Established in 1997 by a bipartisan group of governors, Western Governors University (WGU) is an accredited, online nonprofit university offering more than 80 degrees and certificates in healthcare, business, K-12 education and IT. In 2017, WGU signed a partnership agreement with the state of North Carolina and has offices in Durham. WGU has more than 8,800 graduates throughout all 100 counties in the state, and 24.9% of them live in a rural area. The university has transfer agreements with 26 North Carolina community colleges. Since 2002, WGU has awarded nearly $6.9 million in scholarships to North Carolinians.
