A variety of scholarships are available for Native American students pursuing higher education.
Native American women are eligible for many college scholarships. These scholarships come from colleges, universities, private foundations, and corporations. Financial awards can take many forms, ranging from small stipends to packages that include room, board, tuition, and living expenses. The requirements for scholarships vary significantly. Some of the most prestigious scholarships for Native American women are open to other minority students. Others are open to both Native American males and females, and some scholarships are available only for members of certain tribes or Native students in specific academic disciplines.
Colleges and Universities Offering Free Tuition
Several colleges and universities offer free tuition to Native American students. Although Dartmouth University in New Hampshire reworked its financial aid programs in 2008, the university has a long tradition of providing Native American students with free tuition. Since 2008, the school offers students scholarships and other forms of financial aid to meet their demonstrated need. Fort Lewis College in Colorado provides qualified Native American students with tuition waivers. Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas does not charge admitted students for tuition and provides qualified students with financial aid to cover additional expenses.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship
The Gates Millennium Scholarship is the most prestigious minority student scholarship in America. Recipients receive funding to cover any unmet financial aid and self-help in their pursuit of a college degree or GED. For many students, this equates to a scholarship that covers room, board, tuition, and living expenses throughout their undergraduate career. Gates Millennium Scholars can also receive funding through graduate school in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, and science.
To be eligible for a Gates Millennium Scholarship, applicants must have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted); will be enrolling for the first-time at a U.S. accredited college or university as a full-time, degree-seeking, first-year student in the fall of 2010; or seeking a GED; and complete the necessary essays and application materials.
Gates Millennium Scholars
P.O. Box 10500
Fairfax, VA 22031
877-690-4677
gmsp.org/
Tribal Scholarships
Many tribal governments offer tribal members financial assistance with college expenses, such as tuition, books, and room and board. Contact your local tribal government to see if it has such a program. Your tribal government may also be aware of local scholarships for which you are eligible.
Catching the Dream
Catching the Dream provides a variety of scholarships to Native Americans pursuing higher education. These scholarships range from $500 to $5,000. To be eligible, students must be at least 1/4 Native American and an enrolled member of a U.S. tribe and planning to attend an accredited U.S. college or university on a full-time basis.
Catching the Dream
8200 Mountain Road, NE, Suite 203
Albuquerque NM 87110
505-262-2351
catchingthedream.org/Scholarship.htm
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) administers five scholarship programs to Native Americans studying science or engineering at the college level. AISES offers scholarship opportunities for both high school seniors and current college students.
AISES
P.O. Box 9828
Albuquerque, NM 87119
505-765-1052
aises.org/Programs/ScholarshipsandInternships/Scholarships
Tags: Native American, Gates Millennium, American students, Native American students, Catching Dream, Gates Millennium Scholarship
