The Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978, P.L. 95-471, was an attempt to provide resources to Indian tribes for establishing and improving tribal colleges. However, 2 1/2 years after enactment, approximately half of the eligible tribal institutions have received operating grants from the Act. This inability to provide resources has been a result of several factors, including the impoverished condition of the colleges, design flaws in the Act, and bureaucratic delays in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Education. This article examines these three concerns, and analyzes how each has prevented fuller participation by tribal colleges in the Act. Each provision of the Act is examined against the three criteria (institutional characteristics, legislative provisions, bureaucratic implementation); the legislative history and hearing record are also examined to determine the extent to which the Act has fully complied with congressional intent. Finally, recommendations are made to improve the Act and its administration, for it is the complex eligibility and administrative procedures that, in the main, have caused the delay. (Author)