Frequently Asked Questions
About the Platform
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.
About the Platform Features
Yes! CollegeBound Journey™ allows you to search for colleges that offer Native-specific academic programs, student support services, and cultural resources. You can filter your search based on Tribal affiliation support, Indigenous language programs, Native student centers, Elder-In-Residence program, Native Living and Learning Communities, and more. Each college profile includes details about Native-focused opportunities so you can find schools that align with your identity, goals, and community values.
Most online searches for “Native American scholarships” return only a few general results. CollegeBound Journey™ offers access to over 750 scholarships and college financial opportunities specifically curated for Native American students.
What makes our platform unique is the ability to filter scholarships by enrollment status, descendancy, or self-identification, helping students find opportunities that truly match their identity and qualifications. We verify listings at least once a year and update the database as new opportunities emerge, ensuring that students and educators have access to the most accurate and current information available.
Whether you’re looking for Tribal scholarships, state tuition waivers, or Native-specific college programs, CollegeBound Journey™ connects you to meaningful and relevant financial support.
CollegeBound Journey™ features a wide range of pre-college and summer programs designed specifically for Native American students. These programs include:
Native college summer academies
University fly-in and bridge programs for Native students
Cultural immersion and language revitalization camps
STEM and health career exploration programs
College prep and leadership development workshops
Each listing includes details about eligibility, grade level, application deadlines, and whether the program is tuition-free, scholarship-supported, or travel-funded. Our goal is to help students explore college life, strengthen cultural identity, and build confidence—before they even graduate high school.
CollegeBound Journey™ provides a culturally responsive curriculum specifically designed to support Native American students in exploring college, career, and scholarship planning. The lessons can be used in individual, small group, or classroom settings, and are aligned with ASCA standards and college and career readiness frameworks.
Educators receive access to a wide range of downloadable and interactive resources, including:
Vision board and goal-setting activities using the Medicine Wheel
College search and reflection worksheets
Scholarship exploration and essay-writing tools
Major and career planning activities tied to Native community impact
This full curriculum is included for free with any bundled school or district subscription, making it easy for school counselors, Indian Education staff, and college access professionals to bring culturally grounded planning into their work with Native youth.
We’d love to hear from you! CollegeBound Journey™ was built in partnership with educators, Native communities, and students—and we’re always looking to grow with your input. If you have a resource suggestion, program listing, cultural activity, or idea for a new feature, please reach out!
You can email us at [email protected] or use the contact form on our website to share your ideas. We welcome collaboration and community-sourced knowledge to keep the platform responsive, relevant, and rooted in Indigenous values.
Technical Support & Troubleshooting
No worries! To reset your password, simply go to the CollegeBound Journey™ login page and click on “Lost your password?” below the login form. Enter the email address associated with your account, and you’ll receive a link to create a new password.
This process works for both students and admin users. If you don’t receive the reset email within a few minutes, be sure to check your spam or junk folder. Still having trouble? Contact us for support.
If you need technical assistance with logging in, navigating the platform, or using any features, we’re here to help! Please email us at [email protected] or complete our Contact Us form with a brief description of the issue you’re experiencing.
We aim to respond within 1–2 business days. Be sure to include your name, role (e.g., student, educator, or admin), and the email associated with your account so we can assist you more quickly.