About Us:

Ilisagvik College provides educational opportunities to all who wish to pursue their postsecondary education, with an emphasis on the needs of North Slope residents. Ilisagvik believes that learning is a continuing, life-long process. The college has designed most of its courses and programs to allow each piece of knowledge to build upon the others. Most courses offered can be applied towards a certificate or degree.

History:

Ilisagvik College was founded to primarily serve the residents of the North Slope Borough, America’s largest and most northern municipality. The intent of its founders was to provide an education based on the Iñupiaq cultural heritage. The basis for all  Ilisagvik’s educational programs is the rich foundation of a subsistence culture in harmony with the land and seas that give it sustenance.

Ilisagvik College is a direct outgrowth of the Native American self-determination movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. With the formation of a home-rule government called the North Slope Borough in 1972, the Iñupiat people took their first steps towards regaining control of their lives and destinies.