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General Information
Located on the Lummi Indian Reservation in Washington State, 20 miles from the Canadian border, Northwest Indian College is the only accredited tribal college in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. NWIC grew from the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture (founded in 1973), a single-purpose institution developed to provide a supply of technicians for employment in Indian-owned and operated fish and shellfish hatcheries throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1983 the Lummi Indian Business Council recognized the need for a more comprehensive post-secondary institution for tribal members, and the school was chartered as Lummi Community College, an Indian-controlled, comprehensive two-year college designed to serve the post-secondary educational needs of Indian people living in the Pacific Northwest. In June of 1988, Lummi Community College was approved as a candidate for accreditation by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWASC), and on January 20, 1989, in acknowledgement of its wider mandate, Lummi Community College became Northwest Indian College.
Northwest Indian College was granted accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities effective September 1993 and in 2010 approved as a Baccalaureate degree granting institution. The College’s educational programs have been approved by the Veteran’s Administration, and the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board for the administration of financial assistance for eligible student. Northwest Indian College is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the American Association of Community Colleges, and the American Council on Education
The educational philosophy of Northwest Indian College is based upon the belief that the opportunity of post-secondary education must be provided within the Native American community. Northwest Indian College is committed to the belief that self awareness is the foundation necessary to: achieve confidence, esteem, and a true sense of pride; build a career; create a “self-sufficient” life-style; and promote life-long learning. It is also committed to the belief that a self-awareness program must include a study of Native American culture, values and history.