Sources of Money 42: Association for American Indians Affairs & Others

Tuesdays we review a source of financial aid to help you pay for college

Katy, a Navaho Indian, studied for a masters degree. She worked at a local hospital who helped pay for school with an educational reimbursement. She also received a scholarship each semester as a native American. The amount she received from the Navajo Nation paid for approximately half of her tuition. She worked hard to maintain grades required by her scholarship. She received an academic commendation as one of the 5 highest GPAs in the master’s program.

Characteristics of the Financial Aid for Native Americans

The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) offers multiple scholarships from its web site (http://www.indian-affairs.org/scholarships/general_information.htm). The site explains

“All regular scholarships are for graduate and undergraduate students from federally recognized tribes except for the Allogan Slagle Memorial Scholarship and David Risling Emergency Aid Scholarship. Some of these scholarships are curriculum specific. Students from federally recognized tribes are not eligible for the Allogan Slagle Memorial Scholarship.

Applicants enrolled in non-recognized tribes are eligible for the Allogan Slagle Scholarship only. This scholarship is open to graduate and undergraduate students in any curriculum.”

The AAIA lists the following as eligibility requirements:

• “Applicants must be Native American from continental US tribes or Alaska Native
• All applicants must be enrolled in their tribe. A copy of tribal enrollment is required
• There is no minimum blood quantum requirement for eligibility
• Applicants must be enrolled as full time students for both fall and spring semester
• Students must have a minimum need of $750 both fall and spring semester to be eligible
• Students must be seeking an Associates Degree or higher. (Sorry, we do not fund certificate programs or seminary)
• Students must be attending an accredited school. ‘See FAQ's for more info’”

Disadvantages of Financial Aid for Native Americans

The obvious disadvantage is that their financial aid focuses exclusively on Native Americans or American Indians. The web site, like many others these days, ceases to provide detail information about the scholarships after the deadlines pass.

Thursday we answer questions about a few new reusable materials to use for scholarships

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.