President Obama Recognizes Online Western Governors University for Innovation and Affordability

The United States' first competency-based university cited as a leader in the President's Plan to Make College More Affordable

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, President Obama launched a new plan for higher education, "The President's Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class." This new plan, which focuses on finding ways to encourage innovation to improve college affordability and learning outcomes, recognizes Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, as one of the innovators implementing promising practices that "offer breakthroughs on cost, quality, or both." WGU, the only U.S. university offering accredited competency-based degree programs at scale, was cited as an example of an institution that "Awards Credits Based on Learning, Not Seat Time," and was called out for tuition of only $6,000 per year and average time to a bachelor's degree of less than three years.

Now with approximately 40,000 students and more than 25,000 graduates nationwide, WGU was established in 1997 by a bipartisan group of U.S. governors. WGU pioneered competency-based education, which measures learning rather than time, providing new opportunities for the more than 37 million adult Americans with some college but no degree as well as working professionals who do have a degree but are looking to complete a master's degree. Competency-based education allows students to earn their degrees by demonstrating their mastery of subject matter rather than spending time in class to accumulate credit hours. WGU students work through course materials online at their own pace with one-on-one faculty support, advancing as soon as they demonstrate subject-matter mastery. Competency-based education allows students to take advantage of prior learning and experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. As a result, students may accelerate, saving both time and money.

WGU is self-sustaining on annual tuition of $6,000 per year. Tuition, which has not increased in the past five years and will remain steady in the coming year as well, is charged at a flat rate per six-month term; students may complete as many courses as they are able with no additional charges.  The nonprofit, online university offers more than 50 bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, information technology, K-12 teacher education, and health professions, including nursing. WGU students are eligible for federal financial aid, and the university offers a number of scholarships for qualified students. For more information about WGU, go to www.wgu.edu.

"We applaud the President for his leadership in encouraging innovation and reducing regulatory barriers to make a quality college degree more affordable and accessible to middle-class Americans," said WGU President Dr. Robert Mendenhall. "We look forward to continuing to work with the President and Congress on these important initiatives."

About Western Governors University

Named one of  Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies 2013, WGU has been 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. Now with approximately 40,000 students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and on U.S. military bases around the world, WGU is the only university in the U.S. offering accredited, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs at scale. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. WGU's Teachers College is the first 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 are 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. On February 15, 2013, Governor Jay Nixon announced the establishment of WGU Missouri, and on July 9, 2013, Governor Bill Haslam announced the establishment of WGU Tennessee. Created to add higher education capacity in the states, these universities 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.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).

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Contact for media inquiries:
Joan Mitchell – VP of Public Relations
801-428-5463
jmitchell@wgu.edu

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

SOURCE Western Governors University