I have Native American ancestry, but my grandfather never registered with the tribe. The only proof I have is a pedigree chart. Ami legally allowed to put “Native American” for race on college applications if I don’t have tribal membership?
You can put it down but it won’t mean much without tribal membership.
Live on reservation > tribal membership > NA ancestry
Can you “legally” put it down? Yes. Will a college consider it without tribal membership? Depends. And AFAIK, there is not comprehensive list of what colleges will consider it without a tribal membership number.
That said, there is no check box on the application that says “Check here if you are URM.” You list your race/ethnicity (if you choose) and the college will use that info as it sees fit. Each college, where not prohibited by law, will decide what is URM and also decide how much of a bump, if any, this will give an application.
Yes, but colleges’ policies vary on whether they treat “Native American with tribal enrollment” differently from “Native American without tribal enrollment”.
If you can trace your ancestry back to the Dawes Rolls, you may be able to apply to your tribe for membership. And while for some schools, it might be a hook, the vast majority will want to see that you have some connection to this culture.