According to the publisher, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the magazine’s rankings have come to be viewed as a valuable resource for students, counselors, and college recruiters.
Schools were selected from information provide by the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database, with an emphasis on enrollment statistics and graduation rates.
“We looked for colleges that have a solid American Indian support community; we focused on those that graduate a good percentage of their Native undergraduates. These two parameters—the Native Community and graduation rates—were the major criteria for selection,” the publishers wrote.
The list reflects the demographics of the American Indian population, and features schools from the American Southwest, Northwest, Great Lakes, California, and Oklahoma. The list also focuses on schools with at least 40 American Indian undergraduates, or at least 2 percent population and those that award 10 or more baccalaureate degrees per year to Native students.
Winds of Change magazine is viewable online.