• Geographic barriers impact upon Aboriginal students’ participation in post-secondary education because many are required to relocate to urban areas to attend post-secondary institutions. This has financial implications for students to cover housing and relocation costs, often in urban areas which have higher costs of living. The availability of housing is also sometimes an issue in some regions, in particular in Nunavut for example where there is a housing shortage and the only housing available for students is via the student accommodation of Nunavut Arctic College.
• Cultural barriers: The post-secondary education culture does not reflect Aboriginal perspectives, traditions, and values, nor the diversity of Aboriginal communities and the differences in learning styles of Aboriginal students. As a result Aboriginal students often do not feel at home within the post-secondary institutions, can feel alienated due to such cultural differences and thus may not persist in their programs of study. Currently, post-secondary institutions do not have enough Aboriginal faculty and staff, nor is there sufficient cultural preparation of non-Aboriginal faculty and staff which help increase understanding of Aboriginal culture, traditions, values and different approaches to learning.
• Individual and personal barriers are largely manifested in students who experience a sense of powerlessness, poor self concept or motivation, apathy, poor mental and physical health, anger and frustration. This is exacerbated when students do not have sufficient family or institutional support to assist them with the emotional and health challenges and issues they are facing. The dislocation rural students experience when they move away from home can also pose a significant barrier to success in post-secondary studies.

2.6 Institutions that Deliver Post-secondary Programs to Aboriginal Learners

The types of institutions Aboriginal learners can access to pursue post-secondary education differ from one province to another. In addition to mainstream post-secondary institutions (colleges, institutes, cégeps, university-colleges and universities), Aboriginal learners can access post-secondary education programs through Aboriginal-controlled post-secondary institutions. It is important to note that there are two very distinct types of Aboriginal post­ secondary institutions: the provincially-supported institutions and the Aboriginal-controlled institutions.

Provincially-supported institutions are supported by provincial policy and therefore have:

• the provincially recognized authority to grant certificates and diplomas;
• access to annual operating and special grant funding to support operations and special initiatives.

Among ACCC members, only two Aboriginal institutions in Canada have achieved provincial policy recognition in Canada, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT). These two institutes are an exception to the norm of Aboriginal-controlled institutions.

Aboriginal-controlled institutions are not supported by provincial policy and therefore, do not have provincially recognized authority to grant certificates and diplomas. This means that credentials that students acquire from Aboriginal institutions do not have the same currency and portability as mainstream institutions. In addition, Aboriginal institutions in this system are not eligible for annualized operational grant funding like mainstream institutions.