WICHE AIDS STUDENTS, WORKFORCE

WICHE programs offer flexibility and options for students while aiding workforce needs by providing education in high-demand occupations such as healthcare and engineering.

More than 38,300 students during the 2016-17 academic year benefitted from Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) exchange programs – the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) that allows non-resident students to attend college at 150 percent of resident tuition rates, the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) and the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) that is coordinated by the WICHE and administered by the Arizona Board of Regents.

The Arizona Legislature appropriated $4 million to support 167 students in medical, dental and veterinary majors through PSEP in 2016-17 while Arizona received 509 out-of-state students to study in 82 unique, high-quality programs through the WRGP. More than 7,500 WUE students attend Arizona’s public universities. Another of WICHE’s programs, the Interstate Passport Initiative, works to eliminate unnecessary repetition of academic work for transfer students, improve graduation rates, shorten time to a degree and save students money through the development of a new proficiency-based transfer model.