Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs)

AASCU’s member ANNHs are vital institutions in their communities. They provide access to higher education for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students and foster student success through culturally tailored support that improves retention rates and increases degree attainment.

ANNHs play a critical role in serving our nation’s Indigenous populations.

As the Higher Education Act amendments of 1998 outline, public or private nonprofit institutions can apply for federal Alaska Native-Serving Institution or Native Hawaiian-Serving Institution designation and funding through Title III if the college or university meets specified enrollment and financial requirements. These funds can be used for various purposes, such as developing faculty and improving student support services and academic programs.

 

To be designated as an ANNH, an institution must have:
  • Undergraduate enrollment: Alaska Native-Serving Institutions must have at least 20% of their undergraduate enrollment be Alaska Native. Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions must have at least 10% of their undergraduate enrollment be Native Hawaiian.
  • Low-income student enrollment: The institution must enroll a high percentage of low-income students.
  • Accreditation: The institution must be accredited by a recognized accrediting body.
  • Public or Nonprofit status: The institution must be public or nonprofit, meaning it does not distribute its earnings to owners or shareholders.
  • Low expenditures: The institution must have low educational and general expenditures, meaning lower resources with which to serve students.

Meet AASCU’s ANNH members.

60%

of public four-year ANNHs are AASCU members

67%

of member ANNHs are also Rural-Serving Institutions (RSIs)

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Guam
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
Bahamas
Canada
Mexico

    AASCU’s Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions by the numbers

    AASCU’s ANNHs enroll more than 10,000 undergraduate students.

    71%

    of all undergraduate students at member ANNHs are people of color

    65%

    of undergraduate students at member ANNHs are women

    29%

    of undergraduate students at member ANNHs, on average, receive Pell Grants

    Top fields of study:

    34%

    Business and communications

    31%

    Social and behavioral sciences and human services

    10%

    STEM fields

    Data Sources & notes
    • AASCU analysis of IPEDS data and College Scorecard data.
    • The data presented on this page reflect AASCU’s institutional members. The institutional map includes AASCU’s institutional and associate member institutions.
    • Data reflect institutions that met the eligibility requirements to apply for federal designation and funding as an Alaska Native-Serving Institution or Native Hawaiian-Serving Institution in FY24.
    • The term “people of color” represents individuals who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and multiracial.
    • AASCU employs the framework and methodology developed by the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges to designate our member institutions as rural-serving institutions (RSI). As such, AASCU designates any member institution that has an RSI score above the average score as an RSI.
    • For a complete list of ANNHs, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Eligibility Matrices for Titles III and Title V Programs.

    Questions about ANNHs? Let us know.

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