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UW Launches Affordable Online Degree Completion Initiative

Juliet Morrison
Juliet Morrison, Asst. Dir. of the Wash. Dept. of Early Learning, speaks at a UW press conference announcing the new initiative. Photo: uw.edu

Today, the University of Washington announced the launch of an affordable, online, degree completion initiative.

The initiative represents a concerted effort to expand high quality, University of Washington undergraduate education to the 900,000 working adults in Washington State with some college but no degree.

”If we’re going to meet the needs of our state’s economy and provide upward mobility for our citizens, we have to provide affordable, accessible, and high-quality educational opportunities to this critical population. This affordable, online degree option demonstrates the UW is willing to step up to this challenge. This is a great first step, and I hope they develop more,” State Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle) said in a statement.

The first degree offered this Fall will be in the area of early childhood education, with additional degrees to follow.

Classes will be offered in an all-online format for $7,000 per year (full time), which is less than 60% of the cost of our traditional, on-campus tuition.  Admission preference will be given to Washington State residents.

Goals for the early childhood education degree are three-fold:

  1. Provide affordable, flexible access to a high, quality, UW undergraduate education to working adults and returning learners in high demand fields.
  2. Expand the number of high quality, early childhood education providers in the state of Washington to bolster early learning efforts at the state level.
  3. Measure, evaluate, and improve the efficacy of online education in order to promote greater student persistence and success.

Read more at UW Today.