Waiver recipient finishes bachelor’s degree in two years at UNLV
Nevada’s tuition waiver program for Native American students, established in 2021, has expanded rapidly from about 170 recipients in its first year to nearly 700 during the 2024-25 school year. The program’s future remains unclear, according to the Associated Press.
The waiver allows certain Native American students to attend college virtually for free. It has grown each year since its launch, roughly quadrupling its reach in four years.
Ronica Spute, a member of the Moapa Band of Paiutes, used the waiver along with a scholarship from her tribe to pursue a criminal justice degree at UNLV. Spute, 57, graduated in two years — one year less than it took her to earn an associate’s degree from the College of Southern Nevada, where she could only afford to take a few classes at a time.
“I don’t think I could have done it if I wasn’t able to go full time and dedicate every day to studying,” Spute said. “I didn’t have to worry about the finances. All I had to worry about was comprehending.”