Indian young people have little or no difficulty gaining admission to the college or university of their choice. They tend to enroll immediately after they graduate from high school, drop out for a year or two, and then return to their undergraduate studies. Education and social work are their most common majors. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is their greatest source of financial help
These are some of the findings of a recent survey of characteristics and opinions of some 13,000 Indian college students who receive scholastic grants through the Bureau is program of higher education assistance, Marvin L. Franklin, Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, announced today.
"Of the almost 3,000 students included in the survey’s random sample, 92 percent reported that they had no difficulties in gaining admission to college," he said.
The survey also showed the group to be about evenly divided between men and W0men and probably somewhat older than most college groups. Almost a quarter were 26 years old or older. More than 28 percent reported that their college studies had been interrupted by a period of time in which they were out of school, Franklin indicated. There were substantially more 19 year-old students than 20 year olds. English is the second language of more than a quarter of the students.
A large percentage of the parents of the student had received comparatively little education, and the earnings of many of them are in the lower' brackets. Only 7 percent of the parents are college graduates, and 42 percent did not complete high school --including a significant 10 percent who had received no formal schooling.
"But more than three-quarters of the students said that encouragement from their parents was a strong motivating factor for their entering college, the Interior official pointed out.
Three-quarters of the students reported they had received no financial support from their parents and 55 percent reported receiving $300 or less per semester from all sources other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most of the BIA grants (76 percent) were in the range of $301 to $2,000 per semester, with the median being about $700. Thirty percent of the students had dependent children.
Poor study habits, lack of high school preparation, lack of motivation, and lack of money were cited as the students' biggest problems. Skill acquisition association with other people, and a sense of fulfillment were the most enjoyable aspects of college life.
Mathematics was named the least interesting subject field, social sciences the most interesting.
The students generally gave the BIA agencies and area offices "good marks" on the handling of the grant program.
Forty-four percent said their grants were handled very efficiently and 38 percent responded "satisfactory." Only 8 percent consider the program administration unsatisfactory, and another 10 percent noted it needs improvement.
The survey was made by the Division of Evaluation and Program Review in the Bureau's Office of Indian Education.
