PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

The mission of College Horizons is to encourage and facilitate the higher education of Native American young people. To be eligible for College Horizons, each student must meet the following requirements:

• Be an enrolled citizen member of a federally recognized or state recognized American Indian tribe¹, Alaska Native group², or Native Hawaiian³.
• Be a current sophomore (class of 2027) or junior (class of 2026) in high school.
• Have a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA (in core academic courses, not electives).
• Be a U.S. Citizen and currently reside in the United States.
• Submit a completed application by the priority deadline.

¹Indian tribes are sovereign and set their own rules regarding tribal enrollment and membership. To find out what requirements a specific tribe has, contact the tribe’s main office or tribal enrollment office.

²Includes a member of a federally recognized Alaska Native Tribe, an original Alaska Native Corporation settlement Act (ANCSA) enrollee, or a person issued stock from an ANCSA Regional Corporation.

³Documentation from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will be accepted.

TRIBAL & NATIVE DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible, each student must be an enrolled citizen member of an American Indian tribe, Alaska Native group, or Native Hawaiian AND provide appropriate documentation supporting tribal enrollment.

Provide documentation such as one of the following:

• An enrollment or membership document from a federally or state recognized tribe or the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).  We may also accept a Certification of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) issued by the BIA or a tribe, only if the CDIB includes tribal enrollment information. A tribal membership document must be on tribal letterhead or be an enrollment/membership card that contains the tribal seal and/or an official signature.
• A document issued by an Alaska Native village/tribe or an Alaska Native Corporation Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional or village corporation acknowledging membership or shareholder status; or a CDIB issued by the BIA or tribe, if the CDIB includes ANCSA shareholder status or information regarding membership in an Alaska Native village.  An Alaska Native village/tribe or ANCSA document must be on official letterhead or be an enrollment/membership card that contains the tribal or ANCSA seal and/or an official signature.
• A document issued by the Hawaiian Registry Program, a branch of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), or a Hawaiian Registry Card issued in accordance with OHA’s verification procedures. Documentation from the Ho’oulu Hawaiian Data Center will be also accepted.

CH will NOT accept a birth certificate for a student, parent, or grandparent as proof of tribal enrollment. CH reserves the right to verify a tribe’s federal recognition status based on the annual list published by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Federal Register, as specified in the Federally Recognized Tribes List Act. Further, CH reserves the right to verify a tribe’s state recognition status based on the state’s list of recognized tribes, if available, or through any information made available by the state which confirms that the tribe is recognized by the state’s governmental process for tribal recognition.

APPLICATION TIMELINE:

November 1, 2024 | CH 2025 Student Application Opens

December 23, 2024 | College Horizons Office Closure Begins *Winter Break*

January 2, 2025 | College Horizons Office Re-Opens

January 29, 2025 | CH 2025 Student Application Deadline

February 2025 | CH Team reviews completed applications

March 2025 | Admission decisions announced. All applicants will be notified of their status via email.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS:

1. CH Student Application
   Includes Short Answer Questions, Personal Reflection Essay, ACT/SAT Results (if any), and Unofficial Transcript Upload.
2. Tribal Enrollment & Hawaiian Documentation Upload
3. Teacher Recommendation Form
   Students are responsible for inviting their Teachers to this form.
4. Counselor Form & Official Transcript Upload
   Students are responsible for inviting their Counselors to this form.
5. Parent/Guardian Form
   Students are responsible for inviting their Parent/Guardian to this form.

PROGRAM COST:

The only cost to participate in College Horizons is the round-trip airfare to the program. Families are responsible to pay for the cost of travel which can include baggage fees, airline ticket, and food/snacks while traveling. To be considered for airfare financial assistance, parents/guardians must complete the financial section in the Parent/Guardian Form and submit recent tax returns. Students will book their airline tickets with the CH-designated travel agent.

TRAVEL AID

CH offers financial assistance for round-trip airfare for families who qualify for need-based aid. In this context, financial assistance refers specifically to airfare support provided to a student to facilitate participation in or access to CH’s Program. This support is entirely based on need and does not constitute a monetary benefit, nor does it require any specific action or contribution from the student or their family to be received. If granted, this support is provided without any expectation of further action from the student.