ASU ocean degrees now eligible for Western Undergraduate Exchange
By Matt Oxford, ASU News
February 13, 2025

Scholarship opportunities are essential for Arizona State University to enable academic excellence and accessibility at scale.

In that spirit, ASU’s College of Global Futures, a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, is proud to announce that the Tempe-campus based Bachelor of Science in ocean futures and coastal and marine sciences programs are now part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

“Expanding access to high-quality education is a core commitment at ASU, and the inclusion of our ocean futures programs in the Western Undergraduate Exchange reflects that mission,” said University Provost Nancy Gonzales. “This opportunity allows more students across the Western U.S. to pursue innovative degrees that prepare them to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet.”

“Opportunities like WUE make high-quality college education more affordable and accessible for families,” said Miki Kittilson, vice dean of the College of Global Futures. “Our ocean futures degree programs are uniquely positioned within the world’s first comprehensive laboratory dedicated to thriving futures, providing our students with opportunities for contributing to cutting-edge research and problem-solving, and transformative experiences in places such as Hawai’i and Bermuda.”

The Western Undergraduate Exchange is a program coordinated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Residents of Western states (other than Arizona) may enroll in the ASU WUE program at a tuition rate of 150% of Arizona's base resident tuition, plus all applicable fees, for fall and spring terms only.

The WUE tuition rate is not available for ASU Online programs. Students cannot combine a New American University Award with WUE tuition. However, if a student is awarded a NAMU that exceeds the value of WUE tuition, they will retain the higher-value award. If students and families have questions about NAMU and its potential impact on WUE tuition, they can connect with admissions services.

The ocean futures programs are the only degree programs at ASU's Tempe campus eligible for WUE.

“I am thrilled that our degrees are now accessible to Western Undergraduate Exchange students, allowing us to expand the reach of our unique marine science programs to students throughout the Western U.S.,” said Susanne Neuer, founding director of the School of Ocean Futures.

The School of Ocean Futures undergraduate programs equip students with knowledge about the oceans and skills to address global challenges such as climate resilience through marine conservation and sustainable resource management — key issues for island and coastal communities.

The College of Global Futures is part of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the world’s first comprehensive, university-based approach to ensuring a habitable planet and a future where well-being is attainable for all life.

For more information about WUE, please visit ASU’s admission page.

(Video: {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dRWvkpuOlY})

This story originally appeared on ASU News.