The nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) could face crippling federal budget cuts under the Trump Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, prompting Native education leaders to warn that some institutions may be forced to shut down entirely.
The American Indian College Fund said it shares the concerns of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) over the Department of the Interior’s proposal to eliminate all dedicated TCU funding for the second year in a row.
Native education advocates argue the proposed cuts directly conflict with the administration’s stated priorities to support rural America and expand access to higher education.
Tribal colleges and universities provide higher education, workforce training, and economic development opportunities in some of the nation’s most rural and underserved communities. According to College Fund data, TCU students see an average annual return of 27.2% on their education investment, while more than 74% of graduates stay and work in their communities.
The economic impact is substantial. According to the AIHEC National TCU Economic Impact Study Report, TCUs generated $3.8 billion in economic growth during fiscal year 2022-2023 and supported more than 40,700 jobs nationwide across sectors including healthcare, government, retail, and professional services.
The report also found that every federal dollar invested in TCUs returns $1.60 in tax revenue.
Despite those contributions, tribal higher education leaders say the Department of the Interior continues to fall short in supporting Native-serving institutions.
“The College Fund and AIHEC believe eliminating TCU funding does not represent meaningful federal savings; it merely removes a relatively small investment that delivers outsized economic and community impact,” the organizations said.
The organizations also contend that continued underinvestment undermines the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to Native nations and Native people.
The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would eliminate or sharply reduce funding for all TCUs, including tribally chartered colleges, the two Bureau of Indian Education institutions — Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute — and the Institute of American Indian Arts, which became a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization in 1986 and functions similarly to the Smithsonian Institution.
Most TCUs are located on or near reservations in rural communities where access to higher education opportunities is limited.
Ahniwake Rose, president of AIHEC, told the Associated Press the proposed cuts would have immediate consequences.
“If this budget was to pass, our TCUs would be forced to close within a year,” Rose said.
Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said TCUs remain vital to Native communities and future generations.
“We cannot allow TCUs to disappear. They are lifelines of learning for entire generations, providing place and culturally based learning in Indian Country and surrounding rural communities that propels students to succeed, graduate, and lead,” Crazy Bull said.
“Rural and Native communities are unlike those in other areas, and the education TCUs offer is perfectly tailored for the career and service needs of their communities,” she added.
Both organizations said consistent and robust federal funding across agencies is essential to ensure tribal students and communities are not left behind.
“To advance opportunity in rural America, TCUs must be treated as a central investment priority in the President’s Budget,” the organizations said.
In addition to proposed cuts targeting tribal colleges and universities, the Trump Administration’s budget proposal would also reduce billions of dollars from programs that fulfill federal trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations.
