Celebrating 11 Years of Advancing Higher Education in Missouri

In just 11 years since its inception in the state, WGU has been credited with helping thousands of Missourians achieve their dreams of earning a college degree and advancing their careers. The university, which is fully online and nonprofit, was created as a state affiliate of nationally recognized Western Governors University in February 2013 by Gov. Jay Nixon to increase the number of degreed individuals in the state by offering busy adults who have some college but no degree an alternative pathway to earning their degrees.

Featuring a fully online, competency-based approach that allows students to move through courses at their own pace and complete coursework on their own time, WGU has proven to be the answer for Missourians unable to complete their degrees through traditional means.

The competency-based model allows students to leverage previous education, training and work experience to earn their degrees faster. Students complete their programs by studying on schedules that fit their lives, advancing as soon as they demonstrate they’ve mastered the subject matter. Since WGU’s tuition is flat-rate – about $4,100 per six-month term – students can take as many courses as possible each term without any added fees, earning their degrees at a lower cost.

The university focuses on high workforce-need areas, offering more than 80 master’s and bachelor’s degree programs in IT, business, K-12 education and health professions, including nursing.

WGU has shown consistent annual growth in Missouri over the past decade and now has 3,959 students currently enrolled and 8,274 alumni – 15% of whom graduated in the past year. The university employs more than 200 Missourians and has partnered with 130 businesses and institutions across the state who value the university and want to create new opportunities for their employees to earn their degrees affordably and take their careers to the next level.

WGU provides scholarships, making tuition even more affordable. Missourians have been awarded more than $5.5 million in WGU scholarships, and that number is about to grow again. In celebration of its 11th anniversary, the university is offering $100,000 in scholarships – 10 valued at $10,000 each – to new students who qualify and apply by June 30. To learn more, visit wgu.edu or call 855-948-8493.