ABSTRACT
Virtually all of the Native American colleges and three-fourths of the mainstream colleges with Native American programs are in the western half of the United States. Of the tribal colleges, two-thirds of them are in the northern plains states, mostly in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. With the advent of such a wealth of institutions serving Native American higher education, much of the current focus has shifted back toward the individual students. Much of the difficulty experienced by Native American college students seems to be traceable to cultural causes of two types. The first is the generally unsupportive situation in which such students find themselves. They tend to come from high schools that themselves are poorly funded, lacking special programs and support services. The second cultural basis for Native American college difficulties is much more deeply ingrained. It stems not from the lack of collegiate experience in the Native American community, but from the Native American cultural heritage itself.
