Oglala Lakota College

Quick Facts

Address: 3 Mile Creek Road, Kyle, SD 57752
Website: https://www.olc.edu/
Founded: 1971
Students: 1,246 (2017)

About

The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council chartered the Lakota Higher Education Center on March 4, 1971. The purpose was, and remains, service to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In its early years, the institution collaborated with Black Hills State College, University of South Dakota, and University of Colorado to offer associate degree programs; the first was awarded in 1974.

Four years later, in 1978, the the Lakota Higher Education Center became the Oglala Sioux Community College. It received accredation on June 20, 1983. This same year, another renaming left the institution with the Oglala Lakota College name--this time to reflect the operation of four-year degree-granting programs. This change also replaced "Sioux" with "Lakota" in order to embrace the tribal language. The college includes an administrative center, Piya Wiconi, as well as decentralized campuses in all nine districts of the reservation.

Oglala Lakota College offers Master's (​ Master Lakota Leadership, and Masters Lakota Leadership- Ed Emphasis), Bachelor's (Business Administration, Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Information Technology, K-12 Lakota, Lakota Studies, Leadership and Communication, Natural Science, and Social Work), Associate's (Art, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood, Electrical Technology, Elementary Education, General Construction, Graphic Art, Information Technology, Lakota Studies, Life Science, Nursing, Office Technology, Plumbing, Pre-Engineering, Science, Engineering & Math, and Tribal Law), and Certificate (Lakota Language) programs.