By: Cherish Golden, Misti Jeffers, & Gresham Collom
In a recent All My Relations podcast episode, when asked “Why college for Indigenous students,” Dr. Bryan Brayboy (Lumbee), stated “I’m convinced not all Native people should go to college. I’m equally convinced that everyone should have the option about whether or not they go.”
We echo the belief that all students should feel they have the option to go to college if they decide that’s part of their life plan.
Access to information about college affordability and financial aid is a key piece of the puzzle in efforts to empower students making informed college choice decisions. The SSTAR Lab—in partnership with Dr. Gresham Collom (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican) at the University of Minnesota —has been building a database of all financial aid opportunities available to Indigenous students at the state-, system-, and postsecondary institution-level.
Why? Because there is currently not a comprehensive and reliable resource for Indigenous students and other stakeholders to find reliable, easy to digest information on scholarships and grants across the United States.
In early 2025, Indigenous students will have access to our publicly-available interactive website tool to search for funding opportunities they are eligible for. In the meantime, we wanted to share information we think can help students, practitioners, and policymakers through our monthly blog.
In this blog post, we highlight the funding opportunities we found across the 6 New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
What do we know about funding for Indigenous students in New England?
New England is the ancestral home of Indigenous people belonging to the Micmac, Pennacook, Pequot, Mohegan, Nauset, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Woronoco, and Wampanoag Tribal Nations. Many of these Indigenous communities survived colonization and hundreds of years of erasure efforts, and now roughly 43,000 Indigenous people reside in New England.
Notably, New Hampshire is the only New England state that does not recognize any tribes (at the state or federal level), and is also the only New England state that does not have any funding opportunities for Indigenous students.
Massachusetts is the only New England state with state-level funding for Indigenous students.
State-level opportunities are policies implemented through formal legislative processes prior to becoming state law. We identified 21 state-level opportunities nationally, and only 1 in the New England region.
Massachusetts, the lone state with a state-level financial aid opportunity for Indigenous students in New England, provides the Native American Tuition Credit. This opportunity covers partial cost of tuition. The amount is based on the student’s financial aid package (loans, grants, scholarships) and is determined by the institution the student is planning to attend.
Because the funding amount is specific to each institution, students must contact financial aid offices directly at institutions of interest to understand more about their award amount.
New applicants must complete the Tuition Credit Form, submit proof of state residency, college enrollment, and proof of Massachusetts tribal membership/affiliation as a Tribal member or blood descendent of a parent or grandparent with confirmed Tribal membership.
Maine is the only New England state with system-level funding for Indigenous students.
In fact, Maine has three system-level funding opportunities for Indigenous students! Two are available to students enrolled in the The University of Maine System and the other for students attending the Maine Community College System.
The University of Maine System’s Native American Waiver and Education Program covers full tuition and fees for eligible students. What makes this program accessible and unique compared to others we’ve covered is that students do not have to be enrolled in a certain number of credits (courses) or be degree-seeking to receive this benefit. As long as students, both undergraduate and graduate, are enrolled in a credit-bearing course for fall or spring semester, they will be covered automatically. Summer terms are eligible too, as long as the student reaches out to their institution’s financial aid office to confirm their eligibility. Interested students should complete the Native American Waiver and Education Program Application. In addition, the following documentation is required to demonstrate tribal citizenship or descendant status:
- An original tribal citizenship document that is less than two years old (tribal cards not accepted).
- An original birth certificate if you are a direct descendant with a parent enrolled in a tribe.
- An original birth certificate if you are a direct descendant with a grandparent enrolled in a tribe. Also provide the birth certificate of the child (your parent) of the enrolled grandparent.
The University of Maine System also offers the Native American Room and Board Grant Program for undergraduate and graduate students. This is need-based, meaning household income is used to determine who is eligible. Students who participate in this program will have their charges covered for room (housing) and board (meals). This only applies to students who plan to live in a standard dorm (two people) and have a standard meal plan. If a student lives in a single room or double single, they will be responsible for paying. This program only covers a traditional academic year, which are typically fall and spring semesters.
To be eligible, students must meet all eligibility requirements of the Native American Waiver and Education Program and be certified as eligible by the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine, be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and fulfill other requirements such as Satisfactory Academic Progress.
The Maine Community College System, which is made up of two-year institutions, offers a Native American Tuition Waiver. To be eligible, students must have resided in Maine for 12 consecutive months prior to the enrollment period, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and provide documentation of their name, a parent’s name, or a grandparent’s name on a Tribal census for any of the following Tribes:
- Passamaquoddy Tribe
- Penobscot Nation
- Houlton Band of Maliseet
- Aroostook Band of Micmac
- A state, federal, or provincial North American Indian Tribe, or held a band number of the Maliseet or Micmac Tribes
Four New England states have institutions that offer funding opportunities for Indigenous students.
Institutional-level funding can vary widely by eligibility requirements and funding mechanisms. For example, institutions may limit the number of students who can receive the funding per year (despite eligibility), effectively creating a funding opportunity that is selective, or competitive, in nature. Others may require additional application procedures, like essays, or only be available to students studying specific majors. The seven opportunities we identified in New England reflect this diversity in design.
Connecticut
Connecticut has one institution with an institutional-level funding opportunity. The University of Connecticut offers the New Beginnings for Northeastern Tribal Students program. This two-year program through the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture (RHSA) provides eligible students with free tuition, room, and board as they pursue an Associate’s degree in Plant Science, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, or Animal Science. In addition, there are academic and co-curricular components to the program, including opportunities for mentorship, research, and internships. Students must apply to an RHSA major, complete demographic information, and state their interest to be considered. Identification as an Indigenous student is comprehensive as eligibility is not just limited to enrolled Tribal members.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has two institutions with current funding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
Lasell University has the Dubus Fellowship for Native & Indigenous Writers, which is selective in design. This opportunity is specifically for graduate students pursuing a Solstice Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The award provides a $1,500 tuition discount to one incoming student in their first semester with financial need determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applicant Indigeneity is self-identified based on essay responses describing their Tribal enrollment or affiliation.
Salem State University has committed to supporting Indigenous students in the future by offering the Indigenous Peoples’ Scholarship starting the fall 2026 semester. This scholarship will complement Massachusetts Indigenous state policy, as preference will be given to students who receive the state’s Native American Tuition Credit. According to the University announcement, “this scholarship is part of Salem State’s reconciliation process and an example of an initiative which focuses on reparations that welcome Indigenous people as members of our campus community.”
We find this statement interesting in light of the fact scholarship applicants are required to submit an essay response outlining their experiences as an Indigenous student and underrepresentation in education, adding to the administrative burden students experience navigating financial aid processes. This begs the question—is designing a program with extra application requirements truly in the spirit of reparations?
Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island offers two scholarships for Indigenous students. The Narragansett Scholarship covers full in-state tuition and fees for up to four years for students pursuing an undergraduate degree at the institution. Full-time students may also receive a grant up to $5,000. Besides being admitted to the institution, students must also file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year and show proof of tribal enrollment through a tribal enrollment identification card or an official letter from the tribal administration confirming membership through a direct family member (i.e., parents).
The Thompson Endowed Scholarship for Native Students is a selective funding opportunity awarded to an eligible student in good academic standing pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, or in the Environmental Science and Management program in the College of Environmental and Life Sciences. First preference is given to graduate students enrolled in the College of Nursing who are documented member of the Narragansett Tribe and show proof of community involvement within the Tribe.
Vermont
Vermont has two institutions providing current financial support to Indigenous students.
The University of Vermont has The UVM First Nations’ Scholarship, an award for undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest in shaping and working with Indigenous communities. Some examples of this include being an educator, health worker, providing service, etc. Students must re-apply each year they’d like to be considered.
The description of this funding opportunity stands out to us because at face value, the description does not indicate that this funding opportunity is only available to Indigenous students (as self-defined or based on Tribal enrollment or affiliation). Thus, this policy seems to be less restrictive. And, by requiring recipients to have interest in working with Indigenous communities, this funding opportunity seems to align well with the idea of education as Nation Building. This seems especially true given the University’s note that this scholarship is part of broader efforts of “fostering a holistic environment that supports Indigenous students on [the] UVM campus.”
The Vermont Law & Graduate School offers the First Nations Scholarship. This award covers full or partial tuition for new graduate and professional students pursuing a Master’s degree or Law degree who are also citizens of state and federally recognized Tribes. To be considered, students must apply and be admitted to a program at the institution and complete the scholarship application, which includes an essay component.
All in all, these 11 financial aid opportunities operate to support Indigenous students who choose to enroll in higher education in New England.
As Indigenous students make decisions regarding if college is a part of their life plans, financial aid can help them consider college as a viable option. As we describe the funding opportunities we’ve found available to Indigenous students, variation in program design (including eligibility requirements and funding mechanisms) becomes more obvious. We encourage state, system, and institutional leaders creating these programs to consider how effective program design and communication can simplify the college enrollment process for Indigenous students, rather than creating additional barriers (e.g., requiring additional application components and creating a sense of competition).
Call to action: Three ways you can support our project
As we await the release of our publicly available website tool for students, there’s three ways you can stay involved:
- Read more about our project methodology and overall findings here.
- Access our draft dataset of currently identified financial aid opportunities for Indigenous students. If you see a financial aid opportunity that is no longer active, or if you are aware of any opportunities we did not include in our list, please email us to let us know!
- Keep an eye out for future snapshots throughout the year. Share our posts with your networks, especially students who may be eligible for funding opportunities.
Please feel free to reach out to our project manager, Misti Jeffers (misti.jeffers@wisc.edu), if you have any questions on the project!
*Please note, as we continue to reach out to administrators directly to verify our understanding of these financial aid policies and programs, information described in this post may change prior to the release of the final dataset.