Native American and Native Alaskan Program

The American Indian College Fund was established in 1989 to provide scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students attending tribal colleges, and to fund and create awareness about the community-based accredited tribal colleges and universities that offer students access to knowledge and skills alongside Native culture, language, and values. The American Indian College Fund also provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students attending any other accredited public and non-profit private college all across the United States.

The Undergraduate Scholarship service supports educational opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students by awarding more than 200 scholarships annually. They also offer a free guide to help Native Americans pursue higher education: Tools for Success — A Guide for High School Seniors, Families, Counselors and Others.

Applications submitted by eligible Native American students each spring are reviewed by members of the Scholarship Committee, who award the competitive grants. Up to $2,000 per year is paid directly to each recipient’s college or university. Grantees must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 and submit grades each semester.

AISES offers a universe of opportunities to students! AISES students choose to move fiercely forward in their educational journeys by learning and acquiring new skills that will help them in meeting the ever-changing STEM needs of our communities. At AISES, we invest more than just scholarship support into our students; we are investing confidence, trust and a large community of support and encouragement for our students. Year after year, AISES scholars bring potential and limitless possibilities for the future of STEM, each working towards advancing his or her opportunities in STEM career fields.

Among current and past scholarship programs, sponsors have included Google, Intel, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and many others. To ensure you receive notification of all upcoming scholarship opportunities, please be sure you sign-up for informational updates and the monthly newsletter here.

AIS makes educational opportunities possible for qualifying Native American students who otherwise could not afford it. AIS provides more than 2300 scholarships annually. Students qualify for participation based on academic merit as well as financial need. The Result: Native American graduates who will lead their tribal communities into a hopeful future.

Please take a moment to complete the form if you are interested in receiving scholarship assistance through AIS. Be sure to read the requirements to ensure that you qualify for scholarship support.

The American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) is a national private 501(c)(3) non profit headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico providing fellowships to American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students throughout the United States. AIGC offers this list as a courtesy to our peer organizations and students. All information regarding each of the following scholarships is submitted by each program. Please contact each of the organizations directly with any questions or concerns.

In 1972, six American Indian tribally controlled colleges established the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to provide a support network as they worked to influence federal policies on American Indian higher education. Today, AIHEC has grown to 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in the United States and one in Canada. Each of these institutions was created and chartered by its own tribal government for a specific purpose: to provide higher education opportunities to American Indians through programs that are locally and culturally based, holistic, and supportive.

There’s money out there to help you pay for college and there’s also guidance to help you find scholarships, learn the process of applying for financial aid and discover internships from more than 2,200 programs, totaling nearly $6 billion. Enter as much information as possible to find the most matches. Scholarship information is based on the College Board’s Annual Survey of Financial Aid Programs.

Scholarship and grant opportunities: As stated in Title 25 CFR Part 32.3, BIE’s mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with the Tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian Tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities. The Bureau is to manifest consideration of the whole person by taking into account the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the person within family and Tribal or Alaska Native village contexts.

The Chief Manuelito Scholarship was established in 1980 to provide scholarships to high achieving Navajo high school graduates. The scholarships are awarded based on ACT/SAT test scores and final high school grade point average (GPA). Students receive $7,000 annually to cover direct educational expenses associated with attending a post-secondary institution.

At the Center for Native American Youth website, you can find information on a wide range of health and educational opportunities and programs focused on Native American youth, including scholarships, internships, camps, youth commissions and organizations, and a few other fun things.