Red Lake Nation College

About Red Lake Nation College

The Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) was chartered by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians in 2001 to provide higher education opportunities for Tribal members living on and near the Red Lake reservation. Prior to the opening of Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake members were forced to drive two hours round-trip daily in order to attend college. The rural location of the reservation, the high cost of transportation, and daycare costs were all huge barriers to attending college for Tribal Members.

In the Fall of 2014, RLNC enrolled 104 students to start the semester. Over 90% of these students would not be in college if the RLNC were not in existence.

The Red Lake Nation College is currently a Candidate Institution with the Higher Learning Commission.

The marketing slogan of the Red Lake Nation is "A Great Place to Start!" We want students to attend RLNC and earn an Associate in Arts Degree, move on to attain a Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, Doctorate Degree or Professional Degree, and eventually, come back and help the reservation community grow and prosper.

Our main goals are to provide an excellent, culturally relevant higher education that also prepares our students for the 21st-Century job market. During their education at RLNC, students will develop not only a positive sense of pride in their Ojibwe culture and identity, but also, the confidence and academic skills needed to succeed at higher levels of education.