Attending College Out of State – Without Breaking the Bank!

ATTENDING COLLEGE OUT OF STATE – WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK!

Are you interested in attending a university outside of California but are concerned with the out-of-state tuition cost? Do you know what the University of Arizona, Washington State University, University of New Mexico, University of Nevada Reno and Washington State University have in common?  These are just a few of the more than 150 four- and two-year institutions that are members of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).  The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is one of the program initiatives of WICHE that focuses on 15 western states.  Students who are residents of WICHE states are eligible to request a reduced tuition rate of 1.5 times the rate of resident tuition at participating two- and four-year college programs outside of their home state.  WICHE members include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Here’s an example of how it works at the University of New Mexico…Students with a 3.0 GPA and SAT score (CR+M) of 910 or ACT score of 19 are eligible for a WUE scholarship valued at approximately $12,800.  Students with a 3.0 GPA and SAT Score of 1030 or ACT score of 22 are eligible for the WUE Plus scholarship valued at approximately $16,128.  In 2013-14, WUE and WUE Plus scholarship recipients paid annual tuition of only $7,888 and $4,550, respectively!  WUE scholarships are renewable for four years provided the student meets the stated requirements.

As you can see, WUE is a great option for students who desire to attend college outside of California but are afraid of the out of state tuition sticker shock. In some cases the overall cost can be lower than attending a UC or CSU institution! Application requirements, deadlines and program exclusions vary by institutional members of WUE.  For more detailed information about WUE and WICHE, go to http://www.wiche.edu/info/publications/wueHandout.pdf.

For more information about upcoming workshops, available services and additional college planning resources, go to www.antoinettebattiste.com, email adviser@antoinettebattiste.com or call (408) 270-1930.