The first tribal college was founded by the Navajo Nation in 1968 in Arizona, and several others were established in the 1970s by other tribes. As of 1994, most tribal colleges have been authorized by Congress as land-grant colleges.
A “land grant” college receives benefits under the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The 1862 Morrill Act funded educational institutions by granting federally controlled land to the states for them to sell to raise funds to establish and endow “land-grant” colleges. The mission of these institutions as set forth in the 1862 Act is to focus on the teaching of practical agriculture, science, military science and engineering.
The Morrill Act of 1890 granted cash instead of land. Most native American colleges received assistance under the 1890 Morrill Act in 1994, and are referred to as land grant colleges.
Tribal colleges are located on or near Indian reservations and provide access to post-secondary education, accredited degrees, and vocational training for both Indian and non-Indian students. Most are sponsored by one individual tribe, but a few are a collaboration of multiple tribes.
Presently, there are 32 fully accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities in the United States, with one formal candidate for accreditation. Three are in Associate Status. These Tribal Colleges and Universities offer 358 total programs, including apprenticeships, diplomas, certificates, and degrees. These programs include 181 associate degree programs at 23 Tribal Colleges and Universities, 40 bachelor’s degree programs at 11 Tribal Colleges and Universities, and 5 master’s degree programs at 2 Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Located mainly in the Midwest and Southwest, Tribal Colleges and Universities service approximately 30,000 full- and part-time students. According to fall 2010 enrollment data, 8.7% of American Indian and Alaska Native college students were attending one of the 32 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities. American Indian and Alaska Native students composed 78% of the combined total enrollment of these institutions in 2010.
The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities is increasing yearly. According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of American Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in Tribal Colleges and Universities increased by 23% between 2001 and 2006.
Tribal Colleges and Universities are both integral and essential to their communities, creating environments that foster American Indian culture, languages, and traditions. They are often the only postsecondary institutions within some of our Nation’s poorest rural areas. Tribal Colleges and Universities serve a variety of people, from young adults to senior citizens.
They also serve as community resources for crucial social services and add hope to communities that suffer from high rates of poverty and unemployment. And overall, Tribal Colleges and Universities have developed programs where students are achieving.
The American Indian College Fund reports that 86% of tribal college and university students complete their chosen program of study, while fewer than 10% of American Indian and Alaska Native students who go directly from reservation high schools to mainstream colleges and universities finish their bachelor’s degree.
American Indian students have to pay tuition just like everyone else. However, many tribes do have scholarships available for their tribal members. American Indian students must apply for these scholarships and meet whatever criteria each tribe has set for their particular scholarship.
Moor’s Charity School was founded in 1754 in Lebanon, Connecticut, by Puritan, Calvinist minister Eleazar Wheelock to provide education for Native Americans who desired to be missionaries to the native tribes.
Wind River Tribal College Address: PO Box 1190, Fort Washakie, WY 82514 Phone: (307) 335-8243Website: www.windrivertc.org Location: Fort Washakie, Wyoming, on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming.Established: 1997 Chartering Tribe: Northern ArapahoPresident: Marlin SpoonhunterLand Grant College: No Enrollment: 49 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 28, Part-time: 21 Associate degree programs Northern Arapaho Studies Environmental […]
White Earth Tribal and Community College Address: 102 3rd St. NE, PO Box 478, Mahnomen, MN 56557 Phone: (218) 935-0417Website: www.wetcc.org Location: Mahnomen, MinnesotaEstablished: 1997 Chartering Tribe: White Earth Reservation Tribal Counci, representing White Earth Band of the Minnesota ChippewaPresident: Terry JanisLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 117 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 83, Part-time: 34 Associate degree programs Native American Studies […]
United Tribes Technical College Address: 3315 University Dr., Bismarck, ND 58504 Phone: (701) 255-3285Website: www.uttc.edu Location: Bismarck, North DakotaEstablished: 1969Chartering Tribe: United Tribes of North Dakota Development Corporation, an association of North Dakota’s native tribes. President: Leander (Russ) McDonaldLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 529 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 472, Part-time: 57 Associate degree programs Tribal Management […]
Turtle Mountain Community College Address: 10145 BIA Road 7, PO Box 340, Belcourt, ND 58316 Phone: (701) 477-7862Website: www.tm.edu Location: Ten miles from the Canadian border in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota, just north of the unincorporated city of Belcourt.Established: 1972 Chartering Tribe: Turtle Mountain Band of ChippewaPresident: James DavisLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: […]
Tohono O’odham Community College Address: PO Box 3129, Sells, AZ 85634 Phone: (520) 383-8401Website: www.tocc.edu Location: Sells, ArizonaEstablished: 1998 Chartering Tribe: Tohono O’odham NationPresident: James Vander HoovenLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 223 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 21, Part-time: 202 Associate degree programs Business Small Computer Systems Administrator Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Social Services General […]
Stone Child College Address: 8294 Upper Box Elder Road, Box Elder, MT 59521 Phone: (406) 395-4875Website: www.stonechild.edu Location: On the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in north central Montana.Established: 1984Chartering Tribe: Chippewa CreePresident: Nate St. PierreLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 381 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 254, Part-time: 127 Associate degree programs Native American Studies Studio Arts General […]
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Address: 9169 Coors Blvd. NW, PO Box 10146, Albuquerque, NM 87120 Phone: (505) 346-2348Toll Free: 1-800-586-7474Website: www.sipi.edu Location: Albuquerque, New MexicoEstablished: 1971 Chartering Tribe: None, Federally charteredPresident: Sherry AllisonLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 531 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 470, Part-time: 61 Associate degree programs Accounting Agriculture Technology Agribusiness Business Administration Computer […]
Sitting Bull College ( formerly Standing Rock Community College) Address: 9299 Highway 24, Fort Yates, ND 58538 Phone: (701) 854-8000Website: www.sittingbull.edu Location(s): campuses in Fort Yates, ND and McLaughlin, SDEstablished: 1973 Chartering Tribe(s): Standing Rock Sioux TribePresident: Laurel VermillionLand Grant College: Yes Enrollement: 311 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 260, Part-time: 51 Bachelor’s degree programs Business Administration […]
Sisseton Wahpeton College Address: Agency Village Box 689, Sisseton, SD 57262 Phone: (605) 698-3966Website: www.swc.tc Location: Sisseton, South DakotaEstablished: 1979 Chartering Tribe: Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux TribePresident: Harvey DuMarceLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 247 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 186, Part-time: 61 Associate degree programs Dakota Studies Business Administration Business Specialist Computer Information Specialist Computer Systems Technology Early […]
Sinte Gleska University Address: 101 Antelope Lake Circle, PO Box 105, Mission, SD 57555Phone: (605) 856-8100Website: www.sintegleska.eduLocation: On the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in south-central South Dakota.Established: 1971 Chartering Tribe: Rosebud Sioux TribePresident: Lionel BordeauxLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 857 (Fall 2010) – Full-time: 445, Part-time: 412 Master’s degree programs Human Services Master of Education Bachelor’s […]
Salish Kootenai College Address: PO Box 70, Pablo, MT 59855 Phone: (406) 275-4800Website: www.skc.edu Location(s): Main campus on the Flathead Reservation, plus three satellite locations in Washington at Colville, Spokane, and Wellpinit.Established: 1977Chartering Tribe: Confederated Salish and Kootenai TribesPresident: Robert DePoe IIILand Grant College: Yes Bachelor’s degree programs Business/Entrepreneurship Information Technology Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Secondary […]
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Address: 2274 Enterprise Dr., Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 Phone: (989) 775-4123Website: www.sagchip.edu Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on the Isabella Indian Reservation.Established: 1998 Chartering Tribe: Saginaw Chippewa TribePresident: Carla SinewayLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: 163 (fall 2010) – Full-time: 59, Part-time: 104 Associate degree programs Native American Studies Business Liberal Arts Associate […]
Red Lake Nation College Address: 23750 Hwy 1 East, PO Box 576, Red Lake, MN 56671 Phone: (218) 679-2860Website: www.redlakenc.org Location: In the heart of the Anishinaabe nation on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota.Established: 1987 Chartering Tribe: Red Lake Band of OjibwePresident: Dan KingLand Grant College: No Enrollment: Associate degree programs […]
Oglala Lakota College Address: PO Box 490, Kyle, SD 57752 Phone: (605) 455-6000Website: www.olc.edu Locations: Instructional centers in each of the nine districts across Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. There are additional instructional centers in Rapid City and on the Cheyenne River Reservation.Established: 1971 Chartering Tribe: Oglala SiouxPresident: Thomas ShortbullLand Grant College: Yes Enrollment: […]