WGU Education Blog (2024)

FAQs

Are degrees from WGU respected? ›

It is an accredited and reputable online university that offers bachelor's and master's degree programs. WGU has been regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

In addition to the community impact you make as a skilled and newly credentialed member of your local workforce, there's a real monetary return. WGU grads see a salary increase of $22,200 on average, just two years after graduating. Within four years, that number grows to $29,200 for WGU grads.

Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an institutional accreditation body of colleges and universities in a seven-state region that includes WGU's headquarters of Utah.

Institutional Authorization

Western Governors University is authorized to provide its educational programs in Virginia through a state authorization reciprocity agreement (NC-SARA). More information about NC-SARA is available on their website.

Western Governors University Scandal

Following concerns about an “inadequate faculty role,” the United States Department of Education inspector general conducted an audit of WGU in 2017 and called for the school to pay back $713 million in federal financial aid, according to Inside Higher Ed.

It is accredited and chances are, most employers don't even know how it works. They just care about the accreditation of the degree rather than how long it took you to complete your courses. They're fine with WGU degrees like any other B&M school because it's regionally accredited like them.

Top awards, surveys, scholarships, and federal aid also all indicate that WGU is a legitimate institution, not a diploma mill.

WGU doesn't actually even assign a GPA on your transcript, but there is a note on the bottom or back that a pass is equivalent to a 3.0 GPA. This is because to get a Pass in a course you're not necessarily getting an A, what would be equivalent to a B is considered passing.

The average time it takes to graduate from WGU Texas is about 2.5 years for a bachelor's degree, which costs about $15,000. By contrast, to complete the 120 credits that are usually needed to earn a bachelor's degree, students usually spend at least four years in college.

GradReports. GradReports gives WGU the #1 spot for best online marketing bachelor's degrees, #6 for best online business bachelor's degrees, and puts its curriculum and instruction master's degrees at #23.

How much is WGU tuition per year? ›

Average yearly bachelor's degree tuition at WGU is $8,010, compared to the national average yearly bachelor's degree tuition price of $16,618 according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (2022).

WGU is an online school with career-aligned bachelor's and master's degrees in—IT, teaching, business, and healthcare—designed to help working professionals fit an online university education into their busy lives.

A master's degree from WGU allows students in most states to get the qualifications they need to sit for the CPA exam. In most states you will need 150 credit hours of school work, with a certain amount of accounting courses, in order to sit for the CPA.

Overall Quality

This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation. This is an improvement over the previous year, when WGU held the #148 spot on the Best Overall Colleges list. WGU is also ranked #2 out of 13 schools in Utah. See all of the rankings for Western Governors University.

Considered the most prestigious and widely-recognized type of accreditation, regionally-accredited schools are reviewed by their designated regional agency. Nationally-accredited agencies review institutions of a similar type, such as career, vocational, and technical (art & design, nursing, etc.) schools.

Yes, WGU has the requisite accreditation for all states. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) which covers seven western states, including WGU's home state of Utah.

WGU bachelor's and master's nursing degrees are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE.) The CCNE is nationally recognized as an accreditation agency by the U.S. Department of Education.

Considered the most prestigious and widely-recognized type of accreditation, regionally-accredited schools are reviewed by their designated regional agency. Nationally-accredited agencies review institutions of a similar type, such as career, vocational, and technical (art & design, nursing, etc.) schools.