Inspired in part by the self-determination impetus of the 1960s, tribal colleges and universities have grown and thrived in the intervening five decades. All are fully accredited and on a mission of educating Native students while preserving Native culture and offering a path to a career at a reasonable cost.
Like the first tribal college founded 53 years ago — Diné College — many were originally two-year schools that have since expanded to offer bachelor’s degrees, while others remain degree- and certificate-granting two-year institutions that are often a spring-board to further education. So far five TCUs — Navajo Technical University, Oglala Lakota College, Sinte Gleska University, Sitting Bull College, and the Institute of American Indian Arts — offer master’s degrees. Each one is a budget-friendly school that offers a solid education grounded in traditional culture. And because they are located on or near reservations, they make a quality education accessible to students in remote areas.
There are now nearly three dozen tribal colleges and universities, and nearly 30,000 students have chosen this route to a degree. The course work at TCUs meets the same standards as the credits at mainstream schools — the big difference is the emphasis on Indigenous culture and language throughout the curriculum. TCUs are also competitive, as evidenced by the 13 that have made it onto the Winds of Change list of Top 200 Colleges for Native American Students (see box below).
AANIIIH NAKODA COLLEGE (FORT BELKNAP)
HARLEM, MT
ancollege.edu
CHARTERED: 1984
TRIBE: Gros Ventre and Assiniboine
DEGREES: AA/AS/AAS
# OF STUDENTS: 200
# OF FACULTY: 20
BAY MILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BRIMLEY, MI
bmcc.edu
TRIBE: Anishinaabek
# OF STUDENTS: 500+
# OF FACULTY: 19 (full time)
BLACKFEET COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BROWNING, MT
bfcc.edu
CHARTERED: 1974
TRIBE: Blackfeet Nation
# OF STUDENTS: 475
# OF FACULTY: 40
CANKDESKA CIKANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FORT TOTTEN, ND
littlehoop.edu
TRIBE: Spirit Lake Dakota Nation
# OF STUDENTS: 400
# OF FACULTY: 35
CHIEF DULL KNIFE COLLEGE
LAME DEER, MT
cdkc.edu
CHARTERED: 1975
TRIBE: Northern Cheyenne
DEGREES: AA/AAS
# OF STUDENTS: 360
# OF FACULTY: 13
FOND DU LAC TRIBAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CLOQUET, MN
fdltcc.edu
CHARTERED: 1987
TRIBE: Anishinaabe
DEGREES: AA/AFA/AS/AAS
# OF STUDENTS: 2,300
# OF FACULTY: 95
FORT PECK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
POPLAR, MT
fpcc.edu
CHARTERED: 1978
TRIBE: Fort Peck Assiniboine
# OF STUDENTS: 450
# OF FACULTY: 50
ILISAGVIK COLLEGE
BARROW, AK
ilisagvik.edu
CHARTERED: 2006
TRIBE: Inupiat
DEGREES: AA
# OF STUDENTS: 300
# OF FACULTY: 53
KEWEENAW BAY OJIBWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BARAGA, MI
kbocc.edu
TRIBE: Ojibwa
# OF STUDENTS: 100
# OF FACULTY: 22
LAC COURTE OREILLES OJIBWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
HAYWARD, WI
lco.edu
CHARTERED: 1982
TRIBE: Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
# OF STUDENTS: 500
# OF FACULTY: 63
LEECH LAKE TRIBAL COLLEGE
CASS LAKE, MN
lltc.edu
CHARTERED: 1990
# OF STUDENTS: 350
# OF FACULTY: 27
LITTLE BIG HORN COLLEGE
CROW AGENCY, MT
lbhc.edu
CHARTERED: 1980
TRIBE: Crow
DEGREES: AA/AS
LITTLE PRIEST TRIBAL COLLEGE
WINNEBAGO, NE
littlepriest.edu
CHARTERED: 1996
TRIBE: Winnebago
# OF STUDENTS: 150
# OF FACULTY: 6 (full time)
NEBRASKA INDIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MACY, NE
thenicc.edu
CHARTERED: 1979
TRIBE: Omaha, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago
# OF STUDENTS: 180
# OF FACULTY: 12
SAGINAW CHIPPEWA TRIBAL COLLEGE
MOUNT PLEASANT, MI
sagchip.edu
CHARTERED: 1998
# OF FACULTY: 17
SISSETON WAHPETON COLLEGE
SISSETON, SD
swcollege.edu
TRIBE: Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
# OF STUDENTS: 260
SOUTHWESTERN INDIAN POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
sipi.edu
CHARTERED: 1971
TRIBE: All Indian Pueblo Council
DEGREES: AS, AA, AAS
STONE CHILD COLLEGE
BOX ELDER, MT
stonechild.edu
TRIBE: Chippewa Cree
# OF FACULTY: 25
TOHONO O’ODHAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SELLS, AZ
tocc.edu
TRIBE: Tohono O’odham
WHITE EARTH TRIBAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MAHNOMEN, MN
wetcc.edu
CHARTERED: 1997
# OF STUDENTS: 125
TCUs on the Top 200
College of Menominee Nation, Diné College, Haskell Indian Nations University, Institute of American Indian Arts, Navajo Technical University, Northwest Indian College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Oglala Lakota College, Salish Kootenai College, Sinte Gleska University, Sitting Bull College, Turtle Mountain Community College, United Tribes Technical College