Student Resources

The University of Minnesota offers academic, social, and emotional support for Native American students. Whether you need assistance with scholarships, academic resources, or counseling services, the University of Minnesota offers support throughout our system.

Centers and Supports

American Indian Learning Resource Center, Duluth Campus

The American Indian Learning Resource Center (AILRC) exists to enrich the cultural, academic, supportive, and social environment of the U of M Duluth campus. AILRC’s mission is to increase the recruitment and retention of American Indian and Alaskan Native students, while promoting a more culturally diverse campus environment. Working in conjunction with UMD staff, the AILRC provides supportive services to empower and aid in the success of our students and to enhance their educational experience.

Circle of Indigenous Nations, Twin Cities Campus

The Circle of Indigenous Nations (COIN) is a student support office that advances and advocates for the needs of American Indian/Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. COIN offers a range of specialized services, programs, events, and resources to assist students throughout their journey at the University.

Native American Student Success, Morris Campus

The Native American Student Success (NASS) program is focused on serving Native American students at University of Minnesota Morris. NASS supports students in their academic, social, and cultural development. NASS creates a home-away-from-home environment for students and provides a community that will support them from their first year of college to their graduation. 

Academic Programs

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Duluth Campus

American Indian Studies Department 

The American Indian Studies Department is an academic department continuing a robust four-decade legacy in which active scholars serve to educate students, colleagues, and the public about Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous cultures, and the historical and contemporary experiences of Native peoples and nations. In addition to building strong relationships with Tribes in our geographic area, we work to fulfill our responsibility to all Native nations through consultation, partnerships, and research. 

Degrees offered:

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Minor in American Indian Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Master's degree in Tribal Administration and Governance
  • Master of Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship

Graduate Certificates offered:

  • Tribal Sovereignty and Federal Indian Law 
  • Tribal Administration and Leadership 
  • Indigenous Environmental Systems and Resource Management 
  • Tribal National Resource Stewardship, Economics, and Law 

UMD Department of Social Work

The U of M Duluth Department of Social Work programs prioritize social justice and culturally responsive practices, equipping graduates with versatile skills for various settings. The UMD Department of Social Work integrates Indigenous perspectives into our curriculum, focusing on social work practice with American Indians. The department houses The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies (CRTCWS), a nationally recognized leader in enhancing American Indian child welfare practice. 

Programs offered: 

  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) 
  • Master of Social Work (MSW)

Morris Campus

Native American & Indigenous Studies

This major and minor deepen students’ knowledge of sovereignty and the diversity of Indigenous cultures throughout all of Native North America. Students engage with and learn Native American histories, cultures, literatures, languages, arts, sciences, and expressive cultures. Students are active learners within a growing and vibrant intertribal campus community. 

Anishinaabe Language Instruction

Anishinaabemowin and Native American Song and Dance are taught by a first speaker and world-renowned cultural expert, singer, and dancer.

Dakota Language Instruction

Dakota Iapi courses have been reintroduced at Morris in a growing program provided in partnership with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Twin Cities Campus

Department of American Indian Studies

The Department of American Indian Studies in the College of Liberal Arts offers a BA in American Indian Studies, a BA in Ojibwe Language, a minor in American Indian Studies, and various courses, including Dakota and Ojibwe languages. The Department of American Indian Studies' oldest and continuing strengths are courses in Dakota and Ojibwe language, culture, and history. 

American Indian Cultural House

The American Indian Cultural House is a coed residence hall community on the East Bank, available to incoming first-year undergraduate students who identify as Native and/or Indigenous to participate in a strategically designed program that supports students through their transition into the University of Minnesota. This unique program offers participants various resources and opportunities for building and sustaining a strong community with their Indigenous peers in a cohort model, as well as navigating their academic, personal, cultural, professional, and intellectual journeys. 

American Indian Public Health and Wellness Certificate Program

The American Indian Public Health and Wellness (AIPHW) certificate program in the U of M School of Public Health is designed to provide a succinct body of knowledge necessary for a specific focus that targets the unique, highly complex realm of the current 574 Federally Recognized Tribes, 74 State-recognized Tribes, and 34 federally funded Urban Indian environments for public health and wellness educational opportunities. 

Graduate Minor in American Indian Health and Wellness

Learn more about the American Indian Public Health and Wellness Minor program in the U of M School of Public Health.

Undergraduate Certificate in Dakota Language Teaching

The Daḳota Iapi Uƞspewic̣akiyapi Teaching Certificate in the College of Liberal Arts is designed to address the critical point of Dakota language loss in Minnesota by developing a cadre of Dakota language learners, speakers, and teachers. This effort is part of a global Indigenous language revitalization movement based on the understanding that language is fundamental to cultural survival and tribal sovereignty. 

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Scholarships

Scholarships and other financial aid opportunities are available for Native American students within and outside of the University of Minnesota. Learn about scholarships and other financial aid opportunities