Summary
Student Access Programs: By the Numbers Academic Year (AY) 2023-24 contains the most recent data, as well as participation and migration statistics by each WICHE state and eligible Pacific Island jurisdiction, for each of our three tuition savings programs. Additionally, this report includes data summaries that provide reference points for key populations such as college students and their families, high school counselors and academic advisors, postsecondary institution leaders and enrollment management staff, and policymakers.
Detailed WUE and WRGP enrollment information is here:
Details
- Year Published : 2024
- Month Published : May
- Media Type : pdf
The Importance of Student Access Programs
WICHE operates three Student Access Programs that support undergraduate, graduate, and professional healthcare studies. The overarching goal of each program is to lower the cost of tuition for students.
▶ More than 47,200 undergraduate students saved $559.1 million through WUE.
▶ More than 2,800 graduate students saved $39.2 million through WRGP.
▶ 557 professional healthcare students saved a total of $14.5 million through PSEP.
THE WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE (WUE) — the nation’s largest regional tuition savings program in terms of student enrollment and estimated savings — allows eligible students from a WICHE state or Pacific Island jurisdiction to enroll in participating two- or four-year public colleges or universities in the WICHE region and pay reduced nonresident tuition. Students can choose from hundreds of majors at 169 institutions and pay no more than 150% of that school’s resident tuition — almost always at a lower cost than the nonresident tuition rate they would pay.
THE WESTERN REGIONAL GRADUATE PROGRAM (WRGP) allows graduate certificate, master’s, and doctoral students who are residents of WICHE states and Pacific Island jurisdictions to affordably enroll in more than 2,000 graduate programs at 67 public institutions in the West. Participating students can enroll as nonresidents and pay no more than 150% of resident tuition (though the majority of WRGP institutions charge students resident tuition, which is a greater savings).
THE PROFESSIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM (PSEP) benefits students from 12 Western states and territories pursuing careers in 10 health fields, ranging from optometry to dentistry to veterinary medicine. They may enroll in some 135 participating programs across the WICHE region and apply for substantial tuition support from their home state or Pacific Island jurisdiction. These high-demand professionals are critical to the health and wellness of their home communities, especially in underserved rural or remote areas of the West. Educating more health professionals is crucial. WICHE reduces the financial strain for students pursuing professional healthcare degrees, especially for those from less populated states and territories.