Western Governors University enrolled its first students in 1999 and currently adds more than 1,000 new students each month. This accredited, online-only school was founded by 19 western governors (hence the name) who jointly developed the college to provide greater education access to students living in geographically-distributed and rural areas. With annual tuition below $6,000 and online bachelor's degrees in business, nursing, education, IT and more, WGU is one distance-education university that is gaining popularity with traditional and non-traditional students alike.