Does any one Know if Native Americans get to go to college for free and if so what are some of the programs.?

Question

I need to know if there are laws or known treaties that were established with the native americans in regards to education and what they are and how to access them.

Answer 1

There is no "blanket" federal level program that allows Native Americans to go to college for free.

As one of the previous answerers said, there tend to be programs and scholarships geared toward various groups. One good thing about being a Native American, there isn't as much competition because many do not go on to college.

However, being Native American can help pay for college. I went to college in the mid 90's. My tribe put up about $2500 a year. The Indian corporations in Alaska that my family had stocks in put up about $2K a year.

The state I lived in had a special Native American grant good for about $2K a year.

I received 2 other Native American scholarships. I got about $500 a year from the American Indian College fund and $1K from AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society).

The rest of my schooling got paid for through grants and scholarships available to everyone (from local organizations, the school, the state, and the feds). Like I said, I went to school in the mid 90's and there was a lot of state and federal funding to go around. My understanding is that currently that funding from state and federal governments isn't as pleantiful anymore.

There are a number of programs and scholarships out there for Native Americans.

Some tribes have colleges and tech schools that you might be able to get into for free if you are from that tribe

Some tribes will pay for schooling outright or give you quite a large check

Some schools will give gifted students from certain ethnic backgrounds full tuition scholarships

There are some Native scholarships from non-profit organizations. The two I know I names already, AISES (limited to sciences, Engineering, and medicine majors) and the American Indian College Fund (open to all Natives).

Some companies will pay for your schooling if you promise to work for them afterward. These type of deals may not be very popular anymore (there was a huge demand for some majors in the mid 90's). If you are going into a medical major, the Indian Health Services (IHS) division of the federal Health and Human Services deparment will pay your schooling and/or loans if you qualify and work for them (I think preference is given to Natives).

Good Luck

Answer 2

If you are enrolled with your tribe then it is possible you can attend college free. In fact some programs don't require you to be enrolled, they just require you to prove descendency.

There are three ways:
1. Scholarships. There are an abudant amount of scholarships for Native people that will pay for tuition and other expenses.
2. Enroll in a tribal college. There are several colleges that are on reservation land for Indian people.
3. Some colleges just give Native people a tuition waiver. See the University in Boulder Colorado. Native people who can prove descendency don't have to pay tuition.

Answer 3

ya ah tey.
The following website gives a lot of information about educational opportunities for Native Americans. I think it will pretty much answer your questions about opportunity although I am not sure if it establishes the law or treaty that is connected to it!
Good luck in your quest!

Answer 4

There tend to be more scholarships available for specific groups, or rather scholarships usually target specific groups. They are still competitive though.
You'd have to research Native American scholarships or perhaps even a specific tribe.
Maybe even under a specific vocation, such as MD or RN; or law, political science, social sciences.
Below are some web sites to get you started. There are more. Check with the college's financial aid counsellor.

Answer 5

Yes, they can go to college free if they can prove that they are NA. There is a card that you have to get from one of the centers. I'm not sure of the name but I know that my husbands family has cards. Get in touch with one of the centers in your area and they will give you more info. Sorry, I know this probably didn't help much.