Top WGU Alternatives

The student loan debt crisis has become a serious issue, especially in the USA. According to reports, the total student loan debt in the USA alone is a whopping 1.56 trillion dollars with a default rate of 11.4%. University education is getting increasingly expensive. Students nowadays are finding it difficult to pay their student loan in the stipulated time and thereby putting themselves under enormous mental stress. The issue with rising student loan debt needs to be sorted out and in the meanwhile, students can also look at alternatives to university education.

WGU – An alternative to traditional universities

One of the alternatives is to enrol for courses in online universities like Western Governors University (WGU). The curriculum at WGU has been prepared in collaboration with leading employers with special emphasis on imparting in-demand skills. All the degrees offered by the university are competency-based meaning that skill and learning are given more importance over time. This helps students to learn at a faster pace and master skills. The university is a non-profit institution and offers great learning value.

Affordability and accessibility

The other advantage of a non-profit institution like WGU is that it charges affordable tuition fees and thereby ensures that students don’t pile up a huge amount of student loan debt. Additionally, WGU also offers federal student aid. Moreover, the online nature of the learning pedagogy allows students to proceed at their own pace and schedule. The university is accredited to the North-west commission on colleges and universities (NWCCU), the highest accreditation. Courses offered by the university include both bachelor’s and master’s programs in streams such as business, health & nursing, teaching and I.T.

The employers’ preference

WGU also provides placement assistance to its students through its career services program which also provides services such as professional development, career exploration and career planning. The degree programs commence from the 1st of every month all through the year. Moreover, surveys have indicated that employers have shown a 97% satisfaction with WGU graduates and hence are inclined towards hiring graduates from the university. Overall, the WGU offers great value to its students at affordable cost and can be a viable alternative to traditional university education which is progressively becoming less affordable.