Now that the CNMI is a part of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), CNMI residents

are eligible to be considered for discounted tuition rates at more than 150 colleges and universities in

California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and other western states.

WICHE's Student Exchange Program has the following initiatives:

The WICHE Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) lets CNMI students study in 15 western states and pay just

150 percent of resident tuition (as opposed to higher nonresident rate) at more than 150 institutions

(Note: receiving the WUE rate is not automatic, but all students in member states and territories like the CNMI

(are eligible to be considered for it.)

The savings are quite considerable. For example, a CNMI resident who enrolls at the University of Las Vegas

in Nevada (UNLV) had to pay a nonresident tuition of $19,040 in annual tuition. Through the WUE program,

CNMI residents are now eligible for consideration to pay the WUE rate of $7,695, a savings of more than

$11,000 per year!

For CNMI students pursuing their master's or doctorate degree, the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

allows residents of the CNMI to enroll in some 275 high-quality programs at 52 participating institutions

in the WICHE states and pay resident tuition. The WICHE states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,

Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington,

Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

For more information about WICHE, please visit www.wiche.edu,

or contact the CNMI office for WICHE at the Northern Marianas College:

(670) 237-6777/6778