Native American Heritage and Admission

Hello everyone,

I am Native American as well as white. I am not enrolled, but I know my tribal affiliation that relates to my family and heritage. Since I am not enrolled, will colleges dismiss my URM status? Being Native has played a major role in my life and I am culturally connected to my tribe. I have participated in many tribal events and plan to demonstrate how my heritage has played an instrumental role in my life. Will colleges ask me to provide tribal enrollment or prove my ethnicity?

I plan on applying to UNC, UVA, and Vanderbilt. I have a 4.15 GPA and a 34 ACT as well as many extra curriculars that boost my application. Do I have a shot at these schools?

Thanks! (any information helps…i am confused and worried!)

Whether tribal enrollment when applying to a given college matters (i.e. “NA with tribal enrollment” versus “NA without tribal enrollment”) depends on the college.

Usually enrollment is required for scholarships that are specifically for Native Americans. If you want to be considered for a scholarship like that, it might be worth the trouble to find out if you can enroll.

Your participation probably shows up already in your lists of activities and perhaps in your essays. All of us are allowed to check whatever boxes in the race & ethnicity lists as we feel like (some, all, even none), so check the box(es).

For details on college/university specific policies, it really, truly is OK for you to contact the institutions and ask.

I recommend enrolling and see if the tribe can help expedite your enrollment.

Some state colleges have free tuition for NA tribal members who reside in the state. You should apply to the big Ivy’s as well, high stat NA are extremely rare and have a high probability of admission.

What is your unweighted GPA?

3.96 with many honors, 2 AP this year, plan to take 2-3 APs
next year

To answer your question “Will colleges ask me to provide tribal enrollment or prove my ethnicity?” My daughter did have schools request copies of both her Certificate Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) and her tribal enrollment card once they received her application.

Is your tribe federally recognized? Many scholarships require the CDIB or other official documentation to prove eligibility; some also require a minimum degree of Native blood.

Does your Native parent(s) have their cards? If so, the process to get yours could be easy, but it really depends on your Nation’s rules. I highly recommend that you get your cards if possible, especially before you begin the application process.

My parents are actually not enrolled. Only my great grandmother was enrolled, but the traditions and culture still remain active in our daily lives. We are eligible. However, after researching it was tough to gather the necessary documentation due to loss of paperwork and certificates. Might I ask which schools your daughter required this information?

Please respond I’m interested!

I also encourage you to enroll if possible. I had to track down the birth certificates and/ or death certificates for my childrens’ native ancestors back to the original enrollee. It took a while but was worth it for so many reasons. If you can get enrolled I would also suggest reaching higher.

@student23423524 I asked my daughter if she could remember which schools in particular requested it, but she doesn’t recall which school asked first. After that initial request, she proactively sent it to the others too. That list includes Georgetown, American, U of Washington, Columbia, and UChicago. She is currently in her second year at UChicago.

Is yours one of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, or Seminole)? If so, with an enrolled great-grandmother, it could be doable to complete the link down to you. Tedious, but not impossible.

Thank you so much for the information! My tribe is actually not one of the five civilized tribes, but I am going to work to connect it back to me!

@student23423524 Best of luck to you on getting your enrollment cards as well as on college applications! If I can be of any help, or if you have any questions, please feel free to send me a PM. I’d also be glad to share my daughter’s experiences on campus so far.