How to Get Scholarships & Grants for Native American Students

Native Americans have been underrepresented in colleges and universities across the country, partly due to low high school graduation rates among American Indians and the cost of higher education. With the typical college degree costing thousands of dollars a year, many Native American students can't afford to go to college without significant financial aid. Those who are able to attend college, often do not complete their degree at the same rate as their peers.

Recognizing the unique circumstances and needs of Native American students, many schools, nonprofits, and government agencies have stepped in to help. From tuition waivers to scholarships and grants, there are many options for Native Americans seeking to defray the cost of a college education. Below you will be able to explore an array of scholarship and financial aid opportunities and other resources available for Native American students.

Candidates must prove their ancestry when applying for scholarships and grants that are geared specifically for Native Americans. Proof varies from one scholarship to the next but key documentation bridges many programs and applications, especially for federal aid.

You will need both your birth certificate and at least one parent's enrolled tribal documents. If the descendency goes back to your grandparents, you will also need copies of as many of their birth certificates and tribal enrollment documents as you can gather. Other documents that are often accepted include an official letter from the tribe stating the enrollment status or a copy of the tribal identification card. Applicants may also need a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood which is issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Students will have to provide supporting documents and will then be issued a certificate that shows the student's blood quantum and tribal affiliation. (Blood quantum is the percentage of your immediate heritage comprised of tribal ancestors).

If you are unsure of your ancestry, you can trace it through family and tribal records; school, church, and county courthouse records; and by researching American Indian tribal history in your region (your local library might have sources for this). You can also search the U.S. National Archives to identify ancestors. When searching, make sure to include the name of the individual, date, and place of birth, and your relationship to that person. And, of course, capture all the information you discover so you can build a compelling case.

States with large populations of Native Americans offer state financial aid on top of the federal financial aid for which students might qualify. Sometimes that aid comes in the form of offering American Indians in-state tuition whether or not they are residents of that state. Other states offer tuition waivers and scholarships to cover room and board. Wondering what your state offers? Check out the table below for state financial aid.

Your monthly budget may not be the first place you think of when it comes to saving money, but there are cost-saving measures you can start applying to your spending today. The following budgeting tips will put money back into your pocket and help you build strong financial skills that can last your lifetime.

• Create a Credit Card Spending Strategy
  Credit cards may be useful for unexpected expenses, but if you're not careful or strategic with your credit, it’s easy to rack up debt. To help keep your budget and spending on track, check out what student credit cards, prepaid cards, or gas credit cards offer to help save you money or earn cash rewards.

• Estimate or Refinance Your Auto Loan Payments
  A new car is often one of the first big purchases college students make and one that can come with a large monthly payment. You can reduce your current monthly auto loan payment by contacting your lender or refinancing your loan. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a new or used car, calculate what monthly payment fits your budget before you purchase.

• Find Affordable Renters Insurance
  While property owners and homeowners are required to have insurance, it often doesn’t cover tenants belongings in the case of a fire, theft, or vandalism. Renters insurance is a necessary, yet affordable expense. If you’re currently covered, it may be a good time to start shopping around to see where you can save.

• Review Your Car Insurance Options
  While obtaining car insurance is legally necessary, most students don’t look into their options, coverage or discounts. It can save to shop around, especially if its been a couple of years with the same company, and compare car insurance quotes, and find out how you can apply student and good driver discounts.

• Locate Affordable Health Services
  Health insurance costs can be expensive, but obtaining coverage can mean saving significant sums of money after an accident or health emergency. Our guide for student health insurance can help you navigate the process of finding coverage.

To help increase the college outcomes for American Indians, the government has designated some schools as Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). Currently, there are over 40 fully accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities in the U.S., located mainly in the Midwest.

Tribal Colleges and Universities play an important role in many Native American communities. Often, these are the only postsecondary school around; consequently, many are instrumental in fostering American Indian culture, languages, and traditions. Students considering attending a tribal college or university can explore a range of benefits. First, many of these schools offer generous financial aid, scholarships, and grants to Native American students. The culture and programs at these schools are intended to create welcoming environments and thus present smoother transitions for American Indians, especially compared to non-tribal schools. According to the American College Fund's last findings back in 2010, as many as 86% of TCU students completed their degree programs while fewer than 10% of American Indian students who went from a reservation high school to a mainstream college finished their degree studies.

Tribal colleges and universities can be a way for Native American students to earn four-year degrees but these schools are not for everyone. Many primarily offer associate's degrees and certificate programs, which open the door for quick career qualifications but require candidates for bachelor's degrees to transfer to colleges that offer four-year programs. A handful of larger tribal colleges and universities offer bachelor's degree programs. What's more, a lot of these schools emphasize categories of study mainly intended to serve the Native American community and that might not have wider value in the job marketplace. Majors or concentrations in health, administration, addiction counseling, tribal housing, education, and preserving Native American language and arts are valuable for tribal culture and advancement, but each student must consider the cost of attaining these degrees compared to the range of careers they might pursue with those degrees.

Rivers believes she also had an edge due to her community service, volunteer work, and the network she built in the process. "Volunteering gives a student real-world experience (i.e. practice) and skills necessary for future employment such as leadership, teamwork, and effective communication," she says. In her essay, she credited help she received from mentors, instructors and supporters that assisted throughout the process — and how she has and intends to continue paying it forward

So what does Rivers think students should do to get an edge in their scholarship search process? She says students need to be honest and inspiring.

Tribes often step in with additional financial aid for their members, especially for students who are not eligible for any scholarships or grants from the school they are attending or from the various non-profits focused on Native Americans. While the aid amounts can be small, each tribe handles funding differently in terms of the amount of aid and application deadlines. Each student must check with his or her own tribe to confirm both the availability of aid and the process for winning aid. Here's a look at how three tribes channel student financial aid to their members.

The Cherokee Nation provides scholarship aid to enrolled members who are pursuing bachelor's degrees. Recipients must perform volunteer hours based on the amount of funding they are receiving: If they receive $2,000 in aid, the student would be required to volunteer for 20 hours. The community service can be completed with a non-profit organization or at a Cherokee Nation sponsored event. The volunteer work must be humanitarian or community-based.

The Navajo Nation offers scholarships and financial assistance to eligible Navajo people. Assistance varies with some scholarship amounts from $1,000 to $5,000 annually. Upon graduation, recipients are expected to return to the Navajo Nation to apply what they have learned to benefit the development of the Navajo Nation.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe provides assistance in the form of grants. For instance, the tribe offers the Higher Education Program to deliver additional financial aid to eligible Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Members.

Catching The Dream
Helps Native American students find, apply and get into school and provides resources to help find and win scholarships, grants, and other aid. Provides students with tips on everything from finding money to crafting a winning college essay.

Trace Indian Ancestry
Provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, this website provides information for Native Americans to determine if they are eligible members in a federally recognized tribe.