Indian Country Today names UMaine one nation’s best universities for Native students

The University of Maine was named one of the country’s best universities for Native students by Indian Country Today Media Network. UMaine was one of five institutions to be included in the publication’s annual national listing of colleges and universities that offer support and scholarships for Native students. UMaine offers tuition waivers for Native students who are residents, or who establish residency by living in the state for at least one year, according to the article. The program “provides Native college students an opportunity to acquire a quality education in one of the United States’ most beautiful states. And UMaine offers some great degrees, such as forestry,” the article states. John Bear Mitchell, Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator at UMaine and University of Maine System Native American Waiver Coordinator, estimated that in the 14 years he has managed the tuition waiver program, about 800 students have participated. “This past year, students from 23 tribes were in the program,” he said, adding they came from as far away as Alaska and California.