Salish Kootenai College Renames as Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé University
The Montana tribal college's board chose the new name in November 2025 to recognize all tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Higher Education
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Salish Kootenai College will rebrand as Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé University, a change announced Oct. 30 after the college's board of directors approved it in November 2025. The college will submit documentation to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities next month.
Why it matters
The name change recognizes all the tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation and reflects the institution's growth and the bachelor's and master's degrees and research it already offers. Currently enrolled students are not affected, and tuition rates will not change.
The college, founded as Salish Kootenai Community College and later shortened to SKC, will spend an as-yet unspecified sum on new signage and phased rebranding. Accreditation approval is projected to take about six months after documentation is filed next month.
The players
Salish Kootenai College
A tribal college in Pablo, Montana, serving the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, which is now seeking to rename itself Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé University.
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
The regional accrediting body that will review the college's documentation for approval of its new name.
The details
The college began as Salish Kootenai Community College, later changed to SKC, and has offered bachelor's and master's degrees and conducted research. The rebrand will be completed in phases rather than all at once, and the college will seek private funders to cover the cost of changing signage.
Timeline
November 2025: The board of directors voted to change the college's name.
Oct. 30: College leadership announced the name change publicly.
Next month: The college submits accreditation documentation to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Next fall: The new name takes effect during the college's 50th anniversary celebration.
Season Trajectory
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities must review the college's documentation before the new name is official, a process that will take roughly six months. Tribal colleges across the region have increasingly adopted names that reflect their nations' languages and identities.
Currently enrolled students will keep their existing programs and tuition rates, so no immediate action is required. Prospective students and alumni should expect the new name to appear gradually as signage and materials are replaced in phases.
The takeaway
A name change can carry real institutional weight, signaling recognition of an entire nation's tribes while the college's accreditation and funding steps still have to be completed.
What happens next
The college will submit accreditation documentation to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities next month, with approval expected in about six months and the new name taking effect next fall during its 50th anniversary celebration.
Further reading
For more on how colleges in the state are changing, see Higher Education coverage across Montana.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Inter Lake.
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