For more information visit:
!  College Productivity.org
!  Lumina Foundation
!  HCM Strategists
WGU INDIANA: A LOW COST EFFORT TO
EXPAND ACCESS
States continue to experience a growing demand for educated workers. This demand
!
simply cannot be met by focusing on traditional-aged
students; states must also find
ways to attract and successfully meet the needs of adult workers. Such a focus will
require colleges and universities to deliver programming in ways that allow returning
adults to manage their studies along with work and family obligations. Investing in
this future return will be difficult as state funds continue to contract placing growing
pressure on institutional budgets. Faced with this challenge, Indiana partnered with
Western Governors University (WGU) to create the eighth state university, offering
online, competency-based education at a low-cost to students.
THE SOLUTION: CREATING WGU INDIANA
WGU is a private non-profit, online institution that uses competency-based instruction to accelerate time to
degree and ensure quality (see WGU one pager). It is self-sustaining on its low, annual tuition of $5,800 and it
has only raised tuition $200 in the past five years.
Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana signed an executive order creating WGU Indiana to fill a previously unmet
need of educating the state s working adult population with some college but no degree. Foundations provided
funding for $1.75 million of startup costs. Students at WGU Indiana can participate in the state s financial aid
program, but no state operating funds are appropriated to the institution. State financial aid helps students offset
the cost of earning a degree at WGU Indiana, which is roughly the same price as instate tuition at an Indiana
public institution. In its first six months, the University tripled in size to more than 1,000 students and is
currently enrolling about 100 new students each month.
REPLICATION: NEXT STEPS FOR POLICYMAKERS
Governors and legislators should consider the following:
• Set up a branch of WGU in their states through an executive order or legislation;
• Provide state financial aid for state residents attending WGU;
• Promote WGU to students who are turned away from state universities and promote WGU to community college
graduates to pursue a bachelor s degree;
• Work with the state s workforce system to utilize WGU to retrain workers;
• Reduce or remove regulatory and licensure obstacles for WGU; and
• Include WGU in state higher education strategic plans.
This% publica,on% was% produced% by% HCM% Strategists% with% support% from% Lumina% Founda,on.% % HCM% is% a% public% policy% and% advocacy% consul,ng% group% focused% on%
finding%effec,ve%solu,ons%in%educa,on%and%health.%The%views%expressed%in%this%publica,on%are%those%of%the%authors%and%do%not%necessarily%represent%those%of%
Lumina%Founda,on,%its%officers%and%directors%or%employees.%