Support From Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Continues College Access and Success Program of American Indian College Fund
Native American and Alaska Native students are in a college-going and completion crisis. Research shows the national rate of all students going to college within six months of graduation after high school is 70 percent. For Native American and Alaska Native students, those numbers are closer to 20 percent.
The American Indian College Fund knows that education improves the lives of individuals, their families and entire communities, yet scholarships are not enough for student success. It needed to create a college-going culture with prospective students to ensure the transition to college and support them while in college. Thanks to a $2.5 million grant renewal for 36 months from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the College Fund will continue its work to increase college access and success through the College Fund’s Native Pathways to College Program.
The College Fund’s Pathways program is divided into four components working with students. The High School Admissions Pathway program works to increase the college-going rate of Native Pathways participants closer to the national college going rate. The College Bridge Pathway works to bring Tribal College and Universities and area high schools together to help prepare students for the academic and social environments at college. The Tribal College Transfer Pathway aims to increase the retention rate of TCU students, increase the number of TCU graduates, and increase the number of TCU graduates transferring to a four-year institution. The Student Success Pathway will support successful transition and increase retention of students who transition into a new institution of higher education.