WGU Missouri to celebrate 6th anniversary, award $600,000 in scholarships

Nonprofit, online university to offer up to 100 scholarships worth $6,000 each

CLAYTON, Mo. – WGU Missouri, the nonprofit, fully online and award-winning university, announced on Monday that in celebration of its 6th Anniversary and success over the past six years, it will be offering scholarships to as many as 100 new students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

WGU Missouri, which is Clayton-based, was founded in 2013 by former-governor Jay Nixon in hopes of expanding access to higher education to working adults. It is the only state-endorsed, accredited, nonprofit online institution that offers affordable, high-quality education to individuals across the state. Since it was established, the online university has grown to include 3,020 currently enrolled students and 2,665 graduates.

“By supporting adult learners and helping them secure degrees, WGU Missouri is working to fill a need for a high-quality education alternative that has existed for quite some time,” Dr. Angie Besendorfer, chancellor of WGU Missouri, said.

According to WGU’s news release, 31.7 percent of students who are served by the university are from the St. Louis area and 162 staff members are employed by the university with a majority of them located in St. Louis.

In the past year alone, WGU reported that there was a 25 percent increase in enrollment and a 43 percent increase in graduates when compared to the previous year.

The university has already awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships but said it hopes its commitment of $600,000, which is its largest scholarship offering to date, will help make higher education more attainable for working adults across the Show-Me State.

“WGU Missouri is consistently growing the number of degreed individuals annually and we are proud to have helped thousands of students advance their careers, to date, so they can better support their own families,” Besendorfer said. “We look forward to helping transform many more lives in the years to come.”

The university offers over 60 bachelor’s and master’s degree program in business; information technology; teacher education and health professions, which includes nursing. WGU Missouri is different than the traditional college program in that it caters to adults with previous work experience or who are currently working and looking to further their careers through education.

Through its “competency-based education model” adults students are given the opportunity to take advantage of prior learning and experience, moving them quickly through material they already know and allowing them to focus on what they still need to learn.

In order for new and prospective students to be considered for WGU Missouri’s 6th Anniversary Scholarship, they must be Missouri residents, be admitted to WGU Missouri and submit a scholarship application no later than June 30, 2019.

WGU Missouri explained that scholarships will be awarded based on the student’s academic record; previous college experience; readiness for online study and current competency among other considerations.

Each $6,000 scholarship will be applied at the rate of $1,500 per six-month terms which will be renewable for up to four terms towards the university’s “already-low tuition” totaling $3,500 per six-month term for most programs.

Additional information about the WGU Missouri’s 6th Anniversary Scholarship can be found by visiting their website here.

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