Does WGU Accept International Students? My Experience | Western Governors University
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- čas přidán 3. 12. 2022
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WGU programs I completed:
MEd Learning and Technology in under 3 months (2022)
MSc Curriculum and Instruction in under 6 months (2020)
Hi Justin, thank you for making the video! I'm from Europe and I am hell-bent on being admitted into WGU, since, from what I've seen, it's a very competent uni, and an extrememly attractive value for money choice, especially as a European making $1,500 per month lol.
Since making the video, did you get contacted by any other internationals having managed to be accepted into WGU? Did you by any chance hear about anyone else doing it, in addition to the ones you mentioned in the video?
Also, I am going to attempt messaging them directly and make my case on why they should give me a chance. Through your experience, do you have any valuable pointers that I should definitely include in my message? Thanks!
Hi Frankie,
I wish I could provide more insight on this topic beyond what I said in the videos I made, but I don't have much more to add. Also, it's been about four years since I was in the enrollment process. Hopefully, someone else can see your comment and chime in!
My understanding is that WGU makes exceptions for Canadians nowadays. I would run scenarios with the enrollment counselor to see what could be done for Europeans, such as a stay in the US/Canada to make things work. Ask about needing a SSN or an international tax ID.
Or, look into other competency-based education (CBE) programs such as those at University of Massachusetts Global (UMass Global MyPath), University of Maine at Presque Isle (YourPace), South College (CBE), Purdue Global (Competency-Based ExcelTrack), or Capella University (FlexPath).
@@lifebyjustin Thanks for the advice, Justin!
Hey do you know if I can apply being a US citizen but currently living in Mexico? I mean I can just get back to my house in the US to apply and then get back because many students in Reddit have confirmed that this is possible, but they don't know if applying being outside it's possible.
So you just need to be in the US to apply? I'm Brazilian and live in Brazil, but I can go to the US for tourism. So, if this is true I can apply too.
The answer to this is they are not SEVP approved school to accept F1 students. They wont be able to keep your status because they cannot sign your I20.
Hi, thank you for sharing some tips from your WGU journeys. So I am a little bit confused that how WGU can file international documents for you (I-20, F1 visa, etc.)? I also asked 2 WGU advisors last time and they refused me because they don’t have a department to file these types of document. Thank you!
Hi! I’m not sure about those documents. I didn’t have a F1 Visa as far as I know. All I remember having to do was make an international payment for tuition and at the end of the year I had access to a specific tax form / receipt that I included as part of my Canadian taxes. So 🤷♂
Thanks for the video Justin! I am interested in WGU and wondering did it help you in your IT career? Did you have IT job experience prior to attending WGU?
No problem! Actually, my degree was in Education, not IT. However, the graduate degree did prove beneficial in general. It provided me with concepts and a better language to describe my work. Going into WGU with work experience is very helpful because it allows you to accelerate. Competency-Based Education (CBE) is built upon the premise that you can progress at your own speed based on your prior skills, experience, and knowledge.
@lifebyjustin Whoops my bad assuming you went for IT 😅 thank you for the response, really appreciate it!
I pray to be accepted
Thank you for sharing your experience. Does the OSAP cover the tuition?
No problem, glad to share! I'm not sure unfortunately, I'm from the other end of the country. I paid out of pocket as well. Give them a shout and see.
@@lifebyjustin I appreciate you replying back I will talk to OSAP tomorrow and see if they cover the tuition.
Thanks
@@mohammedabdul-rt1tdHey! Did you manage to get an answer from OSAP? I’m interested in signing up with WGU and would like to know about your experience too
@@amare5643OSAP does acknowledge WGU but I’m from Ontario maybe other provinces are different
hi justin!! i’m a canadian looking to do a masters from wgu and have a couple of questions about WES equivalency in Canada. Would you know if WES Canada consider the Masters in Curriculum and Instruction equivalent to a Canadian Masters degree? thanks so much!
Hey there! I'm not too sure about WES. I just got an International Qualifications Assessment done in my province, and they said it's equivalent to a Canadian degree. Maybe somewhere on Reddit there's a post on WES.
You might want to double-check if WGU accepts international students, as I think it's still a bit of an issue for most Canadians. I was one of the lucky few accepted back in the day.
@@lifebyjustin hey justin! thanks for your response :) WGU have assured me it's a go, but I'm just a little stressed about whether or not this program is considered a Masters degree by WES Canada. I reached out to WES and haven't heard back, so I'm not really sure what to do at this stage. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears! Thank you
@@yusrashafi5316 Oh good! Glad to hear you're able to jump on board.
Yeah, I'm really not sure. WES would have the best information. Just be persistent and keep calling them until you get the info you need.
since its a regionally accredited in USA, WES Canada would set it as an equivalent.
Do you have tips for people who have a hard time figuring out what to write about for writing papers ? I'm going to be attending wgu Feb 1st and I always have hard time writing papers
Hi Ayliah. I discussed a bit about my brainstorming writing process in my video "How I Complete a Performance Assessment (Paper) in One Day". Feel free to check it out. I would say, generally, don't worry about "what" to write. WGU is detailed about what you have to write about in their instructions and rubric. It guides your writing essentially. I've never had to write a WGU paper where made my brain went blank completely because they are particular about what you write about (or least in the education masters I completed).
@@lifebyjustin oh ok that's makes me feel a little more at easy and thank you I will find that video lol they are all so helpful I hope I get a good mentor and can also get my program done in at least 6months I just want to get it done already
@@1Mssimplybeautiful You've got this. With dedication, consistency and considerable effort, I'm sure you can meet your goal :)
@@lifebyjustin Thank you for the encouragement:)
would a degree from WGU be recognized in Canada?
It depends on how you define "recognized," I guess. My employers consider it a valid degree. In some provinces, you can get a qualification assessment to confirm the international degree is an equivalent qualification in Canada. I went through that process in my province, and it was recognized. But that is specific to a degree program. I haven't done a WES (World Education Services) equivalency process, so I'm not sure about that.
do you have to be living in the US to apply?
I wasn't living in the USA when I applied. For the application, I had to include my immediate family member's US zipcode because we use postal codes in Canada. They are formatted differently and it wouldn't go in the form. So you'd have to figure out a workaround in your case. I don't have a good strategy for that other than what I did in my case.
@@lifebyjustin awesome thanks, because I was in a live chat with someone from there and they said I needed a social security number and tax code so I was wondering if there was a way around that as well.
@@NoisyOgre I'd give them a call and chat about your situation. It took me a long time to get international student status approval and many conversations with enrollment counselors. You're going to have to chat with them to create a case for why they should accept (more details in the video)
:)
What's a requirement to attend this university?
Not to be too direct but you're gonna have a lot more luck getting the right answers to these practical questions by checking out the website.
Can I apply from India
Feel free to watch the video to get my response to non-americans applying. The answer in short is "possibly yes" and "possibly no".
How much did it cost?
All that info is available on the WGU website. Keep in mind that the costs may vary from year to year, and each program has its own six-month tuition expenses. Also, you can check the exchange rates depending on your country.
For me, a few years ago as a Canadian pursuing a master's degree in the education department, it was around $4500 CDN. So, it might be a helpful reference point, but check the latest details on the website for the most up-to-date info.
I reached out to WGU and asked them with some counselors referring me to higher levels of decision makers. Unfortunately, they are not open to Internationals at this point in time anymore.
They're looking into it and may take a few years before this becomes a reality. Thanks for sharing though.
Also, I pointed them to your video. But they said that your case was a long time ago and for a different program. So they said that your experience is unique to you and does not necessarily translate to everyone else. I guess you got lucky!
@@maximillianaugustuscorneli9043 Good to know, Maximilian. Thanks for sharing, and I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out in your situation. At least you tried. Perhaps you should consider UMPI, as they are becoming increasingly known for their competency-based undergraduate degrees and now offer a master's degree as well. Though, it's unfortunate that they don't have the IT and cybersecurity programs that WGU does.
@@lifebyjustin hi Justin, It's just quite unfortunate that umpi does not offer IT courses especially Cyber Security 😭
But please Justin, are you aware of any other competency based online universities that offers a bachelor degree in Cyber Security?
@@bolanlefrederick333I'm not sure, unfortunately! Cybersecurity programs aren't within my areas of expertise. However, you can try searching for "College Hacked" on CZcams. They might have the information you're looking for. Also, they offer advising appointments, so you might find that helpful. Feel free to check them out
@@lifebyjustin thanks