Compared to other schools, the enrollment process is relatively simple and can be completed in as little as 3 hours.

• First, you will meet with the registrar to complete paperwork and submit required documents.
• Next, you will meet with a financial aid representative to determine your eligibility for grants and scholarships.
• Take the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) to determine your academic readiness.
• Upon satisfactory completion of the TABE, you’ll attend the Welcome Event where you’ll meet your fellow classmates.
• Begin classes!

Here’s what you’ll need to enroll at Takoda Institute. If you don’t have any or all of these, you can still start enrollment. The registrar will work with you to secure all required documents.

• Identification: Driver’s license or passport and social security card, or a permanent resident card
• Proof of completion of HS or GED
• Immunization records: If you graduated high school any time before 1997, you’ll need to bring proof of immunization. This can be in the form of:
  • Medical immunization records, or
  • A transcript proving you attended a post-secondary school

At Takoda Institute, class sizes are relatively small to ensure each student receives enough one-on-one time with instructors. The small class size environment also means you’ll get to know your classmates and can lean on each other for support throughout your program.

All are welcome at Takoda Institute. In fact, “Takoda” is Lakota for “all are welcome.” We strive to embody the meaning of Takoda by providing quality education in an inclusive and accepting environment.

Students at Takoda come from all backgrounds and ethnicities. Here is a snapshot of 2017’s student demographic:

• American Indian or Alaska Native: 49%
• Black or African American: 34%
• White: 13%
• Asian/Pacific Islander: 3%
• Hispanic/Latino: 2%

Takoda Institute is a full time school. With its small class sizes and familial environment, your college experience will be like no other. From beginning to end, each student is a part of a cohort. Your cohort will take the same classes and walk across the graduation stage together. You’ll also take classes with students from other programs, thus building your social network and helping to create connections that can help in future opportunities. This model has proven to be effective in student success and retention, as well as developing lifelong friends.

Our larger organization is still American Indian OIC and Takoda Institute is one of its sister programs. All are welcome to enroll in any of the Takoda programs, but Indigenous values, culture and teachings are ingrained in everything we do. AIOIC actively advocates for Native education and employment issues.