WUE INSTITUTIONS, COLLEGE ADVISORS, HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS

What is WUE?

WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a program of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through WUE, students in western states may enroll in 150 two-year and four-year college institutions at a reduced tuition level: 150 percent of the institution's regular resident tuition. The program began in 1987 and all WICHE states have now signed the agreement. A copy of your state’s signed WUE agreement is available for your review. Students from all WICHE member states are eligible to request the WUE tuition discount.

WICHE member states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. Search the WUE Online Database to see which institutions participate and which programs are available at the discounted WUE rate.

Advantages of WUE

When states and their institutions participate in WUE, everyone wins.

Advantages for participating institutions. While the WUE tuition reciprocity arrangement does not provide financial reimbursement to institutions for WUE students, there are many advantages to the participating institution. WUE can help institutions to build an enrollment base to strengthen programs, improve efficiency by filing excess capacity, and provide student diversity. Some institutions that border other states value the program as it enables them to serve the citizens of the nearby communities. WICHE’s new online searchable WUE database will prove a valuable tool to promote your institution and its programs of study.

Advantages for the sending and receiving states. States benefit from WUE in several ways. Sending states’ residents are able to attend affordable institutions in other Western states at no expense to the state. Receiving states also benefit if a student decides to remain there following graduation, helping the state to build an educated workforce.

Advantages to participating students. WUE gives students from WICHE states affordable access to programs that may not be available in their home state or that do not have sufficient capacity. WUE also provides students with a more diverse array of institutions in which to enroll.

FAQ for Participating or Prospective WUE Institutions

For more information about WUE from an institutional perspective, read this document.

Tuition Reciprocity Research

Read more about how your state, its residents, and your institution can use regional tuition reciprocity in the West to everyone’s advantage: Student Migration: Relief Valve for State Enrollment and Demographic Pressures (WICHE Policy Insights, May 2005).

Promoting WUE to Prospective Students

WICHE has developed several tools to help students and their families learn about WUE.

• WUE Handout. Download the WUE Handout listing of participating schools » 4-page 8.5"x11" format » Double-sided 11"x17" tabloid format
• WUE Poster. Check our new WUE full-color poster: College in the West for Less. To request printed copies, contact your WUE State Liaison Representative. WUE Poster (11” x 17” )
• WUE Postcards. Full Color Postcards (print four per page and trim)

Contact Us

Counselors: For information about specific programs available through WUE, contact the admissions office of the school that your student wants to apply to. For state-specific information regarding WUE, contact your state Certifying Office or state WUE liaison representative (see page 4 of the PDF file).

For more general information, contact us at:
info-sep@wiche.edu
Tel: 303.541.0270
Student Exchange Programs
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
3035 Center Green Drive
Boulder, CO 80301

For specific information about the WUE program itself, contact Margo Colalancia, Director, WICHE Student Exchange Programs, at 303.541.0214 or mcolalancia@wiche.edu.

Enrollment Reports

WICHE has developed several forms of WUE Enrollment Reports to help states and participating institutions in their enrollment planning. Please see our standard WUE Enrollment Report. Additional CIP code-based reports for state offices are available; please contact our office with your request.

Make changes to your institution’s WUE Online Account

• Update Your WUE Profile (Open access every summer. We will contact you when it’s time to do your annual update.)
• Report your WUE Enrollment Numbers (Open access every fall from September 15- October 15th)

For assistance with your institution’s WUE profile or reporting your WUE enrollment numbers, contact Laura Ewing at 303.541.0270 or LEwing@wiche.edu.