WGU is composed of four schools, each offering bachelor's and master's degree programs. As of March 2025, there are 96 bachelor's, master's, and post-baccalaureate degree programs, which include teacher endorsement and preparation programs, were offered among the four Schools. WGU offers 11 certificate programs and 23 single courses. Students will primarily interact with three types of faculty at WGU: program mentors, course instructors, and evaluators.
Program Mentors After being cleared for enrollment, each student is assigned a Program Mentor. The program mentor is an expert in the field who will create a personalized term plan, provide information on programs, policies, procedures and assess students' strengths and development needs to help establish a study plan. The assigned program mentor will work with the student each semester until graduation.
Course Instructors When a student begins a course, they are assigned a primary course instructor for that course. These subject matter experts have advanced degrees such as a doctorate or other significant post-graduate work in the courses they instruct. Course instructors work with students via one-to-many or one-to-one forums. They provide instruction both proactively and re-actively, with the type and intensity of instruction varying based on a student's needs in a particular area. Additionally, they provide content expertise for students who are struggling with course material.
Evaluators Evaluators are subject-matter experts who review assessments to determine if competency has been demonstrated. They are experts in their areas of evaluation, with doctoral degrees or other significant post-graduate work. They review submissions extensively, providing clear and comprehensive feedback to support student development. Their primary focus is on evaluating student performance, free of bias and other barriers to fair and timely evaluation because they do not personally interact with students or develop the curriculum and assessments.
Military Advanced Education & Transition and
Viqtory Media have repeatedly named WGU as a military-friendly institution in their yearly reports.
Accreditation WGU is
accredited by the
Northwest Commission on Schools and Universities. WGU states that it was the first and only university to date to be reviewed and awarded accreditation by four differing regional accreditors. In 2018, the university's education programs became accredited by the
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), NCATE's successor. In May 2009, WGU's nursing education programs were accredited by the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The initial accreditation, which had a five-year term, was awarded following a process that included a site visit as well as a review of WGU's nursing curriculum. In May 2014, CCNE extended WGU's accreditation through June 2024. In 2011, WGU's B.S. in Health Informatics degree received accreditation from the
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). In 2018, the WGU College of Business was accredited by the
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). In 2023, WGU's B.S. in Computer Science received accreditation from the
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Schools WGU offers online bachelor's and master's degree programs through the following Schools: In February 2020, the Military Friendly Schools list ranked WGU as the top school for veterans, members of the armed forces, and their dependents.
Research In July 2018, WGU launched the Center for Applied Learning Science (CALS), a laboratory which focuses on innovation. In October 2018,
Carnegie Mellon University and WGU's CALS teamed up to work on an
artificial intelligence professional development project. The partnership was funded by a grant from the
National Science Foundation.
Competency-based education WGU has competency-based programs for completing course, degree and certificate requirements. Competency-based programs measure acquired skills and learning rather than time on task. Students progress through courses as soon as they can prove they have mastered the material, rather than advancing only when the semester or term ends. Competency-based programs allow students to demonstrate through multiple writing-based or test-based assessments that they have acquired the set of competencies (levels of knowledge, skill, or ability) required to pass specific course within their degree program. Additionally, WGU competencies are geared toward understanding the course material at a level equivalent to a 3.0 (on a 4.0) GPA scale. WGU was one of the first accredited schools to use the competency-based approach. Former
United States Department of Education Secretary
Arne Duncan has stated, "While such programs [like WGU] are now the exception, I want them to be the norm.". Following WGU's approach, other universities have added their own competency based degree programs. These include
University of Massachusetts Global (part of the University of Massachusetts system),
Purdue University Global Campus (part of the
Purdue University System),
University of Wisconsin System. and Walden University's Tempo Learning Programs. All aspects of learning (with the exception of demonstration teaching for teacher licensure programs and clinical experiences in the pre-licensure program for nurses) are completed entirely online. The university states that "learning resources come in a variety of forms, including textbooks, web-based tutorials, simulations, [and] online classes." The university provides all course materials and (online) textbooks through licensing agreements with major commercial providers such as
Pearson and
McGraw-Hill.
Assessments The university assesses students using performance-based and objective assessments. Performance-based assessments are normally completed by submitting written assignments. Submissions are checked for academic integrity using the online plagiarism checker
Unicheck by comparing them to a database of other documents submitted to WGU and other universities and other resources available online. Students are graded on their level of competency by comparing the submitted work to a
rubric which describes the standards that the submitted work must meet. A student can only pass a performance-based assessment by achieving a "competent" score on each rubric point. Objective assessments usually consist of exams created by the university which contain multiple-choice, multiple-answer, true-false and/or matching questions. Exams are taken online and are monitored by an
online proctoring service such as ProctorU or Examity using a university-approved
webcam and screen sharing software. Some objective assessments require students to obtain a
professional certification, many of which require students to attend a commercial testing center such as
Pearson VUE to complete the relevant exam(s). University-created exams can only be passed by achieving a minimum overall grade that demonstrates competency in the course, while professional certification exams have their own grading methodology and passing score set by their governing body. There are no
open-book or un-proctored exams.
Graduate admissions To qualify for the general graduate admission requirement the applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and complete an interview with the enrollment office. Each of the four Schools also have their own specific admission requirements as well.
Undergraduate admissions Many programs require either an
associate degree from an accredited college, significant previous college credits, or in some cases a significant amount of related, verifiable work experience in the field in which a student wishes to study. The school does not require
SAT or
ACT scores for undergraduate admission. Undergraduate programs require the student to possess a
high school diploma or
GED and pass the school's Collegiate Readiness Assessment, and admission into all programs requires an interview with a WGU enrollment counselor to determine whether the competency-based approach is appropriate for the student.
Historical enrollment Graduation rate The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard listed the graduation rate at WGU as 54% as of 2022. The internally-tracked graduation rate for undergraduate students as reported by the university was 50%. According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator, WGU's student-to-faculty ratio is 41:1.
Academic integrity Some Western Governors University courses require students to take exams remotely with an online proctor viewing the student as they complete the examination at home or their own chosen location. Online proctors verify test-taker identity and monitor to prevent cheating using a variety of methods, including live viewing, record-and-review, and automated proctoring. Online proctoring services for WGU offers identity verification services and assessment monitoring. Some of the courses require assignments to be completed using the Taskstream software package and the
Turnitin service to check assignments for plagiarism.
Career placement The WGU Career and Professional Development Center offers student resources, individual support, and a job board. Its mission is to assist students and alumni who are seeking career development, career experiences, and employment opportunities. These services involve assisting students and alumni to get job interviews, career planning, assistance in applying to graduate and professional schools, and internship placements. The Career and Professional Development Center offers workshops, information sessions, virtual career fairs, and advisement on future career options. Staff also counsel students and alumni regarding resumes and portfolios, interviewing tactics, cover letters, job strategies, and other potential leads for finding employment in the corporate, academic and government sectors.
Mascot Sage the
Night Owl has been the school's official mascot since 2011. ==Tuition==