Native American Tuition Waiver and Tribal Scholarships
Many North American colleges and universities will waive college tuition fees for students who can prove at least one-quarter Native American ancestry, typically through a Certificate of Indian Blood document identifying the student as a member of one of over 550 federally-recognized Indian tribes. Students who want to attend institutions without tuition waiver programs can apply for numerous federal, state and private scholarships created for Native American applicants who demonstrate financial need and good academic standing.
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Qualifying Applicants
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One of the first steps in applying for tuition waivers and tribal scholarships usually requires Native American students to prove direct tribal ancestry. Academic institutions often require applicants to present a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). If you do not have a CIB, contact the Indian tribe you believe you are part of in order to learn their requirements for proving ancestry and tribal membership. Most tribes require individuals to undergo DNA testing conducted by an affiliated laboratory working directly with the tribe. The steps required to prove ancestry and eligible membership can be arduous; oftentimes an individual is only granted tribal membership if he is directly related to a grandparent who was a tribal member. If an applicant cannot prove membership in a federally recognized tribe, the Association on American Indian Affairs sponsors the Allogan Slagle Scholarship for Native Americans who are unaffiliated with a tribe.
Locating Tuition Waivers
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If you are a Native American student, consider applying at any of the 30 different Native American tribal colleges and universities in rural regions throughout the Southwestern and Midwestern states for greater access to tuition waivers and scholarships available to students at these campuses. Students who wish to apply at other public institutions can find tuition waivers in several state universities; California, Maine, Utah and Washington waive tuition costs for Native American students belonging to in-state tribes, while other states such as Colorado, Kansas and Montana will grant waivers to non-resident Native American students who belong to a federally recognized tribe in any other state. In addition, nationwide Native American organizations such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and American Indian College Fund provide need-based tuition waivers and scholarships to Indian students who must work with their local tribal office to apply for the awards. Another resource includes numerous databases on the Internet that provide details and application information for scholarship funds dedicated to furthering Native American people's education.
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Field-Specific Scholarships
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Many field-specific scholarships are available to Native American students who wish to study in specific fields such as health care, business, science and technology. The nationwide Indian Health Services (IHS) offers need and merit-based awards to students as well as living expense stipends for students majoring in health professions, engineering, and accounting. Other organizations also offer scholarships for specific areas of study, such as the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the American Indian Library Association (AILA) scholarship and the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA).
What to Expect
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Students should begin working with financial aid representatives from their academic institution as soon as possible to ensure they are meeting the criteria for awards and waivers they may be eligible to receive from the three largest sources of aid: tribal, federal and state institutions. When a tuition waiver and scholarship is received, it may or may not pay for books, room and board or other incidentals beyond basic tuition costs. To meet the financial aid gap, students should also consider applying for funds granted from corporations and professional organizations active in recruiting Native American students for specific fields of study. Although many awards are small and begin at just $500, when combined with federal and state financial aid, they can cover a significant portion of a student's college fees.
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