New Year, New You: WGU Offers $250,000 in Scholarships to Help Students Start the New Year Off Right

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The start of a new year is the time for resolutions—whether it's losing weight, saving money, getting a new job, or going back to college to complete a degree. Western Governors University (WGU), the online, competency-based university designed for working adults, has announced a new scholarship aimed at making it easier for those who have resolved to go to back to college in 2016.  

A New Kind of You Scholarship, valued at up to $2,000 per student, will be applied at the rate of $500 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms, toward WGU's already-low tuition of about $3,000 per term for most programs. WGU will award up to 125 scholarships to new students enrolling in any one of its more than 50 bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, information technology, teacher education, and health professions, including nursing. Applications are being accepted now through March 30, 2016, at www.wgu.edu/newyou.

WGU uses an innovative approach to earning a degree called competency-based education, which measures learning rather than time spent in class. Students earn their degrees by demonstrating mastery of the subject matter they need to know to be successful—real-world competencies developed with employer input.

Designed to meet the needs of adult learners, competency-based education allows students to take advantage of their knowledge and experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. WGU faculty members work one-on-one with students as mentors, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction. While WGU's degree programs are rigorous and challenging, competency-based learning makes it possible for students to accelerate their programs, saving both time and money.

The scholarship is open to new WGU students who have been officially admitted to WGU. While multiple scholarships will be awarded, it is a competitive program, and scholarships will be awarded based on a candidate's academic record, readiness for online study, and current competency, as well as other considerations. The deadline to apply is March 30, 2016. For more information, visit www.wgu.edu/newyou.

About WGU
Now with 64,000 students and 54,000 graduates nationwide, WGU offers more than 50 online, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU has six state-based universities: WGU Indiana, WGU Missouri, WGU Nevada, WGU Tennessee, WGU Texas, and WGU Washington. These state-endorsed universities offer WGU degree programs and have locally-based chancellors and staffs.

Recognized by President Obama as an innovative university that "awards credits based on learning, not seat time," WGU has been named one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies " and has been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered," NBC Nightly News, CNN's "Schools of Thought," and in The New York Times.

WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations, including AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, USA Funds, and Zions Bank. More information is available at www.wgu.edu or by calling 866.225.5948.

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Contact for media inquiries:  
Joan Mitchell – VP of Public Relations       
801-428-5463  
[email protected]                                           

Contact for enrollment information:    
866-225-5948
www.wgu.edu

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SOURCE Western Governors University