Western Governors University Ohio Honored As Collegiate Purple Star University For Efforts Supporting Student Veterans

Western Governors University Ohio (WGU Ohio) has been recognized as a Collegiate Purple Star recipient for the school’s work supporting students with military backgrounds.

WGU Ohio is among 10 new campuses to receive the designation from the Ohio Department of Higher Education, bringing the total number of Purple Star campuses in the state to 46.

Many WGU Ohio students are veterans whom the university is helping gain the additional education needed to turn their military experience into accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a broad range of programs, said Dr. K.L. Allen, chancellor of WGU Ohio.

“For veterans accustomed to the military’s competency-based instruction methods, WGU’S approach is familiar and they can earn credit toward their degree by demonstrating mastery of a subject from previous work or military experience,” Allen said. “There is no need to sit long hours in a classroom, forced to re-learn the things they already know.”

WGU Ohio’s approach to higher education allows students to take advantage of their realworld experience and knowledge to move quickly through curriculums they’re familiar with. A particular focus is adult learners: professionals with family and work obligations but also a wealth of on-theground experience.

Ohio’s criteria for designation as a Collegiate Purple Star campus include having a dedicated military/veteran point of contact or office on campus and establishing priority registration for veterans and servicemembers.

Other requirements include surveying student veterans and servicemembers along with their spouses and dependents about their needs and challenges, and allowing for student-led veteran and servicemember groups and organizations. These criteria perfectly match WGU Ohio’s long-standing commitment to veterans, Allen said.

An accredited, nonprofit online university initiated by 19 U.S. state governors specifically to help tackle the country’s job skills gap, WGU is a national pioneer in innovative learning approaches and affordable tuition structures. In 2018, Ohio became the eighth state to partner with WGU, part of efforts by policymakers to close Ohio’s skills gap with a new pathway for adults to seek careers in such in-demand fields as healthcare and nursing, business, teaching, and information technology. Since then, WGU Ohio has produced nearly 10,000 graduates with bachelor’s or master’s degrees for jobs in those and other industries.

The 2022-2023 school year also marks the 12th consecutive year that WGU nationally has been named a Military Friendly® School. For 2022-2023, WGU is also ranked as the #1 online school by Military Friendly®.

WGU offers a dedicated Military Tuition Assistance Team that helps applicants review their GI Bill benefits and other potential funding sources, including scholarships. All WGU degree programs are approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for all education benefits offered under the GI Bill. Education benefit options are available for veterans and active-duty service members, dependents, and those with service in the National Guard and Reserves.