THE WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE.
“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you sit still.” – Will Rogers
Going to college out of state could mean paying up to three times more than attending a school or university in your home state, especially public. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) was established in 1987 to make college more affordable and accessible to students in the West. Sometimes the program is pronounced “Woo-wee” for short. These 170+ two- year and four-year public schools allow student applicants to enroll outside of their home state in one of the participating WUE schools as non-resident students.
Through WUE, students can choose from hundreds of undergraduate programs across the West and pay no more than 150% of the institution’s resident tuition rate.
Today, more than 170 public colleges and universities offer reduced tuition rates through WUE to qualifying students. Participating schools offer these discounted rates to help students avoid the full cost of pursuing higher education outside their home state and minimize the impact of student loan debt.
Some restrictions may apply, and schools and majors are fluid, so you will need to do some investigative work as these do change very frequently.
Not all public universities within the Western states are a part of the program. The University of Oregon and the University of Colorado, as examples, do not participate. They have an overabundance of applications. Private schools also do not participate.
Residents of the following states and territories are eligible to apply for WUE: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
Applications can be generally found on the college’s admissions tab. Link to more information:
Link to current list of participating schools:
So, why else is WUE important?
COSTS
It is often a better return on investment to attend a WUE school outside of California than to attend a California public school (Cal States as well as UC’s). Room and board and the costs of living off campus can be outrageous at some of the California public school options, especially at some of the coastal schools. The average savings per WUE student is about $12,500.
IMPACTION
Impaction is a phrase used to describe the situation when more students apply for certain majors than available space. This can translate into delayed graduations. Several Cal State’s are fully impacted and the others all experience majors that are impacted. It is not uncommon for a student to take six years to complete an undergraduate degree based on availability of classes. At a WUE school, that same student can be done in four.
EACH SCHOOL HAS THEIR OWN PRO’S AND CON’S. INVESTIGATE MANY TO FIND THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
