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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake Community College announced Tuesday that it will cover tuition for eligible Native American students beginning January 2024.
The scholarship program is open to students who are members of a federally recognized tribe whose boundaries fall within or adjacent to Utah and who are taking up to 18 credit hours. It will likely help many of the college's 233 students who identify as Native American.
"This program focuses on all of our Native students and their unique experiences; and it removes a big barrier, allowing more opportunity for these students to earn credentials and transfer to four-year universities," said James Courage Singer, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and senior associate dean for academic programs and curriculum in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. "By launching this program, SLCC is making an honest attempt to understand the past and do something meaningful right now."
Native students across the country have historically had lower enrollment and graduation rates. Many are also first-generation students and struggle to make ends meet. Recognition of these disparities has fueled a national trend toward offering tuition waivers like SLCC's.
On the state level, SLCC's announcement means that half of Utah System of Higher Education schools — specifically the University of Utah, Utah State University and Southern Utah University — now offer tuition waivers for Native American students. An additional two, Weber State University and Utah Valley University, offer scholarships to some Native American students. Weber State's, for example, covers half of tuition and is contingent on a minimum GPA and full-time student status.
Students accessing SLCC's waiver do not need to be degree-seeking students and are not required to take a minimum number of credit hours. School officials say this flexibility is important for the college's student demographic, who tend to work and help take care of their families while going to school part time. Participation in the program doesn't prevent students from participating in other programs or receiving other forms of financial aid.
To receive the scholarship funds, students must submit proof of tribal enrollment in one of the following tribal nations:
- Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
- Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation
- Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
- Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah
- Navajo Nation
- Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes)
- Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation
- San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
- Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
- Hopi Tribe of Arizona
- Zuñi Tribe of the Zuni Reservation
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation
"I am excited to help elevate our Native American and Indigenous communities and demonstrate their significance on campus and in society," Stephanie Charles, who leads SLCC's Native American Coalition, said in a statement. "Increasing access to education is one step toward creating a sense of belonging, empowering sovereign rights, and building leaders, who can then give back and strengthen their Native communities."
More information about the program is available on SLCC's website.
