College Grants for Native American Students
Native American college students can find several sources for college grants for Native American students scholarships for Native Americans. In the United States today, the Native American population is the smallest minority group. To help Native Americans earn a higher education, there are several foundations and programs that award college grants. Thanks to college grants for Native American students, college attendance is on the rise. Across the United States there are tribal colleges. These are another possible source of college grant money for Native Americans.
First of all, it is important to note that Native American undergraduate students should refer to the pages of this website for general information regarding undergraduate grants, the Pell Grant, and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) in addition to checking the resources listed in this article. Some college grants and scholarships are open to minority students in general.
For graduate students, there are also resources on this website regarding graduate school grants, grants for a master’s degree, and doctoral grants.
Federally Recognized Tribes and Tribal Colleges
There are 565 federally recognized tribes in the United States. To be eligible for tribal grants available to Native Americans in the United States, you must present a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) and belong to one of the federally recognized tribes. For details see the AAIA. In addition, the AAIA has a webpage listing scholarship and award opportunities for Native American students. Native American students will also find that a good place to start seeking information about college grants and scholarships is from the student’s own local tribe and the tribal college. The Navajo Nation created the first tribal college in 1968. Tribal colleges are located on Indian reservations for Native American students to attend. They are fully accredited and aim to preserve native languages and culture as well as provide higher education with the same academic standards of other colleges. Today there are 30 tribal colleges and more than 30,000 students from more than 250 tribes currently in attendance.
College Grants and Scholarships for Native American Students
The Tribal College Scholarship Program awards roughly 6,000 scholarships each year to Native American students earning acollege degree. For general information check the American Indian College Fund.
Look into the college grants and scholarships that exist from one’s local tribe. Here are just a few examples of how individual tribes are helping with grant and scholarship money for their members:
Blackfeet Nation Higher Education Grant - Each year 140 students receive this $3,500 grants which may be used to help pay for undergraduate and graduate school expenses.
Menominee Nation – Wisconsin – send e-mail to Renee Mahkimetas, Research Specialist rcmahkimetas@mitw.org regarding the Menominee Indian Tribe Adult Vocational Training Program, $100 to $2,200 awarded to 50-70 Menominee tribal members enrolled in technical college. There are also higher education grants of $100 to $1,100 awarded each year to 136 Menominee members studying for an undergraduate degree.
In addition, it is worthwhile to look into faith-based grants for Native Americans. For example, the Presbyterian Church of the United States awards up to 30 students per year a college grant to help them. See the webpage for more details.
Check with your local church or religious organization to find out whether they also offer scholarships for their Native American members.
Another source of information is the Online Education Data Base, which has a list of scholarships to help Native Americans pay for college.
For overall Native American news, keep up to date with this site Native American news at indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com online.
Native American Graduate Students in Science
The National Science Foundation sponsors the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. They award research-based grants for students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. They encourage applications for women, ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities as a way of increasing diversity in the fields of science, mathematics, technology and engineering.
With the help of college grants and scholarships for Native Americans, Native American college students will be able to find help to pay for college or graduate school.
