There are 32 accredited tribal colleges and at least five non-accredited schools offering associate, bachelor’s and even some master’s degrees. Tribal college advocates say that the schools give opportunities to students in sprawling geographically isolated Native communities and that their mission is broader than producing degrees. Many offer language classes to all those living on reservations to help prevent Native languages from going extinct; they also work with local businesses, and attempt to address social problems on the reservation.

But in spite of getting more than $100 million a year in federal funding — including grants low-income students use to pay tuition — tribal colleges often have abysmal success rates. The average percentage of students who earn four-year degrees in even six years, and two-year degrees in three at these schools, is only 20 percent, according to a Hechinger Report analysis of federal graduation data — one third the national average and half the rate of Native students at non-tribal schools. These statistics only include first-time, full-time students, but at some tribal colleges, fewer than one in 10 of them ever finishes.

“There’s not a lot of value for the student or for the tribes or the economies where they are,” says Tom Burnett, a former Montana state senator who has been critical of tribal colleges.

The schools, which largely allow anyone to attend, say their poor outcomes are in large part due to the many shortcomings with which their students arrive, including poor preparation in primary and secondary schools. Less than 70% of Native students graduate from high school, according to research by the U.S. Department of Education.