²ÊÃñ±¦µä

Enrollment, Retention & Graduation

• The six-year graduation rate for Native American, Indigenous and Alaska Native undergraduate students who enrolled at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä in fall 2017 and graduated in 2023 or earlier was 63%, a total of 107 students.
• Of the 132 Native American, Indigenous and Alaska Native students who enrolled at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä in 2022 – 85% returned to campus for their second year of college.
• Of the 7,546 first-year undergraduate students enrolled at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä in fall 2023 – 1.5%, or a total of 110 students, were Native American, Indigenous and Alaska Native students.
• In 2022, enrollment for incoming, first-year Native American and Indigenous students was 1.9%, a total of 134 students, which is an increase from the 1.2%, or 79 first-year students who enrolled in 2021.
• The enrollment increase in 2022 is attributed to the adoption of the Colorado American Indian Tribes In-State Tuition Act.
• Signed into law on June 28, 2021, the Colorado American Indian Tribes In-State Tuition Act enables registered members of federally recognized tribes with historical ties to Colorado to apply for in-state tuition rates based on a new residency exception.

Find more information about the Fall 2023 Census and other student data on the Office of Data Analytics website.

Financial Aid & Affordability

• ²ÊÃñ±¦µä disbursed more than $183 million in financial aid to 12,339 resident undergraduate students in 2022-23, including 151 Native American or Indigenous students.
• ²ÊÃñ±¦µä disbursed $157 million in financial aid awards to 6,982 nonresident undergraduate students in 2022-23, including 109 Native American or Indigenous students.
• ²ÊÃñ±¦µä offers in-state tuition to resident and nonresident students who are members of one of the 48 tribes with historical and present ties to Colorado.
• The Southern Ute tribe and the federal Department of Education revived a partnership in 2023 that will fund annual tuition and mandatory fees for up to four Southern Ute students starting in the fall of 2023. Under the agreement, ²ÊÃñ±¦µä will cover tuition and fees for some future students.
• A limited number of Native American and Indigenous scholarships are available to academically promising, new first-year students who are members of federally recognized tribes.
• The is awarded to undergraduate students with a preference given to members of federally recognized Native American and Indigenous tribes.

Find more information about scholarships, grants, work-study and other financial aid on the websites of the Office of Financial Aid and the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.

Precollege Support

The ²ÊÃñ±¦µä Office of Precollege Outreach and Engagement supported 4,247 Colorado middle and high school students between 2017 and 2022, introducing them to academic communities and practices that will help them succeed at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä or at another academic institution in Colorado or beyond.

• CU Upward Bound, the only program of its kind nationwide, supported 250 high school students from Native American/Indigenous communities in Colorado and in four surrounding states between 2017 and 2022; 98% identified as first-generation students and 100% identified as Native American and Indigenous.
• Precollegiate Development supported 1,850 Denver-area middle and high school students between 2017 and 2022, and 2% identified as Native American and Indigenous.
• Precollege Bridge program supported 127 Colorado students who participated in a precollege program and chose to attend ²ÊÃñ±¦µä between 2017 and 2022, and 3% identified as Native American and Indigenous.

Find more information about precollege programming on the Office of Precollege Outreach and Engagement website.

Academic Support, Affinity & Belonging

• The Center for Inclusion and Social Change supports Native American and Indigenous students; in 2018-19, a total of 31 students visited the center.
• The Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies or CNAIS provides first-generation and other Native American and Indigenous students and faculty an intellectual and social home at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä. The center promotes collaborative research that focuses on local and global Indigenous knowledge and fosters wide-ranging projects.
• The Oyate Native American and Indigenous Student Organization serves as a support center, offering a communal atmosphere where students can come together to share their unique cultures, backgrounds and traditions.

Find more information about building community and a sense of belonging among students on the websites of Student Affairs, CNAIS and the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.