Use this list of 200 colleges and universities to research where Indigenous students are going to school in significant numbers and where the community, Native programs, and support are strong enough for these students to enjoy college and stay on to graduation. Unlike most “top colleges” lists, the focus here is on the Native community and the support system, from admissions through graduation. The Winds of Change list also clearly reflects Native population demographics, with the Southwest, the Northwest, Oklahoma, California, and the Great Lakes states heavily represented — in contrast to the East, Southeast, and Midwest of other lists. The terms “Indigenous” and “Native” and the abbreviation “NA” used here are inclusive of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples of North America.
We continue to provide data on graduation rates, both total and for Indigenous students, and the same for STEM baccalaureate degrees — this edition has STEM results that incorporate the new/expanded 2020 STEM CIP-Code list that is maintained/issued by Homeland Security.
We look for colleges that have a good, and good-sized, Indigenous student support community, and we focus on those that graduate a good percentage of their Native undergraduates.
We review the latest information available from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database, especially focusing on statistics on degrees, graduation rates, and enrollment. Our thanks to the DOE and IPEDS staffs for their help and support in this effort. In addition, we survey colleges and utilize their responses to gather information on Indigenous student support programs.
We look for colleges that have a good, and good-sized, Indigenous student support community, and we focus on those that graduate a good percentage of their Native undergraduates. These two parameters — the Native community and the number of degrees — are the major criteria for selection. We try to focus on schools with more than 30 full-time Indigenous undergraduates, or 2 percent or more, and those that award 20-plus baccalaureate degrees to Native students. We also take note of a school’s Indigenous student percentages in comparison with that state’s Indigenous population, expressed as a percentage.
The text-based, mobile device–friendly format, now in its sixth year, contains the descriptive information you would expect in any guide. Material has been drawn largely from the IPEDS database.
In addition to the school’s main website and popular majors, each listing contains information specific to Indigenous students. The “Indigenous Students” section describes the school’s Indigenous student community, including the total numbers and percentages for Indigenous students — degrees, graduation rates, STEM degrees, and enrollments — undergraduate and graduate. The “Programs for Indigenous Students” section lists specific offerings serving Native students. In total, this information provides a snapshot of the Native community and the environment at each school. It offers good indicators for prospective Indigenous students on the academic/social climate and chances for individual growth, achievement, and the ultimate goal of graduation.
Please refer to 'How to Read the Data' for explanations of the headings and labels used with the data.
In summary, the information here is straightforward, created specifically for Indigenous students and their advisors. It is all that you should need to create your starter list of schools to be given more in-depth consideration. Good luck in this search of — and for — a lifetime!