UC System To Waive $2.4 Million In Tuition, Fees For Many Native American Students

By Madison Hirneisen | The Center Square, The Center Square California

(The Center Square) – Starting this fall, the University of California will fully cover the cost of in-state tuition and fees for state residents who are members of a federally recognized Native American, American Indian or Alaska Native tribe.

UC President Michael V. Drake told chancellors about the UC Native American Opportunity Plan last week. In a letter to UC chancellors, he said it would “expand student diversity” and “make the University of California more affordable and accessible for California’s Native American undergraduate and graduate students.”

"The cost of in-state tuition at the UC is about $13,100, and campus fees are around $1,400. The program is estimated to cost $2.4 million during the 2022-2023 academic year," according to Stett Holbrook, senior communications strategist of the UC Office of the President.

In his letter, Drake said the plan to cover tuition for members of federally recognized tribes will be covered by a “combination of existing State and University financial aid programs.”

“The University of California is committed to recognizing and acknowledging historical wrongs endured by Native Americans,” Drake wrote.

Around 0.5% of students enrolled in the UC system in Fall 2021 were American Indian, according to enrollment data. According to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 1.6% of California’s population are American Indian or Alaska Native.

California has more than 100 federally recognized tribes, though dozens more are not federally recognized. There are more than 55 tribes in California without federal status, representing about 80,000 individuals, according to the UCLA American Indian Studies Center. Under the UC system’s new program, only students who are part of federally recognized tribes would qualify for tuition coverage.

“UC is bound by state law, specifically Proposition 209, which prohibits the University of California from providing financial aid to students based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin,” Holbrook said in an email. “UC can provide financial aid to students based on their membership in federally recognized tribes because such membership is legally deemed a political classification, rather than a racial classification, due to the sovereign-to-sovereign relationship that the law recognizes between the federal government and federally recognized tribes.”

For students who are members of non-federally recognized tribes, Drake wrote that tuition scholarships “may be available through external organizations.” On Wednesday, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria announced a $2.5 million scholarship fund to provide tuition and fees for students from both non-federally recognized tribes and federally recognized tribes.

“California Native American students now have a clear path to the nation’s top public education system with no financial roadblocks,” Greg Sarris, FIGR tribal chairman, said in a statement.

Students who qualify for the UC Native American Opportunity Plan who are already enrolled in the UC system will be eligible for the funding, but Holbrook said the plan is not retroactive. "The program is estimated to benefit around 500 undergraduates and 150 graduate students," LAist reported.

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