These institutions were founded on the premise of accessible education, but how accessible are they to Indigenous students?
February 11, 2026 by Durriya Ahmed, Brianna Huynh, Paulina Fraser 
Land-grant universities were established to expand access to affordable higher education, yet Indigenous students — whose lands made these institutions possible — remain the most underrepresented and underserved population in higher education.
Today, Indigenous students have the lowest college enrollment and completion rates of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. In 2021, only 25.4% of Indigenous students were enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, compared to 65% of Asian students, 42.9% of white students, 35.9% of Black students, and 34.4% of Latino students. These disparities stem from long-standing structural inequities, including underfunded K-12 schools, economic hardship, limited access to college-preparatory resources, and cultural identity issues, including resistance to assimilation. Current political challenges — including attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — threaten to further restrict access to student aid and exacerbate inequities in higher education.
Education is a treaty-guaranteed and sovereign right for Indigenous peoples, yet many Native students continue to face financial, institutional, and cultural barriers to enrollment, persistence, and degree completion.
For this brief, our team conducted a landscape analysis of the student population at land-grant institutions within the University of California (UC) system to examine how accessible and supportive these institutions are for Indigenous students.
To capture a fuller picture of the value of attending land-grant institutions for Indigenous students, we used a mixed-methods approach, assessing patterns in costs, earnings, and demographic representation at land-grant institutions nationwide. We used data from EdTrust’s “‘Segregation Forever’?” report and debt-to-earnings (DTE) ratios from the College Scorecard to assess whether their founding values of access and affordability are reflected in the outcomes students experience today. The brief includes a dashboard that compares the student demographics of an institution to those of its home state. We also interviewed six Indigenous students from the University of California (UC) system about their experiences.
While the UC system has student debt levels below the threshold associated with unmanageable repayment, affordability doesn’t equate to equitable access. Indigenous students represent just 0.6% of UC enrollment, highlighting persistent underrepresentation.
Student interviews reveal that campus climate plays a crucial role in shaping Indigenous students’ sense of belonging, well-being, and academic success. Participants described feelings of isolation, limited visibility of Indigenous culture, a lack of Indigenous faculty, and experiences of racial insensitivity in classrooms. Institutional support was often perceived as insufficient, with students relying heavily on peer networks and underfunded cultural organizations rather than university systems. Many students also expressed concerns about workforce preparedness and the economic value of a bachelor’s degree, questioning the return on investment amid rising costs and uncertain labor market outcomes.
Taken together, the findings suggest that land-grant institutions are not fully delivering on their mission of access, equity, and economic mobility for Indigenous students. Enrollment alone is an insufficient measure of success; meaningful equity requires culturally responsive support, inclusive policies, and institutional accountability.
The brief offers actionable recommendations for federal, state, and institutional leaders. These include:
Coordinated policy action is essential to honor tribal sovereignty, address historical injustices, and ensure that land-grant universities fulfill their public mission for Indigenous students today and in the future.
The authors are: Durriya Ahmed, 2024-2025 Higher Ed Research Intern, Brianna Huynh, 2024-2025 Higher Ed Research Intern and 2025-2026 Nichols Fellow, and Paulina Fraser, 2024-2025 Nichols Fellow
Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library
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