Welcome to a new world: experiences of American Indian tribal college and university transfer students at predominantly white institutions

Abstract

This study utilizes an Indigenous methodology and phenomenological methods to better understand the experiences of eight American Indian tribal college and university (TCU) students who transferred to four-year Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The participants attended TCUs and PWIs located in the Midwest, a geographic area that is understudied in analyses of American Indian college students, in contrast to the southwest or Great Plains. While many studies focus on the failure of American Indian college students, this study focuses on the attributes of successful American Indian college students. It specifically examines the relationship between the participants’ interaction and engagement with their campus and their successful transition to a PWI. Transferring from a predominantly American Indian institution, the participants showed a lack of interest in interacting with non-native faculty, staff, and students and faced ignorance and stereotypes not present at TCUs. This paper has important implications for future research, theory, and practice related to the successful transition of American Indian students from TCUs to PWIs.

Keywords:

• American Indian
• transfer students
• tribal college