Gates Foundation Awards $1.2 Million to Study Effectiveness of Online Degree Program for Low-Income Students

WGU was created by 19 U.S. governors to establish a competency-based learning model, share distance-learning resources, improve the quality of higher education, and expand access to underserved populations. Today it serves more than 14,000 students in all 50 states.

WGU degree programs are delivered using technology--individualized and self-paced with the one-on-one guidance and support of a faculty mentor. Undergraduate tuition is approximately $6,000 per year, roughly the same as a state college or university, and considerably less than other online universities.

Western Governors University
WGU is the only accredited online university in the U.S. offering competency-based degree programs. Now serving more than 14,000 students, the private, non-profit university has been a leader in online education for more than 10 years. WGU is the recipient of the USDLA 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning for 2008, awarded in recognition of WGU's success in expanding access to higher education. WGU has been honored as one of the 2008 Top 20 Military Friendly Colleges and Universities by Military Advanced Education magazine. WGU sponsors the Online Student Survival Guide, a blog that addresses many of the questions and daily concerns students attending any online college or university face. More information is available at www.wgu.edu/onlinesuccess.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people--especially those with the fewest resources--have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information on the foundation's investments, go to www.gatesfoundation.org.