Western Governors University
Salary Score
Bachelor's
84
Master's
54
Doctoral
N/A
ON THIS PAGE
FAQsWestern Governors University (WGU) is a private, nonprofit, online university offering remote degrees in four high-demand fields. Students can choose from online programs in business, information technology, education, or healthcare. WGU is known for being the largest online school and the largest university in the country, with more than 200,000 students enrolled online. Students at WGU earn their degree through competency-based education, where they take a competency test to pass their class and move through their program. Students who already have experience or knowledge in their field can benefit from this model, which allows them to skip classes they already know the material for and save money on their degree.
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Salary Score for Online Degrees at Western Governors University
Bachelor's Degrees
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $21,070 | $81,520 | 100 |
Business Administration, Management and Operations | Not Reported | $58,705 | 97 |
Marketing | $13,999 | $50,866 | 93 |
Computer and Information Sciences, General | Not Reported | $74,868 | 90 |
Medical Illustration and Informatics | Not Reported | $61,154 | 87 |
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $9,599 | $74,342 | 80 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $16,193 | $40,144 | 73 |
Accounting and Related Services | $15,637 | $50,280 | 62 |
Education, General | Not Reported | $36,162 | 57 |
Special Education and Teaching | $18,708 | $39,431 | 55 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Not Reported | $34,615 | 38 |
Master's Degrees
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | $11,942 | $99,943 | 88 |
Health and Medical Administrative Services | $12,907 | $89,288 | 88 |
Curriculum and Instruction | $9,201 | $54,990 | 80 |
Educational Administration and Supervision | $12,180 | $63,693 | 74 |
Management Information Systems and Services | $13,355 | $87,608 | 68 |
Accounting and Related Services | $12,288 | $62,106 | 65 |
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | $7,999 | $53,771 | 62 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $10,059 | $51,475 | 60 |
Special Education and Teaching | $10,413 | $51,672 | 55 |
Educational/Instructional Media Design | $9,200 | $56,253 | 55 |
Business Administration, Management and Operations | $13,235 | $72,423 | 54 |
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $12,634 | $87,245 | 29 |
Education, General | Not Reported | $45,124 | 27 |
FAQs About Western Governors University
Is Western Governors University Legitimate?
WGU is a legitimate, accredited college. It has accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NWCCU evaluates colleges and universities in states throughout the Northwest and regularly reviews their faculty and staff, facilities, and degree programs to make sure they meet academic standards.
Accreditation is one of the best ways to tell the difference between a legitimate online university and a diploma mill. Legitimate colleges are evaluated by accreditors approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Diploma mills are scam schools that sell degrees or certificates without offering much class work. They may have fake accreditation from an organization not authorized to evaluate colleges.
At OnlineU, we only display accredited universities on our website to help students find legitimate online colleges that provide a quality education.
Today, there are many accredited colleges offering respected online degrees, often in high-demand fields where employers need trained professionals.
What Is WGU Known For?
WGU is largely known for three things: (1) competency-based education, (2) affordable flat-rate tuition, and (3) degrees in high-demand fields.
Competency-based Education
WGU is the first college to engage in large-scale, competency-based education (CBE). In CBE programs, students learn at their own pace and pass competency tests to move onto the next class. Students who already have knowledge in a specific subject area from previous education or work experience can test out of the class and spend their tuition dollars and time on new material. This is especially important for working adults — or those with prior college experience but no degree — who don't need to spend extra time and money learning something they already know.
Flat-rate Tuition
While most colleges charge tuition per credit, WGU charges a flat tuition rate per semester, and students can take as many or as few classes in that time period. Most programs at WGU cost between $3,000 to $5,000 per semester. Students who want to fast-track their degree can squeeze more classes in for the same cost, making WGU a more affordable college for these students.
Degrees in High-demand Fields
All of WGU's degrees are focused in four high-demand fields: healthcare, business, information technology, and education. These programs are developed in collaboration with industry professionals to make sure students are gaining the most up-to-date skills necessary for the field. WGU caters to working adults; those employed in their industry while pursuing their degree can put those skills to work right away.
What Are the Career Outcomes and Top Employers for WGU?
WGU only offers online degrees in healthcare, information technology, education, and business. As a result, career outcomes for alumni tend to focus in those areas as well. The most popular occupation for recent graduates with an online bachelor's degree is as a registered nurse. Many graduates also become software engineers, computer support specialists, cyber analysts, and network administrators. Graduates with an online master's degree often become registered nurses, healthcare administrators, teachers, and managers.
Some of the largest employers overall for WGU graduates are focused in healthcare, tech, and public administration. Top healthcare employers include Kaiser Permanente, Hospital Corporation of America, Intermountain Healthcare, and Providence Health and Services. The largest tech employers for WGU are Amazon, Microsoft, and AT&T. Many graduates also work for the Air Force, Army, or Department of Veterans Affairs after graduation.
How Difficult Is It To Get Into WGU?
Western Governors University has a 100% acceptance rate, according to federal data from College Scorecard. In other words, all students who apply are accepted. However, students will need to live in the U.S.; speak fluent English; and have a high school diploma, GED, or its equivalent to get into a bachelor's program. Some programs have minimum GPAs and other requirements for admission as well. If they don't already qualify, students can also complete relevant preparatory coursework at WGU Academy before enrolling in a WGU degree program.
What Are the Admission Requirements for WGU?
Applicants must have at least a high school diploma or GED to apply and must live in the U.S. Some programs have more specific requirements. To apply, students need to submit some basic information, including where they previously went to school.
WGU will also need access to your transcripts. They offer a free transcript service, which partners with many other universities, to gather transcripts for students with no additional fees. If a student's former school is not a partner, they will need to request that their official transcripts are sent to WGU. This can take a few weeks, so it's best to do this ahead of time. Transcripts need to be received by the first day of the month that a student plans to start classes.
Next, students will create a WGU student account and apply for financial aid. Aside from the WGU financial aid application, it's best to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well. This application goes to the federal and state governments and can help students access free grant aid, scholarships, and optional student loans if they qualify.
Finally, students will do a 20-30 minute intake interview with their enrollment counselor, make their first tuition payment, and complete an orientation.
TG
Reviewed: 10/1/2023
Degree: Healthcare Management
I would not waste your time or money. After $10K I have nothing to show for it, and it’s not for lack of effort. I busted my butt in every single class, like most other people. I work a full time job, try to maintain a normal life, and study as much as possible. 1 class kept me from getting my degree, 1. I attempted to take the exam 3 times, and it didn’t matter if it would’ve been an open book exam, the material never matched what I was studying. The PA was zero help and didn’t even line up slightly... Read More
Miguel
Reviewed: 9/29/2023
Degree: Elementary Education
Okay, well I do not want to repetitive but this school is one of the worst in terms of getting any form of education well in my experience education for elementary teacher preparation. They expect you to grasp a whole semester’s worth of knowledge and implement it to a final exam, now I know this is common even in a normal campus but in a normal campus you do not have a person staring at you while you take a test. That’s one the least ignorant things of this school, in this school a C grade is not... Read More
Former Student
Reviewed: 9/24/2023
Degree: Elementary Education
I had high hopes for this school. I have an associates degree, worked full time in a school environment in a non-certified paraprofessional position (and had for over a decade at the time I was a student), and thought it would be a good way to finish my Bachelors while still working full-time. What a waste of time. First, let’s talk about the courses themselves. It’s a compilation of summarized information from websites, a bunch of links to other websites (some of them are broken), and I can tell... Read More
Kim
Reviewed: 9/21/2023
Degree: Healthcare Administration
This school is a joke. I have an associates degree from a prior college. When it came time to transfer they did not take all my credit. I basically started over again with them. I had medical term already from my previous college that I graduated from and they didn’t even except, biology and lab as well and they would not take it. There were some other healthcare classes I took at the college I got my associates degree from that they said I needed but would not transfer over. There grading system... Read More
Gradsoon
Reviewed: 9/14/2023
Degree: Cybersecurity
I was reading some the reviews for the cybersecurity BA program. I think any logical person can see right through some of these 1 star reviews. These people are subpar and can only complain. ISC2 is a great certificate add on and yes, you have to drive to their test center! This is a great program for a cyber bachelor's degree. You also have the opportunity to gain so many certificates. It's the best of both worlds.
Jenn
Reviewed: 9/12/2023
Degree: Teaching
I attended for 4.5 years. On year 2 was "talked into a program change" Almost no credits transferred from the first 2 years, at 3.5 years I was talked into a program change. Rather than providing the support and guidance and actual education, there I was losing credits again. After basically starting over twice, I was in my final term (prior to student teaching) My entire term was made up of one final exam. I had one opportunity to take it (due to scheduling at Sylvan Learning Center where the exams... Read More
Lisa
Reviewed: 8/10/2023
Degree: Elementary Education
It is not even worth my time to mention the quality of the classes, because I have had to waste most of my time complaining about the ineptitude of the financial departments. I have military benefits through my husband and they took three months to get it processed... for my financial aid it has been well over two months, they just now got it disbursed to my account, but of course it will still be another 7-10 days for them to to stop bumbling around and get my refunded portion to me. The amount... Read More
je
Reviewed: 8/10/2023
Degree: Cybersecurity
in cybersecurity program there is 9 certs useless certification, you MUST take all the certification other wise you won't graduate. and NOT all the certification are online some must be take in person. there is no alternative classes for those who want to take it online so they force the students to go to the test center to take useless certification. if you fail two times in any of these useless certification you must pay from your own pocket, and for example isc2 if you fail two times you must... Read More
RMD
Reviewed: 8/3/2023
Degree: Nursing
Just a warning. The recruiter will tell you they have resources to help you find clinical sites in the nursing program. They have no resources. You are 100% on your own to find clinical sites. In my case they rejected both sites I found. I ended up withdrawing because I couldn't sort out clinicals. The classes themselves are fine. The clinical situation is a mess.
P H
Reviewed: 7/28/2023
Degree: Special Education
I loved attending WGU. It is the only school where I felt I got my money's worth. Coursework was cohesive to assignments and gave options to take little quizzes or to delve deeper into the content. Although some might find program mentors irritating, I generally enjoyed having someone I could count on to keep me on task and help me organize courses, tests, and students teaching to my schedule. My mentor was able to help me with class suggestions and any information about the program requirements... Read More
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