University of California to waive tuition for Native students – but not for all

Sproul plaza at the University of California, Berkeley, the state’s flagship university. Photograph: Eric Risberg/AP

Last week the University of California announced that the higher education system would waive tuition and student services fees for California residents who are members of federally recognized tribes.

The announcement elated some Native people in California, who viewed it as a potentially life changing initiative. But it garnered harsh criticism from many others who are members of nations that aren’t federally recognized and are deeply disappointed that an institution that stresses acknowledging historical wrongs suffered by Indigenous people can in the same breath leave so many out of such an important resource.