WUE: For Students

Increase your odds with foresight and follow-through

Congratulations! Landing on this page increases your odds of finding your perfect WUE match and saving thousands annually on college tuition. You can increase those odds with forethought and follow-through.

1. Be sure you’re eligible.

• Be a qualified resident of a WICHE member state or territory.
• Plan to study at a public college or university in another of WICHE’s 16 states and territories.
• Ensure your chosen school offers the major you want. Search the WUE Savings Finder database to find out which majors at 160+ Western schools are WUE-eligible. (Some campuses exclude select majors from WUE eligibility.)
• Meet your school’s admissions criteria–both generally, and for WUE. Along with that school’s general admissions standards, some require WUE students to meet specified GPA and/or ACT/SAT scores.

2. Know these application tips.

• Apply directly to the schools. WICHE itself does not accept applications. The schools make all admissions and financial aid decisions.
• Indicate your interest in seeking WUE in your application: Typically admissions offices handle WUE requests. However, some schools process WUE applications in their scholarship or financial aid office.
• Apply early. As you may see on your chosen school’s WUE Savings Finder profile, some schools set earlier deadlines for WUE applicants, or fill WUE student quotas on a first-apply, first-served basis.
• Know your tuition savings, but don’t forget fees. WICHE requires that WUE tuition rates not exceed 150 percent of a college or university’s resident tuition rate–but in some cases they’re lower still, so check the WUE Savings Finder for detail on each institution’s WUE rate (updated each December). Note: Student fees, room, and board are not part of WUE savings, so budget for those.
• Many participating campuses accept transfer students: check to be sure.

3. Don’t quit once you’re in.

• Confirm all requirements directly with your WUE school.
• Keep all WUE award correspondence to verify the terms of your award and eligibility.
• Study hard. Retain good academic standing–and, at some schools, meet a credit-hours minimum each term–to continue receiving WUE. Some schools do not extend WUE rates beyond a standard graduation interval (two years for associate’s programs, four years for bachelor’s).

Still have questions?

• Contact a school’s admissions office if your question is about admission, eligibility, or other aspects of a particular school’s decision-making process. Or check the school’s WUE Savings Finder profile; many questions can be answered there.
• Review the WUE FAQ for answers to general questions that are not about a specific single school. Or view this WUE handout for AY 2020-21 participating schools.
• Contact us if you still have questions.

Benefited from WUE?