Navigating Military Tuition Assistance at WGU: A Comprehensive Guide

Military service is an unparalleled sacrifice, and Western Governors University (WGU) is committed to making a college degree affordable for every service member who wants to earn one. The Virtual Military Education Resource Center at WGU exists to support, empower, and assist our military-connected students. With top-notch resources, WGU provides the skills and tools for student veterans to succeed in their educational goals. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding military tuition assistance (TA) at WGU, exploring available resources, scholarships, and other financial aid options.

WGU: A Military-Focused Institution

WGU is dedicated to supporting military students and alumni. WGU's latest effort toward becoming military focused includes the work of our Military Outreach team, featuring Amanda Bayatpoor and Jeff Harley. WGU has been named a top Military-Friendly School for 10 consecutive years because of its flexibility. WGU's competency-based and self-paced education model is especially suited for the rigors and unpredictability of military and post-military life. You’ll study and take exams on your schedule anywhere in the world with an internet connection, regardless of the time zone - particularly important during PCSs and deployments.

Several key figures at WGU are moving the university from military friendly to military focused. Dave Ammons and Casey Byington from WGU's Veteran's Employee Resource Group (VERGE) share how this group helps employees who in turn help military students and alumni.

Success Stories

Many military members and veterans are looking for ways to earn their college degrees. The dramatic downsizing of active-duty personnel since 1990 is a key reason why. There are now fewer available positions in the Armed Forces, and the competition for promotions is more intense. In fact, fewer than one in ten active-duty service members have a bachelor’s and only four in ten military officers have a master’s.

Several Night Owl active military and veteran stories highlight the transformative power of education at WGU:

B.S. Business Administration-Human Resource Management: One graduate, who was on active duty in San Antonio, Texas, struggled to find a school that accommodated his full-time work schedule. WGU's flexible online format allowed him to earn his B.S. degree.
B.S., leading to a teaching career: An Army veteran, after graduating from WGU, received a job offer to teach business education at a middle school and has been teaching at that school since August 2020.
B.S. Business Management and promotion to Operations Manager: After separating from the Air Force, one student became a Quality Engineer at Boeing. To progress further in their career, they needed to complete an undergraduate degree. While deploying overseas, they completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and was promoted to Operations Manager.

Understanding Military Tuition Assistance (TA)

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

Eligibility and Application

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 completing the first step of the application process. Scholarship opportunities are made possible in part by the generous support of many companies, foundations, partner organizations, and individuals, including WGU alumni, faculty, and staff.

Additional Financial Aid Options

For many people, one of the biggest barriers to education is the cost. But paying for a quality degree shouldn’t have to break the bank. Many WGU students receive scholarships and grants that make earning their degrees even more affordable. You may choose to pay for the remaining portion of your degree through federal financial aid (subject to your eligibility).

Pell Grants

Pell Grants, which do not have to be repaid, are granted based on financial need.

Federal Direct Student Loans

Federal Direct Student Loans are available to most students.

Read also: Service Member Scholarship Guide

GI Bill® Benefits

All WGU degree programs are approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for education benefits under the GI Bill®.

Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD)

Having evolved over the years, the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) is available to those who served on active-duty for at least two years and covers up to 36 months of education benefits.

Forever GI Bill

Passed into law , the Forever GI Bill enabled National Guardsmen, reservists, and those who received a Purple Heart after 9/11 to also use the GI Bill, and it eliminated the 15-year time limit for using these benefits.

FAFSA and Pell Grants

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Military students and traditional students alike apply for free online, and the financial aid application helps determine whether you qualify for a Pell Grant (see the next section) and/or student loans. Basic eligibility criteria include demonstrating financial need and being enrolled or accepted as a student in a degree program. The Federal Direct Loan Program is the largest of the federal student loan plans. When considering how to pay for college, Pell Grants are an incredible resource because, unlike loans, they don’t have to be repaid. These federally funded grants are need-based, and that is determined by your number of dependents, and other financial information disclosed in your FAFSA. To determine if you’re eligible for a Pell Grant, you’ll need to complete a FAFSA and be seeking an undergraduate degree. Part-time undergrads may not receive as much money as full-time students.

State Financial Aid

In addition to federal grants, you may be entitled to state-based financial aid. State financial aid programs typically have strict application deadlines. The maximum award amount for federal and state financial aid changes yearly. Currently, it’s at $-an increase of $100 from the previous year. Depending on financial need, all eligible students receive at least 10% of the maximum grant/loan award.

Read also: Pakistan's Military College Jhelum

Scholarships

Like grants, academic scholarships are another smart way to lower the cost of earning a degree while in the military since you don’t have to repay them. Offered by individuals, schools, and organizations, higher education scholarships can be awarded for a variety of reasons: from academic achievement and financial need to student categories and degree programs. Not all scholarships are income-based, so more individuals are eligible for scholarship than typically qualify for financial aid. If you do your research, you’re sure to find a scholarship that applies to you. In fact, WGU offers both general and military scholarships for veterans, active duty, and their immediate family. A military college focus like WGU means that we have financial aid options for all kinds of military students, from Army cadets to officers.

Military Tuition Assistance

We’re also approved to offer Military Tuition Assistance, which you can apply for at your base education office or through WGU’s Military Support Department.

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.

Paying for College Web Page

Another tool for ranking the best college for military students or veterans is the Paying for College web page.

Additional Ways to Save

Of course, another obvious way to save money for school is to pick a college with lower tuition. However, lower cost doesn’t always mean lower quality when it comes to higher education! When you’re ready to move onto your bachelor’s degree, you should also consider accredited, respected online universities like WGU. Tuition can be less than half of traditional universities since they don’t have to support brick-and-mortar campuses, facilities, or an expansive faculty-base.

WGU's Commitment to Affordability

WGU is one of the most affordable higher education options in the country with a flat-rate tuition and an average yearly bachelor’s program cost of $. The tuition rates above are based on the average tuition for WGU Master's and Bachelor's programs. Single courses, course bundles, and certificates at WGU do not follow our traditional model and are typically a set price for access to the certificate for 2-4 months. In addition to keeping tuition costs low, we’ve taken key steps to help our students reduce or eliminate the need to take out a loan to pay for their WGU degree.

Flat-Rate Tuition

Most universities charge tuition by credit hour-if you take more courses, you pay more money-but not WGU. We offer 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.

Competency-Based Education

Our programs are competency-based. That means you can complete most courses as fast as you master the material. Basically, with CBE, you can accelerate your graduation based on your existing skills and knowledge and/or how much time you spend on coursework. As mentioned earlier, a lot of people in the military already have college credits. If you’re in this boat, make sure you get the credit you deserve by selecting a traditional or online college with a generous transfer policy. A word of caution…some schools will accept all of your credits but require you to take several core classes unique to their institution. Another tip is to look for a military-friendly university that can acknowledge your service and experience. For example, WGU can waive some requirements for transfers based on military experience that’s been ACE-reviewed and applied directly to a WGU degree program. Military students can also use DANTES and CLEP exams to waive requirements as long as they match WGU’s program criteria and meet minimum grading standards.

Low Overhead

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

Overcoming Challenges Faced by Military Students

As with anything worth working for, there are going to be some challenges in attending an academic institution to pursue a degree program. But as a service member, you’re already trained to persevere and overcome!

Timing: You have an unpredictable schedule, work unusual hours, and/or spend time in the field, making it hard to participate in set, daytime classes.
Location: You’re often deployed or re-stationed, making it tricky to start and finish your degree at the same brick-and-mortar university.
Transferring credits: If you already have academic credits, it can be tough finding a school that readily accepts them or navigating the transfer process in general.
Family obligations: Time with your friends and family is already limited when you serve the country, so it can be challenging to find the time to study or work in schooling.
Length of commitment: You only have a short window to attend college (to get a promotion or before a post assignment ends) and don’t have time to spend four years on a degree program.

Military students also often have difficulty navigating the time-consuming and bureaucratic process of applying to schools.

Solutions for Overcoming Obstacles

Even though the obstacles listed can seem daunting, there are easy solutions for overcoming them-which is why more military students and veterans are earning their degrees.

Online Education: Military life means you’re often on the go. By choosing an online college over a traditional college, you’ll be able to work on your degree wherever the government sends you. Whether that’s ordering you to a new post, new deployment, or extended training at another base. Since your online college is virtual, there’s no need to transfer schools or apply to a satellite campus to continue your education. It’s important to note that not all online colleges are the same. To ensure you get the most value from your degree program, make sure that the online college is accredited. You should also look for an online college that has offered online degree programs for quite some time. WGU, for example, has offered online degree programs since 1997.
Flexible Schedule: Being a part of the military, you have many responsibilities-which is why picking a university with a flexible schedule you can actively participate in is essential for study success. Competency-based education is a huge advantage for people in the military. Why? What’s competency-based education? This is a valuable educational benefit that means you are measured by your skills and knowledge versus time spent in class. So if you’re working on your MBA and you already know a lot about leadership from your military career, you can probably pass through the leadership courses quickly.
Transfer Policy: If you’re in this boat, make sure you get the credit you deserve by selecting a traditional or online college with a generous transfer policy.

WGU's Programs and Flexibility

WGU is a regionally accredited, online university undergraduate and graduate programs in Information Technology, Business, Teaching, and Healthcare. Our self-paced degrees are based on real-world competencies rather than seat time allowing most students to advance through course material at a quicker pace. Many service members put off college because they think it’s too expensive. However, you can get a quality education for less than you think. There are many tuition assistance programs designed to help military students and civilians pursue higher education. One way WGU makes a bachelor’s or master’s degree affordable for military personnel is by offering low, flat-rate tuition. Built to serve you, most of our online college degree programs are completely flexible with no log-in requirements. So you can work when and where it best suits your schedule.

Part-Time Option

All WGU programs are available as a military part-time option. Part-time is only available to service members utilizing Tuition Assistance. (This option is not available to regular WGU students or to veterans using benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill). Your personal degree plan may vary based on any waivers you receive in transfer for prior academic experience. Note: Some programs are designed with integrated content and assessments that necessitate the student be enrolled full-time for at least one term.

The Value of a College Degree for Military Personnel

In a word, YES. A traditional or online college degree can drastically change your salary potential, promotion opportunities, or open the door to entirely new career paths. College grads earn an average of $33,000 more per year than those with a high school diploma. And master's degree graduates can earn even more than those with just a high school diploma. And the same is true for military careers. A standard rule for the military is that you can’t become an officer without a four-year degree. If you're an Army Corps, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or other corps cadet with eyes on moving up the rank to become an officer, a degree will be a critical first step. Earning a four-year degree can change the life of any active-duty service member or veteran. Not only does it typically lead to a raise in pay, but it also leads to opportunity. The opportunity to take on a new leadership role. The opportunity to try new experiences in both your personal and military life. As someone who has served in the Armed Forces, you bring many great benefits to the workplace. You’re disciplined, hard-working, a team player, and a creative problem solver. You also take direction well and provide excellent leadership skills and initiative.

Making the Right Choice: Is WGU a Good Fit?

WGU is a great university for service members who wants to earn a degree and benefit from the flexibility of online learning. Our competency-based online degree programs allow you to benefit from your existing knowledge. Our faculty and staff provide continuous support to help you make progress as quickly as you are able to. And our programs have been repeatedly recognized as military-friendly. At the same time, however, it’s important to understand when WGU is not the right choice. Our programs are designed to serve the degree-seeking student, not someone who is just looking to complete a few courses. If you think you may want to complete a degree program at WGU-perhaps even one started somewhere else-we may be a great fit.

Contacting Military Support

For assistance with your VA Education Benefits or Military Tuition Assistance, contact Military Support or call 1-877-435-7948, ext. Our twenty-seven Military Benefits professionals work daily to solve challenges unique to military-affiliated students. When the transfer evaluation is completed, you receive a Degree Plan for your program.

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