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Press Release – Iḷisaġvik College Waives Tuition for All Language Courses

Iḷisaġvik College is pleased to announce that Iñupiaq language courses will be offered free of tuition beginning the Spring 2020 semester. This amounts to $495 in savings for each student enrolling in Iñupiaq language course, a reduction from the total previous cost of $605 and the removal of a significant barrier to accessing language knowledge and instruction.

“We are proud to uplift our Iñupiaq language through our initiative of being Unapologetically Iñupiaq the theme for our 25th Anniversary Celebration this academic year. Being Unapologetically Iñupiaq is a continuance of our commitment to perpetuate Iñupiaq language, culture, values and traditions,” said President Dr. Pearl Brower. She continued, “To our knowledge, we do not know of another college or university who has also waived tuition or is offering free credit-bearing Native language courses. We hope other colleges and universities will follow suit and find creative solutions to further open access to Native language courses.”

Students will be asked to continue to pay existing fees in the amount of $110 for Registration ($50) and Student Support Services ($60), which help keep this offering sustainable. Iḷisaġvik Iñupiaq courses materials are also provided by the instructor and students are not required to purchase additional materials beyond what is provided.

Waiving tuition for the course is distinctive from the Alaska Native/Native American Tuition Waiver offered by Iḷisaġvik College, which requires that each student apply for at least one scholarship to qualify and after the first waiver, requires students to be enrolled in a program. Waiving tuition for the course further opens access to nondegree, non-program seeking community members seeking to further language ability.

About Iḷisaġvik College Iḷisaġvik College is Alaska’s only tribal college and is located in the northernmost village in the United States, Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow). Iḷisaġvik College provides quality post-secondary academic, vocational and technical education in a learning environment that perpetuates and strengthens Iñupiat culture, language, values and traditions. It is dedicated to serving its students and developing a welleducated and trained workforce who meet the human resource needs of North Slope employers and the state of Alaska. Iḷisaġvik College Media Contact: Cordelia Kellie External Affairs Manager 907.982.0846 Cordelia.kellie@ilisagvik.edu