Fayetteville Technical Community College signs partnership agreement with WGU North Carolina

Fayetteville Technical Community College graduates will benefit from a new partnership agreement between FTCC and WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of national online nonprofit Western Governors University.

The agreement will ease the transition for FTCC graduates who pursue bachelor’s degrees offered by WGU. FTCC graduates will also receive a tuition discount of 5 percent for up to four academic terms at WGU and be eligible to apply for designated scholarships providing $2,000 in tuition credit over four terms.

FTCC staff will also be eligible to apply for the scholarships, which are offered through the WGU Community College Partner Scholarship program and awarded to recipients in increments of $500 per term.

FTCC President Dr. J. Larry Keen said WGU has long been an educational innovator on the national stage. “The net result of that is much more opportunity for a wide variety of people,” he said. FTCC’s partnership with WGU will mean “great things” for FTCC’s students. “We know for a fact that the path to prosperity comes through our educational institutions,” Keen said.

Dr. Mark Sorrells, FTCC’s Vice President for Academic & Student Services, said many FTCC students “are further along in their lives, with families and jobs and commitments, that create ties to place that are hard to overcome and leave to continue on at a traditional university.” Because its programs are online, WGU “really opens the door to opportunity to those who otherwise might not have it,” he said.

WGU offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees in the high-demand fields of business, information technology, K-12 education, and healthcare, including nursing. WGU’s competency-based learning model allows students to accelerate at their own pace. Asynchronous courses allow students to log in and study whenever their schedule permits. Tuition is around $3,250 per six-month term for most undergraduate degree programs.

“Fayetteville Tech is an incredible educational resource for Cumberland County, Fort Bragg, and the surrounding communities,” said Dr. Kimberly Estep, Vice President of the Southeast Region for Western Governors University. “We are delighted to partner with them to provide an option for their graduates who wish to pursue an affordable bachelor’s degree with a competency-based online university.”

WGU North Carolina was launched in October 2017 through a partnership between the state and Western Governors University. More than 3,900 North Carolina residents are currently enrolled at WGU, and nearly 4,300 alumni live in the state.

Fayetteville Tech, established in 1961, is the third largest community college in North Carolina and serves thousands of students annually with occupational, technical, general education, college transfer and continuing education programs.

For more information about WGU North Carolina, visit nc.wgu.edu. To learn more about FTCC, visit www.faytechcc.edu.