WGU Announces $125,000 in New Scholarships for Veterans

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In commemoration of Veterans Day and to honor all those who have served our country, nonprofit, online Western Governors University (WGU) is launching a new scholarship program to help veterans and their spouses go back to school and earn their bachelor's and master's degrees.

The WGU Salute To Veterans Scholarship, valued at up to $2,500 per student, will be applied at the rate of $625 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 50 scholarships to new students nationwide. Applications are being accepted now through January 31, 2016, at www.wgu.edu/veterans. Additional military scholarships are available for active-duty personnel and their families, at www.wgu.edu/militaryappreciation.

"WGU is an excellent option for current and former service members and their families. The university offers students access to higher education wherever they are, whenever they need it, at a price they can afford," said Major General (Ret.) Tim Lowenberg, who currently serves as a WGU Washington board member.

WGU has been honored eight consecutive years by Military Advanced Education Magazine among the Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities and five consecutive years as a Military Friendly® School by militaryfriendlyschools.com. WGU's degree programs are designed to provide the kind of flexibility that nontraditional students like veterans and their families need. Of the 62,000 students currently enrolled at WGU nationwide, more than 8,300 are active-duty military personnel, veterans, or dependent family members of military personnel.

"When they say that WGU is military-friendly, I'm living proof that it is," said Jack Neal of Corpus Christi, Texas, who recently earned his B.S. Business–IT Management degree. "Competency-based education and affordable tuition finally put a college degree within reach for me."

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 real-world 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 WGU Salute to Veterans 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 January 31, 2016. For more information, visit www.wgu.edu/veterans.

About WGU

Now with more than 62,000 students and 50,000 graduates nationwide, WGU offers more than 50 online, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs in the high-demand fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. 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 and is the first exclusively online university to earn accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for its teacher preparation programs. 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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