According to YouGov.com, about 34% U.S. adult citizens made at least one New Year’s resolution at the start of 2024. For those resolving to jump start their education in 2025, nonprofit online Western Governors University has announced a New Year Scholarship valued at $2,500, credited to recipients at $625 per six-month term and renewable for up to four terms.

According to MyFutureNC, North Carolina needs 2 million adults with a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030 to meet expected workforce needs. Right now, the organization’s dashboard shows that figure at about 1.6 million.

An accredited online university, WGU has rolling terms enabling students to enroll at any time and potentially start classes the first day of the following month. WGU offers more than 80 bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificates in business, I.T., healthcare and K-12 education. The university currently has 5,829 students and 9,570 alumni throughout North Carolina.

Tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most degree programs at WGU, and each student is assigned a program mentor who will work with them until graduation. The average time to complete a bachelor’s degree at WGU is 2.5 years, depending on the transfer of any existing college credits and WGU’s competency-based model, which allows students to progress through courses at their preferred pace once they demonstrate mastery of the course materials.

“We’ve seen double-digit growth in enrollment in the Southeast over the past several years,” said Ben Coulter, Ed.D., chancellor of WGU North Carolina and Southeast regional director. “That is a testament that WGU’s asynchronous, competency-based approach is appealing to working adults who want the flexibility to study at their preferred time and pace.”

Prospective students can find out more about the New Year Scholarship and apply starting December 15 at https://www.wgu.edu/financial-aid-tuition/scholarships/general/new-year.html. To learn more about Western Governors University, visit www.wgu.edu.