Rural Student Services
Welcome to Rural Student Services
Take the next step in your education at a world-class research university that embraces Indigenous values and identity. Serving rural and Alaska Native students from across Alaska, Rural Student Services (RSS) is here to help you make UAF your home away from home.
Meet our teamRural Student Services Advising Support
The university or college experience can be a new place with an entirely different feel for many of our rural and Alaska Native students. Rural Student Services strives to foster a sense of belonging by providing cross-cultural, comprehensive advising. We help you navigate everything from degree planning and class registration to all steps of applying for financial aid, including applying for the FAFSA and obtaining scholarships through tribal and regional corporation resources.
More than 20% of our students are Alaska Native and/or American Indian and we are proud to be federally designated as an Alaska Native-serving Institution. We also have a growing number of Indigenous scholars and researchers serving among our faculty and staff.
RSS Activities and Programs
In addition to advising support, Rural Student Services offers a variety of activities and programs designed to help rural and Alaska Native students exercise their cultural traditions on campus. We are a gathering place for students, a study area and a setting for events that celebrate UAF’s Alaska Native community. Events such as Positive Connection Nights (PCNs), offer a fun, positive way to start off the weekend with food and friends in a community atmosphere.
Events in the Gathering Room
Need help with your studies?
We offer a full range of tutoring services, from nearby to our Fairbanks campus, via
email and phone.
Whether you are interested in Indigenous arts, language revitalization or knowledge systems, we have a variety of programs.
The Eileen Panigeo MacLean House provides a supportive community environment for students from the Arctic region and other rural areas of Alaska.