WGU Ohio Receives $25,000 from AT&T Foundation to Help Students Struggling Financially Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grant will fund 25 scholarships to help Ohio students continue their studies

 

COLUMBUS, OH – Western Governors University Ohio (WGU Ohio) today announced the receipt of a $25,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation to support students whose finances have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are grateful to AT&T for this grant to assist WGU Ohio students,” said K.L. Allen, state director for WGU Ohio. “The pandemic has hit all Ohioans in unexpected ways, and we don’t want any of our students to face a choice between their education and meeting their household needs. This will help bridge that gap by supplementing WGU’s already robust Night Owl Scholarship Assistance Program.”

“One of AT&T’s core values is to be there when people need us,” said AT&T Ohio President Brad McLean. “Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic is rooted in that belief. We hope that this contribution helps keep some hard-working students on the path toward graduation, during an unusually difficult time.”

The AT&T grant will provide 25 WGU Ohio students with $1,000 scholarships to allow them to continue their course of study to achieve their degree.  New and currently enrolled students can request these scholarships and other WGU Ohio financial assistance through the university’s WGU Ohio Night Owl Scholarship Program.  The program offers WGU Ohio students scholarship assistance that can be used for tuition fees and instructional materials to allow them to continue their course of study in the face of financial pressures.  Students are eligible to apply for the WGU Ohio Night Owl Scholarship Program if they encounter one of the following financial emergencies:

  • Loss of job or reduction in work hours
  • Urgent care/emergency room visits that are not covered by insurance
  • Co-pays/deductibles
  • Housing eviction
  • Food insecurity

In addition, WGU Ohio students may be eligible for federal financial aid.

Western Governors University was established in 1997 by a partnership of 19 state governors to offer students, particularly adult learners, the chance to go to college while working and caring for their families. In 2018, Ohio became the eighth state to join the WGU partnership, part of policymakers’ efforts to close Ohio’s skills gap with a new pathway for adults to seek careers in such in-demand careers as healthcare and nursing, business, teaching, and information. technology.  To apply: https://www.wgu.edu/financial-aid-tuition/scholarships/ohio/night-owl.html