United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is making it easier for Native students to start college. Beginning with the current Fall Semester, UTTC has waived the tuition of Native students who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes. The offering is a one-year pilot program that was approved in the spring by the college’s governing board, whose members represent the five tribal nations in North Dakota.

“We serve a population that has the lowest annual income averages in the entire United States,” says Leander “Russ” McDonald, UTTC’s president. “These are students from some of the most impoverished areas in the country. And we believe it’s our obligation to offer realistic financial assistance to help them get started on a path that will change their lives.”

UTTC ended its participation in the federal student loan program in May at the conclusion of the 2015-16 academic year. McDonald says student loans do not work for families that are without savings accounts or access to credit, or have a low level of financial literacy. It’s unconscionable to expose them from the start to a system they have little experience with that has the potential for saddling them with sizable debt, he says.

“As a tribal college, it’s our mission, first and foremost, to serve the education needs of tribes and tribal people,” says McDonald. “To make higher education attainable, we’ve determined that it’s necessary to do the financial piece in ways that do not exclusively rely on student loans.”

UTTC’s Native Student Tuition Waiver has attracted a great deal of interest for the 2016 fall semester. Those eligible for the one-year trial program are new and current UTTC students. New and stop-out students are required to file a completed admissions application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. To be eligible, stop-outs must show satisfactory academic progress and file any appeal paperwork before the deadline. Returning students must meet the same requirements and also be pre-registered for classes.

The UTTC Native Tuition Waiver is based on unmet student financial need. It applies only to tuition and not to other college costs such as housing, books, fees, and meals. UTTC will offer the Native American Tuition Waiver for Spring Semester 2017 and Summer Semester 2017. It will be reviewed by the college in early 2017 to assess its effectiveness in making college accessible for Native students. Other types of student financial aid are also available to qualifying non-Native students who attend UTTC. Non-Native students number between 10 and 15% of the student body.

CAPTION: President Leander “Russ” McDonald explains the details of the college’s new Native Tuition Waiver program to UTTC’s student body.