As traditional and nontraditional students weigh their options for returning to school in the fall, West Texas A&M University has ranked highly in key factors among colleges and universities across the state.

Texas Online College, a ranking site focused exclusively on schools in the Lone Star State, ranked WT as the No. 5 Most Affordable Online College and the No. 7 Best Value Online College, citing the University’s commitment to online and hybrid formats, among other indicators.

“Rankings like this show potential students across our great state and beyond how WT provides a high-quality, economically feasible education,” said Dr. Walter Wendler, University president. “WT has been a pioneer in online education since 1997, and especially in these unprecedented times, we are committed to serving our students, whether online or on campus.”

That’s a key precept of WT’s generational plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

“The high quality of WT’s faculty, staff and students is of primary importance as we continue to grow and evolve into a regional research university,” Wendler said. “We firmly believe in providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for learners of all levels, both on- and off-campus.”

Texas Online College’s website points out WT’s regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and its broad range of fully online degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels.

WT also is cited by the website for being a first-generation student friendly and military friendly school, for ranking as the safest school in Texas and in the Top 10 nationally, and for having a diverse student body.

When Fall 2020 classes begin Aug. 24, students will have the options to take courses online, face-to-face or a hybrid of both. Thanks to the Buff Guarantee, students will receive a 100 percent refund of any tuition, fees, books, and room and board if they withdraw from the University on or before Aug. 23.

In more than 1,200 online programs surveyed by U.S. News & World Report this year, WT has, among Texas schools, the No. 1 online bachelor’s program, online bachelor’s programs for veterans, online MBA programs for veterans, online specialized graduate business program for veterans and online graduate information technology program. WT also ranks No. 2 for online specialized graduate business program and No. 4 for online MBA program, also among Texas schools.

This is only the most recent honor in a series of accolades. WT’s online bachelor of nursing program was recently named one of the 10 best in the country. The University was ranked among the Top 10 safest campuses in the country and the safest in Texas, and the University Police Department was, for a second time, named a Recognized Law Enforcement Agency from the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation.

“We are immensely proud of these recent honors,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president. “In a rapidly changing world, these accolades show that WT is ready for whatever comes our way — and that we are making sure our students are just as prepared.”

-West Texas A&M University