Prior to this study, it was not known how American Indian (AI) post-secondary students have understood/responded to racial microaggressions they have experienced that doubted their ability to be academically successful. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how AI post-secondary students have understood and responded to racial microaggressions they have experienced that doubted their ability to be academically successful. Using the Microaggression Theory as the theoretical foundation for this study, two research questions were formed (1) focused on how Native American Indian post-secondary students come to understand the racial microaggressions they have experienced and (2) focused on how Native American Indian post-secondary students been able to respond to the racial microaggressions. Convenience sampling was employed to select 10 AI/AN post-secondary students. Semi-structured interviews, and a focus group were used to answer the research questions. Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis to analyze the data. The results of this study: Native American students' acknowledgment of negative experiences led to recognition of microaggressions and led to awareness of lack of resources for students which had an emotional impact on the students' ability to be academically successful. Social support systems helped students gain resilience and determination in order to respond to microaggressions. Improving the situation included identify coping mechanisms, access to resources, an increase in diversity and inclusion on campus. Findings may assist higher education institutions in recruitment of AI and enrollment and completion rates of AI students in higher education. Keywords: Native American Indian post-secondary students, American Indian, Faculty, higher education, microaggressions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]