If you can prove that you have at least 10% American Indian in you, is it true that you can go to college free

Question

I was told that American Indians can go to college free and if you was at least 10% Indian you could as well. Is this true and how do you go about it.

Answer 1

There are some benefits for Native people concerning college.

If you are enrolled in your tribe then there are more benefits.
Some colleges accept enrolled Natives and don't require them to pay tuition. And there are MANY scholarships for enrolled Natives both tribal and general.

If you can prove descendancy then there are still some colleges that will let you in without paying tuition and some scholarships.
For one college in this category see college in Boulder, Colorado.

It is more true that colleges do not have this programs.

However nearly every college has programs for students of color that offer things such as free tutoring etc.. and maybe a small scholarship. For these programs you don't have to prove anything, just self declare.

10% is an arbitrary number. Not all colleges do this. Whoever told you this is wrong.

I am a Native woman. I've helped many people get into college.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

To add to the previous answer, different colleges treat this differently. There is no magic cutoff like 10%. Instead, colleges tend to like a diverse pool of students, so they life to attract a group of American Indians every year. Certain public schools may have extra scholarships for American Indians, but it depends both on the school and the academic quality of the student. Private schools might also give scholarships for American Indians, but the top private schools only give scholarships for two things: sports and need. If you can't pay for your education somehow, they'll make sure they can help you pay.

Sorry for the slightly vague answer. It really depends on the school and what kind of student you are. The bottom line still is, colleges look for bright students and try to attract them with anything necessary, including money. There is no way around that somehow.

Answer 3

It will depend upon what tribe you belong to and if they have a funding program for this. You will usually have to have a CDIB card in order to prove your heritage. (Certificate Degree of Indian Blood) There are some tribes who will assist with college expenses and some who won't. Contact your tribal headquarters to see if there are programs for college education as all tribes are set up differently.