Jun 11, 2024 | By: Lakeland News
Red Lake Nation College Opens New Location in Minneapolis
Red Lake Nation College has opened a new campus in downtown Minneapolis.
With 44% of the state’s American Indian population living in the Twin Cities, Red Lake Nation wanted to provide a space for Indigenous students. The new location across the street from U.S. Bank Stadium opened last Thursday.
The two-year tribal college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a pathway to four-year universities. The curriculum is grounded in Ojibwe language and culture.
College president Dan King says about 80% of students are first-generation, and 73% of the faculty are Native.
“[We are] the first tribal college to be located in an urban setting in the U.S. And the reason we’re the first is because it’s really hard to do,” said King during the location’s grand opening celebration. “There’s a lot of difficult things going on in the world, but when they come into this space, we want it to be a cocoon of safety.”
Red Lake Nation College offers only grants, not loans. They say almost all students graduate with zero debt.