Durham, N.C. – WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of online nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), has signed a partnership agreement with Teach For America, Inc., North Carolina (TFA-NC). To provide TFA-NC members and employees with multiple paths to higher education and professional development, WGU will provide scholarships valued at $2,500 to those seeking to further their education through online coursework at WGU.
WGU will award up to five Teach For America North Carolina Scholarships per year, provided as a tuition credit of $625 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms. As part of the agreement, WGU North Carolina will also assist in the development and execution of initial and ongoing enrollment campaigns, and provide information about Teach For America to qualified students in WGU’s Teachers College.
WGU is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). WGU’s Teachers College is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). Tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most WGU undergraduate degree programs, and students can accelerate at their own pace with consent from their assigned mentor.
Since 1990, Teach For America has found, developed, and supported a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children across North Carolina. Its network continues to work in classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shape the broader systems in which schools operate. Teach For America has 2,000+ alumni members in North Carolina, representing a diverse network of changemakers — career educators, ed-tech entrepreneurs, district leaders, socially conscious CEOs, and many more — who are working to expand opportunity.
“It is our mission to find, develop, and support equity-oriented leaders so they can transform education and expand opportunity with children,” said Dr. Monique Perry Graves, Executive Director of Teach for America North Carolina. “Partnerships like this are critical toward achieving that aim. We are grateful for WGU’s contributions to higher education in North Carolina.”
“We recognize the excellent work that Teach for America North Carolina has done to recruit and develop exceptional educators working in high-need areas of our state,” said WGU North Carolina Chancellor Ben Coulter, Ed.D. “It is our hope that the partnership and scholarships will further develop talented teachers committed to inspiring bright students in their communities.”
Celebrating its fifth anniversary as a state affiliate this year, WGU North Carolina currently has more than 3,800 students enrolled across the state. More than 1,100 graduates of WGU’s Teachers College live in North Carolina.
