Tribal College and University Funding: Tribal Sovereignty at the Intersection of Federal, State, and Local Funding

American Indians and Alaska Natives do not access higher education at the same rate as their non-Native peers. Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) continue to provide a transformative postsecondary experience and education for the Indigenous population and non-Native students from in and around Native communities. The 37 TCUs enroll nearly 28,000 full and serve rural communities without access to mainstream postsecondary institutions, have experienced enrollment growth over the last decade, increasing nearly 9 percent between academic year (AY) 2002–03 and 2012–13. This report contextualizes the important progress TCUs have made in Indian Country, then describes important inequities in federal, state, and local funding that limit these institutions’ ability to further their impact on the tribal communities they are chartered to serve.