John Ingram: WGU stands out among colleges because of platform, pace and affordability
Ten years ago, under Gov. Bill Haslam’s leadership, the state of Tennessee invested $5 million to establish the online, accredited, nonprofit university WGU Tennessee in order to help meet our state’s workforce needs.
An affiliate of the national Western Governors University, WGU Tennessee offers more than 80 accredited degrees in health care, education, business, and IT, specifically tailored to fit the schedules of working adults.
Since WGU Tennessee’s launch in July 2013, I have been honored to serve as chair of its advisory board. In reflecting on these past 10 years, I believe this partnership with WGU Tennessee has been among the most effective higher-education investments in our state’s history.
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Three things that set WGU apart from other higher education options
There are three major things, in my view, that set WGU Tennessee apart and that have made the initial investment from the state so successful.
The programs are online and self-directed
First, WGU Tennessee is 100% online and self-directed. In other words, students move at their own pace, and have total flexibility on when they access courses, do coursework, and take assessments. Online education isn’t necessarily the right fit for everyone. However, in states like Tennessee with both high rural and urban populations, brick-and-mortar education isn’t the right fit for everyone either.
Investing in WGU Tennessee gave Tennesseans a convenient alternative to traditional models, thereby expanding access. What we’ve seen over these 10 years is that WGU Tennessee does not compete with Tennessee’s traditional colleges and universities. Instead, people who would otherwise not enroll in a university program find that WGU Tennessee makes their education dreams possible. WGU Tennessee currently receives no direct funding from the state.
2. Students can progress at their own pace
Second, WGU Tennessee is competency-based. This means that students move on to their next course when they demonstrate mastery of the material. WGU Tennessee’s terms are six months, and students can fit as many courses into each term as they can handle.
It’s not typical, but it happens fairly often that a student with some prior college credits completes an entire bachelor’s or master’s degree in one or two terms. This “all-you-can-eat” model helps students progress quickly when they’re able, and means that students can slow down when they need to. This is modern education, made for the real world of day jobs, families, and all the other life commitments that don’t have to be interrupted by a rigid class schedule.
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3. Getting a degree is affordable
The third thing that distinguishes WGU Tennessee is affordability. Average yearly bachelor’s degree tuition at WGU Tennessee is $7,452, while the national average yearly bachelor’s degree tuition price is $16,618, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (2022).
WGU Tennessee’s graduate programs are similarly affordable compared to national averages. Combined with the competency-based, online model, various other cost-saving programs like WGU’s Responsible Borrowing Initiative, federal grants, and the fact that most students receive financial aid packages of some kind, WGU Tennessee is a cost-effective higher-education solution for Tennesseans who are interested in earning a degree.
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WGU went from 700 students to more than 10,000 degrees conferred
And the results are undeniable. In the 10 years since WGU Tennessee’s launch, the university has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships to Tennesseans, thereby reinvesting and exceeding the state’s original seed money.
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Recently, WGU Tennessee conferred its 10,000th degree. Having started with just over 700 students, the university now boasts more than 4,600 current students, making it one of the largest private universities in the state. And though WGU Tennessee launched with about 50 employees in the state, it now employs more than 200 Tennesseans.
This is a model for education, and education funding, in our great state. Gov. Haslam and the legislature deserve to be proud of this investment, and we should look for other ways as a state to make affordable higher education attainable for all our neighbors.
John Ingram is chairman of Ingram Content Group and Ingram Industries. He is also the lead owner of the Nashville Soccer Club.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Higher education: WGU's flexibility, affordability are keys to success
