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TabithaTomlinson · 2026-03-27T18:07:53Z

Would I be considered a URM? My grandparents are both fully native, but I am only a quarter native. I also don't have a tribal card. Despite this, I do have some unique experiences related to being native that I discuss in my diversity statement, for example, staying at the Indian reservation for special events and family visits as well as witnessing racial discrimination against family members.

Good question, @TabithaDestinoble!

I can tell you from experience leading admissions offices that it's really, REALLY rare to see applicants with distinct and direct ties to a Native American background. You would fall squarely into that category - even though you aren't enrolled (and I understand that that's not itself the be-all-end-all of defining one's Native heritage), it sounds like you can speak to what your family and cultural background mean to you. That's certainly something that admissions offices will consider when evaluating your application if you'd like to talk about it.

Also, for what it's worth:

Because of the Supreme Court's Students for Fair Admissions decision a few years ago, admissions offices won't see what boxes you check regarding your racial/ethnic identity while they're evaluating the application. That information will be blanked out. However, the SFFA decision clearly said that admissions officers can consider someone's background as long as the applicant writes about it.
At the end of the day though, admissions offices have to report information regarding race, ethnicity, and gender of their enrolled students to the American Bar Association and the Department of Education. From my experience, many students with a Native background end up in the "Two or More" group because they usually checked several boxes along with Native American. So don't freak out if you look at a school's ABA 509 Report and only see like one or two Native students! There are probably a handful more. They're just in that "Two or More" grouping.

1 comments

JacobBaska Admissions Strategy Expert
4 days ago
Good question, @TabithaDestinoble!
I can tell you from experience leading admissions offices that it's really, REALLY rare to see applicants with distinct and direct ties to a Native American background. You would fall squarely into that category - even though you aren't enrolled (and I understand that that's not itself the be-all-end-all of defining one's Native heritage), it sounds like you can speak to what your family and cultural background mean to you. That's certainly something that admissions offices will consider when evaluating your application if you'd like to talk about it.
Also, for what it's worth:
Because of the Supreme Court's Students for Fair Admissions decision a few years ago, admissions offices won't see what boxes you check regarding your racial/ethnic identity while they're evaluating the application. That information will be blanked out. However, the SFFA decision clearly said that admissions officers can consider someone's background as long as the applicant writes about it.
At the end of the day though, admissions offices have to report information regarding race, ethnicity, and gender of their enrolled students to the American Bar Association and the Department of Education. From my experience, many students with a Native background end up in the "Two or More" group because they usually checked several boxes along with Native American. So don't freak out if you look at a school's ABA 509 Report and only see like one or two Native students! There are probably a handful more. They're just in that "Two or More" grouping.
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