Native students face the highest rates of inequity in higher education because of systemic and structural barriers
On February 6, the American Indian College Fund released a report identifying eight powerful declarations that colleges and universities should do to better support Native students and make them visible at their institutions. This work was in response to a college tour incident at Colorado State University, afterwhich made many Native students and families questioned who belongs in college settings. This work was also done in response to the continuing discouraging statistics concerning the inequities in higher education for Native peoples.
Today, 14 percent of American Indian and Alaska Natives age 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree compared to 30 percent of the overall U.S. population. It is estimated that for every 100 elementary Native students, 85 will graduate from high school, 11 will receive an associate degree, and 16 will receive a bachelor’s degree. We know that Native people are intelligent and more than capable of obtaining a college degree. Yet, there are systemic and structural barriers to Native student success. And it is largely the responsibility of colleges and universities to dismantle these hurdles.
Currently, most Native students are attending community colleges and public institutions. Native students are less likely to attend very selective colleges or pursue a bachelor’s degree. College affordability is a huge concern for Native students. A recent report revealed that Native students pursuing a graduate degree are overwhelmingly attending for-profit institutions, with master’s degree recipients accruing an average debt of $48,820 and doctoral degree recipients (87 percent) accruing an average debt of $120,100. These figures speak to how colleges are gatekeeping enrollment and how students who make it into college are leaving with high debt. Promising efforts are underway at tribal colleges and universities, which strive to make college affordable by keeping tuition low with an average tuition at $2,947.
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