Arizona policy change benefits Navajo students

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – Navajo Nation students who live in New Mexico or Utah stand to benefit from a policy change approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.

Under the policy change, Native American students who are enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe whose reservation lies entirely or partially in Arizona will be eligible for in-state tuition rates at Arizona’s three state universities.

The Navajo Reservation is located in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah. The change takes effect in the spring semester, The Daily Times reported.

Non-resident students attending Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona pay tuition rates that are higher than the rates paid by state residents.

Regents hope that the change will encourage Native American students attending colleges outside of Arizona to return to the state.

Rose Graham, director of the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance, said the revised policy expands higher education opportunities for Navajo students.

Graham said it also helps students who live on the reservation but who have off-reservation mailing addresses because their reservation communities lack post offices.

Under the former policy, those students would have to provide proof of residence on tribal lands, triggering a long, drawn out appeal process in order to qualify for state tuition, Graham said.

“College officials were not fully aware of the situations faced by students living on the Navajo Nation,” she said.

John R. Lewis, executive director of the Intertribal Council of Arizona, said the change will help strengthen efforts for workforce development and diversity.

The Board of Regents said the policy revision is not retroactive to previous semesters.