By Agelique Albert, Photo: csktribes.org, The74, November 14, 2022
The uncertain fate of President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans is a serious cause for concern in Indian Country, where college affordability remains one of the greatest hurdles to economic mobility. Because of the steep cost of higher education, many young Indigenous people have to choose between pursuing a college degree and keeping food on the table or a roof over their heads.
A newly released National Study on College Affordability for Indigenous Students brings much-needed visibility to this disparity, which has long been ignored in the public dialogue about educational access. The report provides comprehensive data and a fresh set of powerful personal testimonies that illuminate how Native students experience the many facets of funding their college education. It offers recommendations for making higher education more financially accessible to Native students, such as providing aid for non-tuition expenses.
Indigenous researchers collected information from nearly 3,000 students (a 23.2% response rate). These students represent 172 Tribal nations. This Indigenous-led data sharing, collection, analysis and reporting — an unprecedented collaboration among the nation’s four Native scholarship providers — found that college affordability, not academic performance or any other factor, is the primary obstacle preventing Native students from earning their degree. Simply put: Of the Native students who do not complete their college studies, most stop because they simply do not have enough money to keep going.
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