<p>To answer the question, yes, a person can mark yes on the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity question, and leave the race question blank, and still be in compliance with all federal regulations on the subject. (Either question or both questions are optional for a college applicant.) I have no idea how various colleges would treat such a response. This is the MIT forum, and you see that an MIT admission officer has linked to an MIT statement by another MIT admission officer from last year.</p>