The role of Tribal Colleges and Universities in the improving Native American post-secondary education.

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in improving Native American post-secondary education in counties that Native Americans comprise 5 percent or more of the population, or that they have more than 500 Native Americans in their populations. This thesis presents evidence that increased access to TCUs, using distances to measure access, helps post-secondary education of Native Americans. As a community college, TCUs have both democratization and diversion effects, and the thesis indicates that democratization effects outweigh diversion effects.