Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) Questions

[thewonderingduck]

Is anyone currently a part of this program? I am applying to graduate schools in the fall and quite a few of my options are eligible for this program. To be able to pay in-state tuition (or close to it) at an out-of-state school would be HUGE and is something I am really considering when narrowing down my options. But I am wondering if anyone knows how competitive WRGP is? I know not everyone automatically gets it, but if there is anyone who could speak to what my "odds" are of being chosen to be a part of the program, I would greatly appreciate it!

[oldsolnewworld]

It's really hard to say. I've had people tell me that every accepted out-of-state student receives WGRP and I've also been told that each university has a limited number of WGRP funds to give out. Off the top of my head I would say that schools like University of Washington (UW), CU Boulder, and University of Utah (UU) might be more difficult because all these programs are higher ranked on US News and World Reports and tend to receive more applications. That said, I recently received WGRP from Eastern Washington University (EWU) and UU.

[MadisonMachelle]

I'm pretty sure its guaranteed, but maybe that's just because I haven't heard otherwise. Where did you hear that it's limited?

[thewonderingduck]

13 hours ago, oldsolnewworld said:

It's really hard to say. I've had people tell me that every accepted out-of-state student receives WGRP and I've also been told that each university has a limited number of WGRP funds to give out. Off the top of my head I would say that schools like University of Washington (UW), CU Boulder, and University of Utah (UU) might be more difficult because all these programs are higher ranked on US News and World Reports and tend to receive more applications. That said, I recently received WGRP from Eastern Washington University (EWU) and UU.

Hmm, makes sense. I figured schools with more applicants would have less WRGP scholarships to give out, and lesser applied-to schools would have more. I guess I will just have to apply and find out - fingers crossed I can get WRGP offered from at least one or two of my schools. Thank you for your insight!

And congrats on receiving WRGP from those schools!  

Edited March 11, 2020 by thewonderingduck

[thewonderingduck]

9 hours ago, MadisonMachelle said:

I'm pretty sure its guaranteed, but maybe that's just because I haven't heard otherwise. Where did you hear that it's limited?

On the WRGP website there is an FAQ section that essentially says the tuition discount is not automatically awarded to all eligible candidates, and that even if you meet all of the program's WRGP requirements there are still no guarantees. ? 

I just wish I could know better what my chances might be because there are certain schools I could only attend if I was awarded WRGP so if my odds of receiving the tuition discount at one of those schools is low, I would just avoid applying all together. Guess it's something I will just have to work through and decide as I go!

[ab316]

I was recently approved for this program (I'm starting school in the fall), and it was no problem getting approved. I will warn you, however, to check in with the schools you're applying to concerning how they will want you to remain eligible. After I was approved for WRGP, I received an email explaining that, in order to maintain my eligibility, I cannot get a driver's license, register my car, or register to vote in the state where I will be going to school. This is presenting problems for me, as I do not have close family in the state where I currently live whose address I could use while I'm in school (which, honestly, would still be legally questionable). The school told me that I would not need to maintain a home or physical presence in my current state in order to remain eligible, I just need to maintain my residency documents (driver's license, car registration, etc). I can't figure out how to do that in a way that is legal, and I will likely have to withdraw from WRGP and pay out-of-state tuition for a year until I can be considered a resident of the state in which I'm going to school. It's frustrating because I feel like I was lured into applying with the promise of in-state tuition only for it to be basically impossible to to maintain eligibility. I realize now that it's totally my fault for not looking further into how the program works, so I just want to pass this word of caution on to anyone else who is considering applying out of state based on WRGP. Further, if anyone has ever been in a similar situation, I'd really appreciate any advice.