MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – WGU Tennessee today announced a new partnership with Rutherford County Schools (RCS). Through the partnership, RCS employees may apply to and enroll in one of WGU Tennessee’s 100% online, competency-based bachelor’s or master’s degree programs. They will also be eligible to apply for a scholarship worth up to $2,000, which covers a significant portion of the already-low average cost for one of WGU Tennessee’s degree programs. WGU Tennessee will also waive the application fee for all RCS employees. Eligible applicants must be currently employed with Rutherford County Schools and enrolling in one of WGU Tennessee’s programs.

“We are delighted about this new partnership with Rutherford County Schools and to offer this scholarship to RCS employees who want to earn further credentials,” said Dr. Kimberly Estep, chancellor of WGU Tennessee. “Earning a degree from WGU Tennessee will be personally beneficial for everyone who does it, but we also know that increasing educational attainment of the RCS workforce will result in better outcomes for students.”

The scholarship was developed in partnership with Rutherford County Schools and will be disbursed across four of WGU Tennessee’s six-month terms.

“We are excited to further develop our partnership with WGU on training and growing our future teacher leaders,” said Dr. Andrea Anthony, assistant superintendent of Human Resources and Support Services for RCS.

Since WGU Tennessee’s programs are online and competency-based, students are able to go at their own pace, fitting as much into terms as their schedules allow.

To learn more about WGU Tennessee and the Rutherford County Schools partnership and scholarship, visit tennessee.wgu.edu/rcs.

About WGU Tennessee

WGU Tennessee is an online, nonprofit, competency-based university established to expand Tennesseans’ access to higher education throughout the state. Formed through a partnership between the state of Tennessee and nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Tennessee is open to all qualified Tennessee residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the high-demand career fields of business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).*

In addition to WGU Tennessee, there are seven other WGU state-based, state-endorsed universities: WGU Indiana, established in June 2010; WGU Washington, established in April 2011; WGU Texas, established in August 2011; WGU Missouri, established in February 2013; WGU Nevada, established in June 2015; WGU North Carolina, established in October 2017; and WGU Ohio, established in February 2018.