Islander, and low-income college students. 

Under the five-year AANAPISI program funding, which runs from 2020-2025, Oakton has established the Center for Organizing Minority Programs to Advance Student Success (COMPASS) with the goals to: 

• Increase the retention (persistence) of first-time, full-time AAPI degree-seeking students at Oakton who enrolled in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year.
• Increase the completion rate of first-time, full-time AAPI degree-seeking students.