You may notice that as you gain more and more experience searching the web for scholarships you develop a skill that allows you to sort through the scholarships that waste your time and focus on the scholarships that are worth your time. This is a skill that we have to use extensively when searching for scholarships for Native American women. However, in spite of all the scholarships that were a waste of time we did learn quite a few interesting truths about how a Native American woman can get a scholarship.
For example, one of the first things that you have to determine is what tribe you are a member of. There are currently over 500 different tribes recognized throughout the United States and you definitely have to know which one you are a part of if you plan on winning a scholarship. Unfortunately, just saying you are a part of one of the tribes isn’t enough (WE KNOW IT SUCKS!!). You have to be able to prove you are a part of a tribe. Have DNA ready so you can show that you are a Native American.
Not Part Of The Tribe :/
Don’t worry, if you aren’t a part of one of the recognized tribes you have a number of options. Just because you may not be able to apply for a specific amount of Native American scholarships doesn’t mean that you can’t apply for the rest of the scholarships that everyone else applies for. Here are a few great places to start:
- FAFSA- For students who want to sign up for financial aid.
- American Association of University Women- Basic site of scholarships created just for women.
- Our Site- We are an authority on all things about scholarships designed for women. Use us as a resource!
Popular Native American Scholarships
For those of you that are a part of a recognized tribe you have a lot of great scholarships to choose from. While many of these scholarships do require you to be a Native American there are a few that don’t require you to be a part of the recognized tribe. So, even if you are getting disheartened because you can’t prove you are a tribe member don’t give up because a scholarship below might hold the key to your future.
- American Indian College Fund- Pretty self explanatory site. Probably the most recognized college resource for Indians.
- American Indian Science And Engineering Scholarship Fund- For those of you who may be interested in a college scholarship dealing with science or engineering.