DURHAM — WGU North Carolina will celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week May 8-12 by offering two scholarship programs for current and future education professionals who wish to pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees in the Teachers College at WGU’s School of Education, the largest nonprofit, accredited school of education in the country.
Each WGU Loves Teachers Scholarship is valued at up to $4,000 and designed to help current teachers improve their classroom skills, move into administration, or assist aspiring teachers in obtaining the required credentials for a rewarding future career as an educator. Each scholarship will be credited to the student’s account at the rate of $1,000 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms. Scholarships will be awarded based on a candidate’s academic record, financial need, readiness for online study at WGU, current competency, and other considerations.
In addition to the WGU Loves Teachers Scholarship, from now through June 30, 2023, the university is offering a new Education Support Professionals Scholarship that can be applied toward any of WGU’s Teachers College degree programs leading to teacher licensure. This scholarship, worth up to $5,000, is a unique opportunity for teacher assistants currently working in K-12 schools to receive funds toward tuition plus a stipend for student teaching. This scholarship will be credited to the student’s account at the rate of $625 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms, with an additional $2,500 stipend for the student-teaching term.
WGU North Carolina is the state affiliate of Western Governors University, a nonprofit online university offering more than 80 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in education, IT, healthcare, and business. The university has more than 147,000 students enrolled nationwide, including more than 4,500 in North Carolina. Tuition for most undergraduate degree programs is around $4,000 per six-month term, and every student is assigned a program mentor from their field of study.
“According to the North Carolina State of the Teaching Profession Report issued by the Department of Public Instruction in February, there are more than 5,000 K-12 teacher vacancies in the state,” said Ben Coulter, Ed.D., Chancellor of WGU North Carolina. “Although there is not one singular answer to the issue of teacher vacancies, we hope these scholarships will help attract and retain motivated teachers across North Carolina.”
Since its launch in 2003, WGU’s Teachers College has graduated more than 81,000 educators in every state in America – including nearly 1,400 in North Carolina – and currently enrolls more than 38,000 students. By providing competency-based, flexible, online degree programs and low, flat-rate tuition, WGU allows students to progress through their courses as soon as they demonstrate mastery. This enables them to learn while working and graduate with less debt than their peers.
New and enrolling WGU students can apply by June 30 for the WGU Loves Teachers Scholarship at wgu.edu/teacherappreciation and the Education Support Professionals Scholarship at wgu.edu/parascholarship. To learn more about WGU’s Teachers College and its academic programs, visit wgu.edu/online-teaching-degrees. To learn more about WGU North Carolina, visit nc.wgu.edu.
