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Since 2016, Guam has partnered with and benefited from WICHE through regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation.

 

Download the factsheet for Guam here.

 

2024-25 ACADEMIC YEAR

0 TOTAL SAVED

by Guam students through WICHE Student Access Programs

0 SAVED

through WUE

0 SAVED

through WRGP

0 SAVED

through PSEP

WICHE’s Student Access Programs

WICHE operates three Student Access Programs that together saved students $671 million in 2024-25. Each program supports students at each level of postsecondary education: undergraduate, graduate, and professional healthcare studies.

  • Students gain from increased choice and savings.
  • Schools gain by optimizing enrollments.
  • States and Pacific Island members gain by growing the skills of those they serve and strengthening their workforce.

Growing up on Guam, I witnessed firsthand the challenges of healthcare shortages and their impact on our community. These experiences sparked my passion for medicine. While many students from Guam dream of becoming healthcare professionals, financial constraints and limited educational opportunities often stand in their way.
Thanks to WICHE’s PSEP support, I am now studying at Western University of Health Sciences in Oregon, where I’ve met incredible individuals who share my commitment to medicine. While the journey is challenging, I stay focused by remembering my purpose.
My goal is to return to Guam after completing my education to serve as a compassionate physician in my home community. This program hasn’t just made my dreams possible — it’s inspired me to work toward a future where quality healthcare is accessible to everyone in Guam. To future PSEP applicants: remember your roots and strive to give back to the communities that shaped you.

GINO, Guam resident, Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences

Improving Lives in Guam

WICHE works collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all residents of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education’s contributions to the region’s social, economic, and civic life. Learn more about our mission.

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WICHE staff have provided technical assistance for Guam’s considerations related to authorizing off-island postsecondary institutions and potentially examining the need for participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). Additionally, WICHE continues to advocate for considering the unique challenges faced by the Pacific Islands and the need for incorporating their data in federal collections and analysis.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – The Forum is a consortium of academic officers at four-year institutions, including those awarding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as chief executives and chief academic officers for systems and state governing boards.

  •   University of Guam

Anita Borja Enriquez serves on the Forum executive committee.

NO HOLDING BACK As one of 12 WICHE institutions in a community of practice in 2022-2023, the University of Guam analyzed data, policies, and practices to make improvements in how it used holds on registration or transcripts, and contributed to the development of tools for other institutions to undertake this work.

Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center contracts with the WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) to facilitate the development of a doctoral psychology internship program to support the preparation and retention of doctoral-level psychologists in Guam. The WICHE BHP ensures the program meets the accreditation requirements of the American Psychological Association (APA), provides technical assistance, and supports the internship program through the accreditation process. The Guam-PIC graduated its first intern from the program in the 2022-23 academic year.

WICHE staff continue to work with federal partners to ensure federal policy recognizes and accounts for the unique nature of the Pacific region.

Knocking at the College Door is the leading U.S. resource for projections of high school graduates. Released in December 2024, the newest edition is essential for postsecondary policymakers, planning and workforce efforts, and economic development.

DATA EXPERTS WICHE staff provide analysis on finance, financial aid, articulation and transfer, strategic planning, student demographics, and more, as well as host peer-to-peer calls of state, system, and institutional chief academic officers to identify areas of potential collaboration and resource sharing across the West.

DATA RESOURCES WICHE offers curated data and policy resources to support better-informed decision-making. WICHE’s research projects and collaborations cover postsecondary completion, health workforce development, behavioral health in postsecondary education, open educational resources (OER), state finance, prior learning assessment, and more:

WICHE has convened the OERWEST NETWORK, which is part of a nationwide collaborative to scale the development and adoption of free course materials. Open educational resources (OER) have shown promise in improving student outcomes, particularly for students whom the high cost of textbooks can be a barrier to postsecondary success.

WICHE Commissioners

Frankie Eliptico

* Frankie Eliptico

Representing CNMI, Vice President, Administration and Advancement, Northern Marianas College

Rodney Jacob

Rodney Jacob

Representing Guam, Attorney, Partner, Calvo Fisher & Jacob LLP

Kalani Kaneko

Kalani Kaneko

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

Legislative Advisory Committee

Manny Gregory Castro

Manny Gregory Castro

Senator, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Kalani Kaneko

Kalani Kaneko

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

Tina Rose Muña Barnes

Tina Rose Muña Barnes

Senator, Guam Legislature