Student Development
Explore Development Opportunities
Study Skills
No matter what your grades are, everyone needs some guidance to find success in the classroom. Here are some resources to help you develop the best study habits and skills you’ll need to get your degree:
What are Office Hours? – by Andrew Ishak
Time Management: TCU Video Project Series
Focus 2 Self-Assessment
Many people struggle with choosing an academic major during school, or job industry after graduation, but choosing a path is important when choosing your classes, internships and other career opportunities.
Focus 2 combines self-assessment, career and major exploration, decision-making and planning in one place. By matching your assessment results to career options and majors/programs for your consideration, FOCUS 2 guides you through a career and education decision-making model to help you make informed career decisions and take action in planning your future.
To use this free service, register to create an account with the access code collegefund. From there, you can take each test- personality, interests, values, and skills- to build your academic and career planning profile. Print your profile to share with an academic or career counselor or mentor to discuss your career plan or transition to a new profession.
Money Management
It is also important to understand budgeting, credit, and debt management – to help you to make responsible decisions in school, and prepare for your financial life after school. Learn about the following topics in related posts — your financial future depends on it.
- Money Management — Developing Common Cents (College Fund)
- Per Cap (First Nations Development Institute)
- Financial Skills for Families (First Nations Development Institute)
- Developing Your Vision: Managing Your Money
- Your First Bank Account
- Childcare Costs (and Ways to Reduce Them)
- When Your Child Has Special Needs
- Caring For Aging Parents
- Children and Family Considerations
Student Ambassador Program
The American Indian College Fund Ambassador Program was established in 2015 to strengthen students’ and alumni personal and professional skills and to represent the College Fund.
Our Blogs
College Fund Transforms Early Childhood Education with W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant
With the help of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation five years ago, the American Indian College Fund launched its Sacred Little Ones early childhood education program at four tribal colleges. The program aimed to improve Native children’s school readiness and create a platform for their academic success by third grade.
College Fund to Present Social, Cultural Impact of Tribal Colleges at Anthropological Meeting
Denver-based American Indian College Fund will present a session on the community and socio-cultural return on investment that tribal colleges and universities bring to their communities at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting November 18 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
College Fund Presents Findings: Community Early Childhood Learning Benefits Native Students
Involving families and community members in the development of culturally relevant education programs for their early-childhood aged children improves their skills and academic readiness, according to a five-year program conducted by the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund). The findings have relevance for children in underserved communities nationwide.
Chicago, Minneapolis Events to Help Increase Number of American Indian College Students
One percent of American Indian students are in college today, and only 13% today have a college degree—half of the national average—making them the most underserved group in America. The American Indian College Fund is hosting events in Chicago and Minneapolis to show how you can help Native scholars can overcome the odds to get a college degree.
College Fund Scholarship Expert Addresses Native Student Challenges
National scholarship providers are often unaware of the special challenges American Indian students face when entering college. Tiffany Gusbeth, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Program Manager for the Full Circle Scholarships program at the American Indian College Fund, spoke at the National Scholarships Providers Association annual meeting in Charleston, South Carolina in October, providing an inside view about those challenges and tips and tools to help them succeed.
Helping Native Youth Succeed With Culturally Responsive Education
Living conditions on American Indian reservations and in Alaska Native villages are often compared to those in third world countries. Substandard housing, limited access to health care, struggling schools, high unemployment and heavy reliance on social welfare systems have created a dangerous environment for Native youth.



