Access to Higher Education Expanded Through WGU Partnership

Montanans, your options to pursue a dream college degree just got better.

Following a memorandum of understanding recently signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, the state is investing in a more robust partnership with Western Governors University to expand access to affordable online degree programs.

In fact, completing your degree online—at a pace that suits your schedule and the real-world needs of your current life—could lead to a better and more satisfying job. And life.

All without leaving your home. Or hometown.

We know the desire to graduate from college is strong. More than one-tenth of all Montanans (an estimated 120,000 people in all) have earned some college credits but did not finish their degree.

The state’s formal support for WGU puts the college degree back within reach. And it makes paying for a degree less daunting.

An affordable option to begin with, WGU’s Montana students will have access to financial assistance from the state under this new partnership. To sweeten the pot, WGU has established a scholarship that will support 100 students with up to $4,000. Considering that the average annual cost for WGU undergraduate programs is $7,290 (compared to a national average of over $12,000), those scholarships will turn many dreams into reality.

WGU’s presence in Montana is hardly new. In fact, Montana was among the 19 states that supported the launch of WGU in 1997. Since then, nearly 1,750 Montanans have earned degrees through WGU’s competency-based, individualized programs.

The partnership between the state and WGU calls on relevant state agencies to work cooperatively with WGU. But it’s important to note that the newly enhanced relationship with the state supplements the existing higher-education eco-system. It is not designed to compete with the opportunities already provided by the state’s university system.

WGU will collaborate with employers and employer organizations in Montana to meet workforce needs—teaching, information technology, healthcare, and other needs as they arise.

Are you one of those 120,000 Montanans who started pursuing higher education but later backed off? WGU might be a workable option that would allow you to check that important box, pursue a field of study that is a passionate interest to you, and build a better life for yourself and your family.

There are many already on that track. Currently, more than 800 Montanans are enrolled in a degree program in one of WGU’s four colleges: Business, Health Professions, Information Technology, and Teachers. All are pursuing their dreams at their own pace based on their own individual circumstances.

Worth noting is this important data point: Nearly 80 percent of WGU students in Montana are from one or more historically underserved populations, including rural residents, first-generation college students, and low-income Montanans.

One thing we learned from the pandemic is that many jobs are no longer tied to a specific location. Working remotely is becoming the new normal. According to CNBC, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025 – an 87 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

The same is true for education. Through WGU, anyone with access to the internet can dream and WGU has the programs ready and waiting to make those dreams come true.

To learn more and apply for the WGU-Montana Partnership Scholarship, visit http://www.wgu.edu/montanapartnership.