Alaska Trends

Q

uonset huts rust at the defunct Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, yet the comfortable confines of Iḷisaġvik College (IC) nearby keep 462 credit-seeking and 717 non-credit-seeking students warm and educated. The school was established in 1996 upon the bones of the North Slope Higher Education Center developed by UAF and the North Slope Borough (NSB) in Barrow, now known as Utqiaġvik. Alaska’s only tribal college offers one bachelor’s degree in business administration and several associate degrees: Iñupiaq studies, Indigenous education, accounting, office management, construction technology, information technology, and allied health, plus endorsement programs in medical coding, heavy equipment operations, and industrial safety.

When North Slope employers promise to hire locally, IC trains that workforce. Does it succeed? To find out, IC commissioned a study by Lightcast, a firm that crunches economic and labor data for educational institutions and regional developers. Based on figures from fiscal year 2022–2023, “The results of this study show that IC creates a positive net impact on the borough economy and generates a return on investment for students, taxpayers, and society,” the authors state.

For instance, operations and student spending, combined with enhanced productivity of alumni, approximately equals the impact of the real estate sector, or about 0.7 percent of the North Slope Borough economy. The 2022-2023 graduates, the study found, are projected to receive a present net value of $17.7 million in increased earnings over their working lives, or a 25.5 percent rate of return.

This edition of Alaska Trends unravels that net of impacts, illustrating the college’s role in supporting Alaska industry and the North Slope community.

SOURCE: “The Economic Value of Iḷisaġvik College,” February 2025
$11.7M

spent on payroll and benefits

$4.9M

spent on goods and services

$34.9M

added income generated

Iḷisaġvik College supports 1 job for every 68 in the NSB.
Row of simplified human icons holding briefcases in varying shades of blue, representing workforce or employment levels across multiple categories.
34% of credit-seeking students came from otuside the NSB.

66% are local students.

Grid of graduation cap icons in blue and orange, symbolizing different levels or categories of educational attainment.
Student spending alone added approximately $313,100 in income, supporting four jobs.
Orange human figure holding a document labeled “$313,” surrounded by red gear icons with dollar symbols, illustrating costs, funding, or financial mechanisms.
$25.6M

added income from alumni

$9.1M

labor income from operations

$1.8M

total spending by students

IC Revenue by Source
Donut chart showing revenue sources, with local government at 53 percent, federal government at 31 percent, all other revenue at 10 percent, state government at 3 percent, and tuition and fees at 3 percent.
Outline map of the state of Alaska drawn in a thick blue line on a white background.
94%

of the students stay in Alaska after graduating from IC.

117

total faculty and staff

77%

employees lived in the NSB

1,179

total students

IC Expenses by Function
Donut chart illustrating expense distribution, with employee salaries at 68 percent, all other expenses at 23 percent, operations at 5 percent, and depreciation at 3 percent.
Average Earnings by Education Level
Bar chart comparing earnings by education level for borough and state, showing increasing income from less than high school through bachelor’s degree, with bachelor’s degree earning the highest in both categories.
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