WGU Military Scholarships: Requirements and Opportunities for Service Members and Their Families

Western Governors University (WGU) is committed to increasing access to education, particularly for those who serve or have served in the military. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by active-duty service members, veterans, and their families, WGU offers a range of scholarships and resources to help them achieve their higher education goals. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the WGU military scholarship requirements and other financial aid options available to military-connected students.

WGU: A Military-Friendly University

WGU understands the demands of military life, including frequent moves, unique schedules, and demanding work. By providing a flexible and affordable online education, WGU helps more military students and their families achieve their goals of higher education. WGU’s competency-based online degree programs allow students to benefit from their existing knowledge and accelerate through what they already know, focusing more on what they don't. The university's faculty and staff provide continuous support to help students make progress as quickly as they are able to. These programs have been repeatedly recognized as military-friendly.

Is WGU the Right Choice for You?

It’s important to understand when WGU is not the right choice. WGU programs are designed to serve the degree-seeking student, not someone who is just looking to complete a few courses. So, if you think you may want to complete a degree program at WGU-perhaps even one started somewhere else-WGU may be a great fit.

Scholarships for Military Students at WGU

WGU offers a variety of scholarships to help military students finance their education. These scholarships are made possible in part by the generous support of many companies, foundations, partner organizations, and individuals, including WGU alumni, faculty, and staff.

WGU Active Duty Scholarship

WGU's Active Duty Scholarship is designed to help provide further financial assistance between Tuition Assistance (TA) benefit amounts and WGU's tuition. While military tuition assistance (TA) benefits are available to help service members reach their educational goals, sometimes that financial boost is not enough.

Online Access Scholarship

This scholarship provides recipients with the technology they need to pursue an online degree. The scholarship will provide recipients with equipment that will eliminate barriers to internet access. Before any devices are distributed, Online Access Scholarship recipients must read the WGU Student Handbook and agree to and understand the academic progress, tuition, and refund policies. The student will also be required to agree to the WGU Online Access Scholarship Terms and Conditions before any devices are distributed. The student must maintain a cumulative Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) percentage of greater than 66.67% each term to maintain scholarship eligibility.

General Scholarship Requirements

To be considered for WGU scholarships, you must be provisionally accepted as a WGU student. To access the scholarship application, you will need your MyWGU student portal credentials, which will be sent to you after Step 1.

Utilizing Military Education Benefits at WGU

Western Governors University desires to help you make the most of your GI Bill® and military education benefits you have earned. Because WGU’s tuition rates are quite modest, most education benefits will generally more than cover the full cost of tuition, fees, and books.

Forever GI Bill® - Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act

The new Forever GI Bill® offers significant changes to veterans’ education benefits. For example, it expands the number of veterans eligible to use the GI Bill® to include National Guardsmen, Reservists and those who received a Purple Heart post-9/11. It also eliminates the previous 15-year time limit for veterans who left active duty on or after January 1, 2013. The Forever GI Bill® requires applicants to have 90 days of active duty after September 10, 2001.

Tuition Assistance and Competency-Based Programs

The competency-based degree programs at WGU are approved for Military Tuition Assistance. This approval was granted after a rigorous review by the Department of Defense that affirmed the substantive quality of WGU programs and the comparability of WGU’s competency units to traditional credit hours.

Additional Financial Aid Options

In addition to military-specific scholarships and benefits, WGU students may be eligible for other forms of financial aid, including federal grants and loans, and state-specific aid programs.

Federal Financial Aid

You may choose to pay for the remaining portion of your degree through federal financial aid (subject to your eligibility). Pell Grants, which do not have to be repaid, are granted based on financial need. Federal Direct Student Loans are available to most students.

State-Specific Aid Programs

In addition to federal grants and loans, you may be eligible for financial aid from your state. The WGU Financial Aid Office can answer more specific questions about your personal situation once you have completed the FAFSA.

Examples of state-specific aid programs include:

Golden State Teacher Grant Program (California): Awards up to $5,000 to WGU students currently enrolled in a professional preparation program approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and working towards earning their preliminary teaching or pupil personnel services credential.
Opportunity Scholarship (Idaho): Established to remove barriers to higher education and prepare college/university graduates to enter the workforce.
Frank O'Bannon Grant (Indiana): Designed to provide access for Hoosier students to attend eligible public, private, and proprietary postsecondary institutions.
21st Century Scholarship (Indiana): For students enrolled in the 7th or 8th grade at an Indiana public or private school accredited by the Indiana Department of Education.
Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans (Indiana): Provides up to 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for up to 124 semester credit-hours at Indiana public colleges and universities at the undergraduate resident tuition rate.
William A. Crawford Minority Teacher Scholarship (Indiana): Offers scholarships for minority students (defined as Black and Hispanic individuals) planning to teach in an accredited school in Indiana upon graduation.
National Guard Tuition Supplement Grant (Indiana): Guarantees 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for eligible members of the Indiana Air and Army National Guard.
Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship (Indiana): Provides 200 high-achieving high school and college students interested in pursuing a career in education the opportunity to earn a renewable scholarship of up to $7,500 each year for four academic years.
Adult Student Grant (Indiana): Specifically designed to meet the unique needs of working adults starting or completing an associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or certificates by providing a $2,000 grant.
Stipend for students planning to teach in a "high-need" field (Indiana): The maximum amount a student may receive is up to $4,000.
Earline S. Rogers Student Teaching Stipend for Minorities (Indiana): Stipend for minority students (defined as Black and Hispanic individuals) who will participate in student teaching or a school administration internship as part of the students' degree requirements. The maximum amount a student may receive is up to $4,000.
Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship (Indiana): A one-time, $4,000 scholarship for students who graduate at least one year early from a publicly supported Indiana high school.
Future Ready Iowa Grant (Iowa): A non-need-based grant program that assists students 25 years of age and older who enroll in programs of study aligned with statewide high-demand jobs. The maximum grant amount a student may receive is $3,000 annually.
Kansas Service Scholarship: This service obligation scholarship program was enacted to assist adult residents of Kansas in the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in certain high-demand fields.
Greater Kansas City Fast Track Scholarship: This scholarship is intended for students age 24 and up (as of August 31, 2022) who live in one of the six eligible counties (Kansas: Wyandotte, Johnson. Missouri: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte).
Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant (Missouri): A financial aid program for adults 25 years or older that addresses workforce needs by helping adults pursue a certificate, degree, or industry-recognized credential in an area designated as high need.
Nebraska Opportunity Grant (Nebraska): Provides grants to students who meet certain qualifications, including being a Nebraska resident, attending an eligible Nebraska postsecondary institution, and having a minimum EFC as determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Nebraska Career Scholarship (Nebraska): A collaboration between the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (Commission) and participating Nebraska private colleges.
North Carolina National Guard Tuition Reimbursement: This is a tuition reimbursement program for actively drilling Army & Air Guard members of North Carolina.
Nurse Education Assistance Loan Program (Ohio): Provides financial assistance to Ohio students enrolled for at least half-time study (or accepted for enrollment) in an approved Ohio nurse education program.
Ohio War Orphan & Severely Disabled Veterans' Children Scholarship Program: Awards tuition assistance to the children of deceased or severely disabled Ohio veterans who served in the armed forces during a period of declared war or conflict.
Ohio Second Chance Grant: Provides financial assistance in the form of $3,000 grants to eligible students re-enrolling at a qualifying institution in order to obtain a degree or credential.
Ohio Grow Your Own Teacher Scholarship Program: Designed to help school districts across Ohio recruit their own students and staff to become teachers within the district.
Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship: A loan-scholarship program intended to encourage exemplary students to enter the teaching field in Tennessee.
Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA): Provides nonrepayable financial assistance to financially needy undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee.
Tennessee State Loan Repayment Program (TSLRP): Provides educational loan repayment to qualified primary care practitioners in exchange for an initial 2-year service obligation to practice full-time or part-time at an ambulatory public, non-profit or private non-profit primary care site located in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).
Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program (Tennessee): Intended for Tennessee registered nurses who are candidates for master’s and post-master’s degrees in nursing education to teach nursing at a Tennessee postsecondary institution.
Texas Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program: A student loan repayment program for Texas teachers who demonstrated high academic achievement as math or science majors to teach math or science for at least four years in Title I public schools in Texas.
Nursing Students Scholarship Program (Texas): Promotes health care and educational needs by providing scholarships to eligible professional and vocational nursing students.
Utah Promise Grant: A statewide scholarship program to expand access to higher education opportunities to all Utahn students attending an eligible institution and having financial need.
Terrel H. Bell Education Scholarship Program (Utah): Aims to recruit first-generation students into teaching, encourage outstanding students to work in high-need fields and recognize teaching as a critically important career in Utah.

Note: Scholarship availability and eligibility requirements may vary. Please check with WGU's Financial Aid Office and the respective state agencies for the most up-to-date information.

Read also: Pakistan's Military College Jhelum

WGU's Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

WGU values its students' differences and believes diversity brings strength, which is why it strives to be the world's most inclusive university. WGU works to recognize, promote, and amplify the voices of students around the country while also expanding opportunities for them. This mission motivates WGU to provide high-quality, equitable higher education to people from all walks of life.

Resources and Support for Military Students

WGU has a dedicated Military Support team to assist military students with their VA Education Benefits or Military Tuition Assistance. You can contact Military Support or call 1-877-435-7948, ext.

Virtual Military Education Resource Center

The mission of the Virtual Military Education Resource Center at WGU is to support, empower, and assist our military connected students. With top-notch resources, WGU provides the skills and tools for our student veterans to succeed in their educational goals.

WGU VERGE

WGU VERGE will provide a safe place for WGU Veterans and Families of Veterans to share their experiences while forming the bond of community.

VETS2INDUSTRY (V2I)

VETS2INDUSTRY (V2I) is a single site repository of free resources, benefits, services, scholarships and direct employment and education connections for the entire military community.

Flat-Rate Tuition and Competency-Based Learning

Most universities charge tuition by credit hour-if you take more courses, you pay more money-but not WGU. WGU offers flat-rate tuition. That means that whether you complete 8 courses in a term or 20, your tuition won’t change. Tuition is paid by six-month term, not by credit.

WGU programs are competency-based. That means you can complete most courses as fast as you master the material.

Because WGU was designed without classrooms, quads, or sports arenas, they are able to keep their operation costs low and pass that savings directly to their students.

tags: #WGU #military #scholarship #requirements