LEWISTON – Lewis-Clark State College and Northwest Indian College administrators have agreed to a transfer articulation agreement that will facilitate the transfer of NWIC students into baccalaureate degree programs at LC State.
NWIC’s main campus is located on the Lummi Nation Reservation in Bellingham, Wash. The college is the only accredited tribal college serving Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. While NWIC does have four-year bachelor programs, the transfer articulation agreement will allow NWIC students who have completed an associate degree to transfer to LC State and access a broader array of baccalaureate degree programs. Under the agreement, as long as NWIC students meet the transfer criteria, they will have third-year (junior) standing at LC State.
“LC State has a long and rich history of partnering both with other institutions and with regional tribal partners,” said LC State President Cynthia Pemberton. “As such, this articulation agreement with Northwest Indian College makes perfect sense and will serve students well. I thank all of the team members from NWIC and LC State who have had a hand in bringing this agreement to fruition.”
“This articulation agreement will provide NWIC students with additional pathways to pursue their desired programs and empower them to grow as leaders in their Tribal communities,” said Northwest Indian College President Justin Guillory (Nez Perce descendant). “We look forward to strengthening our partnership that centers on Native student success and higher education accessibility.”
As part of the agreement, LC State will offer in-person and remote information sessions and events for NWIC students about transferring to LC State. The staff of both institutions will work together to coordinate meetings between selected faculty and staff to develop, review, or update program-specific articulation agreements. LC State will have access to NWIC students to promote the agreement and will provide NWIC’s academic leadership and advising staff with annual updates on any curriculum changes.
NWIC students who are members of an Idaho Native American Indian Tribe, including Coeur d’Alene, Shoshone-Paiute, Nez Perce, Shoshone Bannock, Kootenai, and Eastern Shoshone may qualify through tribal residency for in-state tuition at LC State. LC State will waive out-of-state tuition for NWIC associate degree graduates who enroll at the Lewiston college within one year of graduating from NWIC and who are enrolled members of a tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs.
LC State has signed similar articulation agreements with the College of Western Idaho in Nampa, North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Ore., College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Community Colleges of Spokane, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Meridian, Walla Walla Community College and Wenatchee Valley Community College.
LC State offers more than 130 degrees and certificates, including many fully online, and the most affordable tuition among Idaho’s public four-year institutions.