Northwest Indian College

Northwest Indian College (Xwlemi Elh>Tal>Nexw Squl<ref name="2017Catalog">2017–2019 College Catalog</ref>) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Bellingham, Washington, United States. It was established by the Lummi Nation and is the only accredited tribal college or university serving reservation communities of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.<ref name=AIHEC>American Indian Higher Education Consortium Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="tcj">Template:Cite journal</ref>

History

NWIC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians, particularly geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level.<ref name=AIHEC/>

The institution began in 1973 as the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, which was established to provide local technicians for employment in Indian-owned and operated fish and shellfish hatcheries in the United States and Canada. In 1983, the Lummi Nation chartered the Lummi Community College to fulfill the need for a more comprehensive post-secondary education for tribal members.<ref name="OurStory">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Lummi Community College campaigned for accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in 1988.<ref name="tcj"/> The commission affirmed accreditation in 1993, and Lummi Community College became Northwest Indian College.<ref name="OurStory"/> One year later, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Years of program expansion and dedication resulted in the college gaining accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as a four-year, baccalaureate degree-granting institution, effective September 2008.<ref name="tcj"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2025, NWIC announced the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Lexie Tom as the first-ever Lummi Nation Tribal Member and NWIC alumna to serve as President. Tom previously served as Interim President and the Education Director of Lummi Nation School prior to that.

Previously, Dr. Justin Guillory (Nez Perce Tribe), served as President from 2012-2024 and moved on to become President at Whatcom Community College.

Academics

NWIC offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Arts and Sciences, Associate of Science (Transfer), Associate of Applied Science (Transfer), and Associate of Technical Arts degrees.<ref name="Programs">Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2011, it was one of seven tribal colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree related to tribal administration.<ref name="Ronquillo">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The college is an open enrollment school, meaning no SAT or ACT scores are needed to apply.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Campus

Buildings on the NWIC Lummi campus

Northwest Indian College is an accredited four-year college located on the Lummi Indian Reservation in Washington state, near the city of Bellingham. In addition the NWIC's main campus in Lummi, the college has five sites located in Tulalip, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Nez Perce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Partnerships

NWIC is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), which is a community of tribally and federally-chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives.<ref name=AIHEC/>

Scholarships are available through the American Indian College Fund (AICF) and the NWIC Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website