Membership

Please Note:

WAGS membership was previously collected per calendar year. To more closely align with various logistical arrangements, WAGS will be switching to a July 1–June 30 fiscal year. In order to facilitate this, the next membership dues billing cycle will cover 18 months: January 1, 2025—June 30, 2026.

Please pay your institution's 2025 dues by completing this online form. You can pay with a credit card, or select "Pay later" if you would like to receive an invoice and pay by check.

The Value of WAGS Membership

The Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) is an active regional organization focusing on all aspects of graduate education and graduate students in the western region of the United States. We have many impactful benefits to offer our valued members.

Benefits include a discounted registration fee for the WAGS Annual Conference, held in March of each year. Throughout the year, we host ‘WAGS Wednesdays,’ a casual late afternoon virtual meeting focused on particular topics of interest to members. We launched the GEWL (Graduate Education Western Leadership) Academy in spring 2023. The success and impact of this ‘think tank’ type event exceeded our wildest imaginations, so we will continue to offer the GEWL Academy as an annual event. In conjunction with our annual conference, we offer the annual WAGS Three Minute Thesis (3MT^®) competition as a culminating event celebrating our outstanding students.

We organize a WAGS networking event at the annual Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) conference in December, and each year we partner with our colleagues at ProQuest to offer competitive student awards for outstanding theses in STEM and non-STEM fields and outstanding theses/dissertation in technology and innovation.

Member Benefits:

Membership has many benefits, including but not limited to:

Annual Conference: Discounted registration rates for all employees from member institutions at our annual WAGS Conference.
Three Minute Thesis student competition: The winner of the university or regional level 3MT^® competition can compete at our WAGS Regional 3MT for prizes and recognition; the winner and audience choice awardee or runner-up will be invited to compete at the CGS National 3MT competition.
Awards: Ability to nominate your students for WAGS awards, including:
- Distinguished Master's Thesis Awards
  - STEM: Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering
  - Non-STEM: Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, and Business Innovation and Technology
Leadership: Each year WAGS holds an election to seat our Board; members are encouraged to run and participate in the leadership of WAGS. This is a great chance to help shape the future of the organization.
Networking Opportunities: Smaller, more intimate meetings, such as WAGS Wednesdays and the GEWL Academy, support strong collegial friendships and provide great opportunities to share resources and problem-solve around regionally relevant issues.

Submit 2025 WAGS Membership Dues

January 1, 2025—June 30, 2026 Fees:

$500, insitutional membership fee per College or University
Member institutions’ graduate leadership and staff enjoy all member benefits.
To update names, titles, or emails for your institutional members, please email ex@uwlax.edu.
This cycle's membership renewals and new member fees cover January 1, 2025—June 30, 2026 (18 months) and can be paid online with a credit card.

WAGS is contracted with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Graduate & Extended Learning to provide conference services. Communication regarding WAGS membership and the annual conference will come directly from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Graduate & Extended Learning.