Opening its doors in 1974 in Chicago, Native American Educational Services (NAES) College was the first urban American Indian institution of its kind, a college run by and serving a Native population in a major US city.

Over the years, NAES College expanded to satellite campuses in urban areas and reservations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and New Mexico. NAES College served hundreds of students of diverse tribal affiliations, ages, and backgrounds, providing a community-based education grounded in public policy, tribal knowledge, community development and leadership, and more.

While the college stopped offering courses in 2005, NAES College is still alive—still here—its learning and legacy living on across generations, territories, and communities. Through this website we hope to begin sharing the stories and shaping the futures of NAES College.