"Only some American Indians in Michigan will qualify for a college tuition waiver this fall.

Until this month, any Native American student could waive tuition at public universities if they met certain conditions. Now, the state has limited the program to tribes and upset others.

In exchange for land used to build an American Indian boarding school in Mount Pleasant, Mich. tribes made an agreement with the federal government that ensured the education of its future generations.

As a precaution, the state worked with tribes through a series of meetings to secure the waiver. The Michigan Intertribal Council and the state decided to limit it only to tribes recognized by the federal government. It will be up to the individual schools how they will enforce the change, he says.

There are two tribes in Michigan recognized by the state but not by the federal government - the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians based in Brutus, Mich. and the Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians, headquartered in Grand Rapids. Both have been seeking recognition from the federal government.

Students from those tribes are now excluded from using the tuition waiver. The number of students who will be affected by this change are not yet known."

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Some American Indians No Longer Qualify For Michigan's Tuition Waiver (IPR 7/29)