FOR THE COLLEGE BOARD, your Hispanicness (Hispanicity? 🙂 )is determined by self identity and refers not to your ethnicity but your identity. It meant for people from or identifying with South America, Spain and Portugal. The definition is notorious for being very loose- I could have filled in the Hispanic bubble on the PSAT because my grandmother is Argentinean and it would be 100% legitimate, as the Hispanic influence is definitely there. The race and ethnicity have absolutely no relevance. (In the end I did NOT put it down as I still don’t feel it’s honest even though it’s legitimate.)
If you are Sefardi, chances are your ancestors left Spain (if they ever were in Spain, which is obviously up for debate) in or before 1492 unless you’re descended from Marranos. Sorry, but that doesn’t even begin to make sense.
Also, African-American IS a racial designation to the College Board, so that white South Africans are NOT part of that group.