Third-year medical student Mario Terán, here at work in the emergency room at University Medical Center, is surprised the UA medical school didn't rank higher in the Hispanic Business poll, citing lots of support from the faculty and the Hispanic Center of Excellence.

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The University of Arizona's law and medical schools are both among the top 10 in the country for Hispanic students, according to rankings from this month's issue of Hispanic Business magazine.

The James E. Rogers College of Law ranks fifth and the College of Medicine ranks ninth. With mentorship programs and active Hispanic student groups, both colleges are regulars on the magazine's lists. The UA did not rate in the top 10 for the magazine's two other rankings, engineering schools and graduate business schools.

"With all the different kinds of rankings we're subject to, each of which presents its own issues, this is one I'm proud of being in the top 10," said law Dean Toni Massaro.

The UA is helped by a history of distinguished Hispanic alumni, who serve as mentors and models for the current students, said Massaro, citing former Arizona Gov. and U.S. Ambassador Raúl H. Castro, a 1949 law graduate.

"Here we have much more of a mosaic from the very beginning in terms of the prominent alumni," Massaro said. "I believe in that kind of aspirational modeling."

The law school has a relatively small student body and has a record of being hospitable to first-generation students, particularly minority students, she said.

"I like the fact that the school for a long time has launched careers for students who have never had a lawyer in the family," Massaro said. "There are a robust number of Hispanic students in the class and they rise to leadership positions and get the most possible out of their education."

Third-year law student Katrina Shabal said the college's history and culture of student organizations and alumni networking opportunities have a big impact on drawing minority students.

"People are aware that it's important on our campus and we're just going to climb higher and higher on that ranking," said Shabal, a 2003 UA graduate in Mexican-American studies.

The medical school is similar in its academic, professional and social support services for Hispanic students, the magazine said. The Hispanic Center of Excellence, established at the college in 1999 through a federal grant, is part of a national effort to increase Hispanic health research and training.

Mario Terán, a third-year medical student from Douglas, said he was surprised the UA didn't rank even higher. With a lot of support from faculty and cultural and academic assistance from the Hispanic Center of Excellence, the college is welcoming to minority students.

"The Hispanic Center of Excellence is key in fostering interaction between faculty and helping to mentor other Hispanic students as well," said Terán, who helped start the Latino Medical Student Association last year and earned his physiology degree from the UA in 2004. "The college itself is extremely sensitive to minority health issues."

Jennie Brown, program manager for the Hispanic Center of Excellence, said the rankings affirm the college's efforts.

"The whole border health issue is so important to this region and obviously to the country," she said. "If centers like ours don't take a proactive approach in training the health professionals who are going to be taking care of our community, who is?"