WGU Missouri Announces $100,000 in Scholarships for Students Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nonprofit, online university to award up to 34 scholarships worth $3,000 each to newly enrolled students facing economic hardships as a result of Covid-19 closures and layoffs
AVA, Mo. – In response to the unprecedented economic hardships millions of American families are now facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fully online, nonprofit university WGU Missouri is offering up to $100,000 in scholarships to impacted individuals looking to strengthen their skills by earning a degree online, from the safety of their homes. The Bright Future Scholarship is open to new students who have lost income due to the global health crisis and are interested in earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in any of WGU’s 60-plus degree programs in information technology, business, K-12 teacher education or health professions, including nursing.
Each Bright Future Scholarship is valued at up to $3,000 ($1,500 for the first six-month term and then $500 per term for three subsequent terms) and will be applied to WGU Missouri’s already-low tuition of about $3,500 per six-month term. The needs-based scholarship will be awarded to individuals who can show evidence of loss of income in their household as a result of the pandemic. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2020.
In addition to offering scholarships to those impacted by COVID-19, WGU is also providing $7 million in emergency aid across the nation to current students experiencing financial and healthcare hardships as a result of COVID-19. This includes non-tuition emergency aid to support current students with expenses that threaten their academic progress, such as rent, groceries, medical bills, internet service and other essential needs; enhanced financial support to provide hardship scholarships for current students who need tuition assistance due to financial disruptions; funding for help with restructured payment plans or tuition and fee credits for some eligible students; and funding for interrupted terms to support eligible current students, such as those who cannot complete in-person demonstration teaching and clinical rotations.
WGU is the leader in providing quality, online higher educational opportunities that equip students with the skills they need to excel their careers. Unlike a traditional college program, WGU caters to adults with previous work experience or who are currently working and looking to further their careers through education. The university’s competency-based education model allows adult students to take advantage of prior learning and experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn.
For more information about WGU Missouri or the “Bright Future” scholarship, visit missouri.wgu.edu.
About WGU Missouri
WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members provide one-on-one guidance, support, and instruction.
Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*).
*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).
