WGU Holds the Line on Tuition for Fifth Straight Year

Online university has not increased tuition of $5,780 per year for most programs since September 2008

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While college students across the country are facing tuition increases averaging 15% this year, tuition at nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, will not go up. For the fifth straight year, the online university, created by a bi-partisan group of U.S. governors to expand access to quality higher education, will hold its tuition at $2,890 per six-month term, or $5,780 per year, for most programs. Tuition for all of WGU's online degree programs is charged at a flat rate per six-month term; students may complete as many courses as they are able during their term at no additional cost.

WGU is nationally recognized for its innovative, competency-based learning model, which allows student to earn their degrees by demonstrating their mastery of subject matter rather than spending time in class to accumulate credit hours. Competency-based learning makes it possible for students to take advantage of prior education and work experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. As a result, many students are able to accelerate their progress, shortening the time to graduation and saving money.

"At a time when we need more college graduates than ever before, high costs are forcing students too far into debt or keeping them from attending college at all," said Patrick Partridge, WGU's Chief Marketing Officer. "WGU is committed to keeping college affordable, particularly for working adults who must balance work and family responsibilities."

In addition to accepting federal financial aid, WGU sponsors a number of scholarship programs in all degree areas. In the past year, the university has awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships. For more information go to www.wgu.edu/scholarships.

About Western Governors University

Now with more than 34,000 students in all 50 states, WGU offers competency-based bachelor's and master's degrees in business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

Featured on NPR's "All Things Considered," The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNN's "Schools of Thought," and in The New York Times, WGU is the only university in the U.S. offering accredited, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges. WGU's Teachers College is the first and only exclusively online provider of teacher education to receive accreditation for its teacher licensure programs from NCATE, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.  The WGU bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs have been accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and its B.S. in Health Informatics is accredited by CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education).

On June 11, 2010, WGU Indiana was created by Governor Mitch Daniels as Indiana's eighth state university. WGU Washington was established by the Washington State Legislature on April 22, 2011.  On August 3, 2011, the state of Texas created WGU Texas. WGU Indiana, WGU Washington, and WGU Texas are state-endorsed and offer degree programs that are accredited through Western Governors University.

The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, 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 – Director of PR 
801-428-5463    
[email protected]           

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

SOURCE Western Governors University