PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to authorize an award program (“Program”) for non-resident students who are members of federally-recognized or state-recognized Native American Tribes. A student who qualifies and who cannot be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes, will be eligible for this award.

APPLICATION OF THIS POLICY

This policy applies to Eligible Students (as defined below) who enroll as non-resident, degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students who are members of Native American tribes that are officially recognized under federal law or under the laws of any state in the United States.

This policy does not apply to students enrolled in Continuing Education programs or other courses for which tuition is assessed without regard to residency, to Professional Veterinary Medicine students, to online students, or to any student who is not classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes in the semester for which the award is requested.

DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS POLICY

• Eligible Student means a full-time undergraduate or graduate, degree-seeking, non-resident student who establishes by evidence satisfactory to the University that the student is a registered member of a federally-recognized or state-recognized Native American Tribe. The student must be an admitted student enrolled in a full-time degree-seeking program on Colorado State University’s main campus for the fall or spring terms. CSU Online students are not eligible.

• Federally-Recognized Native American Tribe means: (i) any of those tribes designated by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as eligible to receive services from the agency; and (ii) any other tribe with whom the University has a valid agreement at the time of enrollment to the effect that the tribe’s members will qualify for the tuition rate authorized under this Policy.

• State-Recognized Native American Tribe means a tribe that is officially recognized under the laws or regulations of a state. Refer to the National Conference of State Legislatures list of Federal and State Recognized Tribes (see References, below).

POLICY STATEMENT

Colorado State University embraces the goal of supporting and creating diversity in our student body by recruiting Native American students. The objective of this policy is to recognize and promote the importance of our land grant institution to Native American tribes. CSU intends, through this policy, to join a number of institutions of higher education across the country who offer differential tuition more favorable than standard non-resident rates to Native Americans.

CSU currently participates in a multilateral compact with other western states, the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, which provides a reciprocal tuition benefit to students of member states. This policy is a natural extension of the philosophy underlying the University’s commitment to WUE, specifically as applied to potential students who identify with a Native American tribe. Undergraduate students who qualify for this program may not simultaneously receive WUE funds, nor the CSU President’s Scholarship, Provost’s Scholarship, or Dean’s Scholarship awards.

POLICY PROVISIONS

1. Pursuant to this policy, CSU will provide a Native American Legacy Award to  eligible students when first enrolling at CSU in an amount no less than the difference between the base nonresident and resident tuition costs at the time of the enrollment, and assuming full-time status. The amount of the award will be set by the University on an annual basis. For summer session and less than full-time enrollment, the amount will be prorated based on the number of credits taken. The award will be credited against the student’s tuition and is not payable in cash, nor will the student’s final tuition amount, including all scholarships, awards and stipends, be reduced below zero. (Note: students in this program will not be considered Colorado residents and are therefore ineligible for a Colorado Opportunity Fund stipend under existing Colorado law).

2. Graduate students who are non-residents are eligible for this award. The Graduate School offers a tuition premium to students with Graduate Research Assistantship, Graduate Teaching Assistantship, and Fellowship Grant Trainee appointments, to pay the non-resident portion of the student’s tuition for the first year of enrollment. Eligible students receiving such tuition premiums may receive this award only to the extent that it does not exceed the actual cost of tuition after the tuition premium is applied.

3. The Vice President for Enrollment & Access (VPEA), through the Office of Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office, will be responsible for working with the CSU Native American Cultural Center, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Vice President for Diversity (VPD) to identify those tribes that meet the requirements of this policy for its members to be eligible students each semester, and to establish the procedures, forms and requirements for applicants seeking to qualify for the tuition rate authorized herein.

4. The student is responsible for self-identifying as a member or citizen of a federally-recognized or state-recognized tribe and submitting supporting documentation prior to the last day of the academic term for which the award is requested. Awards will not be made retroactively for a prior term.

5. Students whose applications for the award are initially denied may be granted an award on appeal based on documentation presented by the student demonstrating direct, first level descendancy from an enrolled tribal member.

6. Students who are not enrolled in a tribe, and who do not have a parent enrolled in a tribe, may qualify if they demonstrate a blood quantum of one-half Native American ancestry. This quantum must not necessarily be of one tribe, but of all tribes combined, from recognized tribes under this policy. Typically, this is shown with evidence of parents’ certificates of Indian blood.

 REFERENCES

• National Conference of State Legislatures, list of Federal and State Recognized Tribes

APPROVALS

Approved on May 31, 2011 by Anthony A. Frank, President

Revision approved June 18, 2013 by Amy L. Parsons, Vice President for University Operations

Revision approved November 20, 2018 by Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations

Revision approved October 13, 2020 by Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations