WGU Texas offers 2 scholarships for rural students
Jun. 27—AUSTIN — For rural Texas residents who want to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree program and remain in their hometowns, distance barriers, time, and cost may keep them from reaching their educational goals.
To help overcome these barriers, WGU Texas is offering two scholarship programs for new and returning students. The Learn Where You Live Scholarship is valued at up to $3,000 and awarded at $750 per six-month term for up to four terms and is available to new and returning students living in rural areas. The U.S. Census Bureau defines rural communities with approximately 2,500 or fewer people, and in Texas, nearly 14 percent, or 3.8 million, reside in rural communities.
In addition, for those rural Texans who live in a T-Mobile service area for internet service, WGU offers the Online Access Scholarship, which provides students with a laptop, internet service, and a webcam to pursue their education studies. According to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), approximately 95.5 percent of Texans have broadband access. As broadband extends to remote areas of the state, more residents have access to WGU's more than 65 online bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, IT, education, and healthcare.
"WGU Texas recognizes the impact that completing a degree program can have on families, communities, and individuals," Linda Battles, WGU Regional Vice President, South, said in a news release. "For many Texans, driving an hour or more to a college campus is not feasible, especially if they have work and family obligations. That's why WGU is doing what we can to remove the barriers of distance, time, and cost with our online, competency-based model that lets students log in whenever and wherever they have internet access."
WGU Texas is an affiliate of the nonprofit Western Governors University. Tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most undergraduate degree programs, and students can accelerate at their own pace. Each student is assigned a program mentor from their field of study who will work with them from day one to graduation. WGU Texas serves more than 16,000 students and 27,000 alumni.
With more than 65 online bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, IT, education, and healthcare, students can accelerate at their preferred pace toward a bachelor's or master's degree in an in-demand, workforce-aligned field. According to Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics, using current real-time labor market data, they found more than 40,000 in demand and open positions available for rural regions of the state, with healthcare and education roles leading the job list.
Both scholarship application deadlines are Dec. 31, and more information is available at www.wgu.edu/learnwhereyoulive and www.wgu.edu/access.
