CollegeBound Journey® is an online college and scholarship planning tool designed specifically for Native American students. It offers culturally grounded guidance to help students explore colleges, find scholarships, and plan for the future in ways that honor their identity, community, and goals.

The American Indian College Fund published an amazing paper on this very subject called Creating Visibility and Healthy Learning Environments for Native Americans in Higher Education. Some aspects that need to be considered include creating cultural, community spaces, embedding Native academic programming, providing Native student centers, designating living and learning communities, offering Native language courses and cultural activities, and many other considerations.  Financial aid, tuition waivers, and scholarship identification are also very important concepts.

Without acknowledging these types of cultural considerations, college counselors may inadvertently guide Native students towards inappropriate college choices, which can cause college dropout rates to increase.   Many of the cultural aspects listed above are not searchable on most college planning platforms.  This is why CollegeBound Journey™ is so essential.  We place culture in the forefront of college planning and not an aside.  Our college search, scholarship search, and pre-college /summer program search all revolve around culture considerations.

Current data shows that only 19% of Native American students continue on to any form of postsecondary education or training. One of our consultants, who has spent over two decades working with Native youth, shared a powerful story: a student used a well-known college search tool to find college programs in Dakota Language education—only to receive zero results. That moment sent a clear, disheartening message. Sadly, this experience is far too common among Native students.

CollegeBound Journey™ was created to change that narrative. As a tool of equity, it’s built specifically to reflect Native cultural values, priorities, and pathways. Our goal is to increase both matriculation and retention for Native students by offering a platform that honors who they are. If your school is truly committed to supporting Native American students in their college journey, CollegeBound Journey™ is not just helpful—it’s essential.

The internet can be a powerful tool—but only if the information is accurate and up to date. One widely circulated example is a Native American tuition waiver document that’s still floating around online, even though it’s more than a decade old. Since then, many colleges and states have expanded their tuition waiver programs for Native students, making the original document outdated and misleading.

This is where CollegeBound Journey™ stands apart. Our platform actively tracks and updates opportunities for Native students, ensuring schools and families have reliable, current information. Whether it’s new tuition waivers or evolving policies, we stay on top of the changes so you don’t have to.

The same goes for scholarships. A basic internet search for “Native American scholarships” might return 5–10 results. Our platform includes over 750 curated scholarships and college aid opportunities—and allows users to filter them by Tribal enrollment, descendancy, or self-identification. This level of specificity is rarely available elsewhere.

To maintain this accuracy, we verify all listings three times a year with colleges, scholarship providers, and pre-college/summer programs. That way, students and educators always have the most up-to-date tools for informed college planning.

Many Native American students do not self-identify on enrollment forms, and Tribal affiliation is not always captured in school data. It’s possible you have Native students who aren’t officially recognized or who choose not to share that part of their identity.

Even if your school currently serves a small or invisible Native population, being prepared with culturally responsive tools signals inclusion and readiness. CollegeBound Journey™ can help you proactively create a welcoming environment, build trust, and offer support if and when Native students are present—now or in the future. Plus, the culturally grounded content can benefit all students by broadening understanding, equity, and respect in college and career planning.

Even if your school currently serves a small or invisible Native population, being prepared with culturally responsive tools signals inclusion and readiness. CollegeBound Journey™ can help you proactively create a welcoming environment, build trust, and offer support if and when Native students are present—now or in the future. Plus, the culturally grounded content can benefit all students by broadening understanding, equity, and respect in college and career planning.

We agree—college and scholarship planning tools for Native students should be freely accessible, culturally relevant, and community-driven. That belief is what inspired the creation of CollegeBound Journey™.

However, providing a secure, up-to-date, and high-quality platform comes with ongoing costs. The subscription fee helps cover essential areas such as:

• Cloud-based storage for saved student data and custom searches

• IT and technical support to ensure a smooth user experience

• Website maintenance, development, and security updates

• Research and verification of all colleges, scholarships, and pre-college opportunities within our databases

• Onboarding and support for new schools, districts, and individual users

• Development of culturally responsive curriculum and educator resources

We are continually exploring grant partnerships and funding options to lower the cost for schools and families. Until then, your subscription ensures that Native students—and the educators who serve them—have access to a reliable, identity-affirming platform that evolves to meet community needs.