If you’ve been considering going back to school, this may be your year. As part of the Chamber’s commitment to helping increase the number of adults in Tennessee with college degrees, we’ve partnered with Western Governors University Tennessee to offer a special scholarship opportunity to Chamber-member employees.

The Nashville Chamber Complete College Scholarship program will provide 100 tuition scholarships of up to $3,000 toward the cost of the completion of any WGU Tennessee online degree program. To be eligible, applicants must have completed at least 12 college credit hours, and must be currently employed by members of the Nashville Area Chamber. They must also submit an essay about their reasons for going back to college, complete the admissions process for WGU Tennessee and participate in an interview with a scholarship counselor. Scholarships will be awarded based on considerations such as applicants’ academic record, demonstrated financial need, readiness for online study and current competency.

Chamber research shows a significant number of workers in this region have completed some college, but lack a degree or certification. This program directly addresses that challenge. A nationally accredited online university, WGU has helped thousands of adult students who have earned some amount of prior college credit complete degrees while working full-time. WGU Tennessee offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the high-demand career fields of business, information technology, K-12 teacher education and health professions, including nursing. The not-for-profit institution, founded by 19 U.S. governors, has a 16-year history of being affordable, flexible and student-focused.

WGU Tennessee uses a unique learning model called competency-based education that helps students graduate faster. Rather than earning degrees based on credit hours or time spent in class, students advance by writing papers, completing assignments and passing exams that demonstrate their knowledge of required subject matter. The average WGU student completes a bachelor’s degree in less than three years.

Now is the time to complete a degree and reap the benefits. For complete details and an application, click here.