Western Governors University

Degree: Special education and elementary education (Dual Licensure) Time it took: 140 credits in 4 1/2 years while working full time is doable (including one break semester) Mentors: They are a nuisance and unnecessary. In the beginning I had to check in every week, being told I can’t miss the call. After a while there were Email check- ins instead of calls. After showing continuous progress I complained that I was a responsible adult and that I didn’t need looking after. She backed off after that... Read More and let me do my thing. They only checked in every two weeks to once a month via email. Key is to voice the issue politely. I was assigned a new mentor half way through. Same thing here, after she was assured I would do my work she left me alone. All in all I did not find them very helpful. Coursework: Competency based with either essay assessments graded on a rubric or proctored assessment via online testing agency. Course work was ok not too hard nor too easy, most classes were structured well, others were a mess and a headache to get through. Check for course tips, they often have valuable extra information or recorded lectures that saved the hassle of trying to figure out the course material. Course instructors: I have had zero problems with any of my instructors. They were helpful and answered emails in a timely manner. I did not make any phone call appointments with any of the instructors until the last half year for the dreaded edTPA. Appointments were plentiful to choose from and the instructor was kind, patient and helpful. Testing: Essay testing was doable. Rubrics are always presented and somewhat easy follow. Never had to deal with multiple returns. Proctored video testing was with a testing agency that provided proctors who often spoke English with a heavy accent. Some proctors let you just take your test and be done others complained that this and that was not up to standards, e.g. I had to sit in a certain angle so they would see everything which made my body ache and was more nerve wracking than the actual test but I survived it. There are several (Praxis) exams that you need for student teaching that are tested by a different agency and that cost extra money. Student teaching: This process was a little annoying because you have to read through a lot of stuff that is not too helpful. I finally had figured out what to do when I realized that one of my Praxis exams had a linger turn around time and I missed the student teaching application deadline with my school district by 2 days. I wish I had known this before and one of the mentors would have told me and I had to put in a break semester. Financial: In the 4 1/2 years I was enrolled for 8 semesters due to my missed application deadline. All in all the degree cost about $30.000. If you are a single mom like me, fafsa covered most of it and I maybe payed around $ 7000 for the 4 years and am now without student loan debt. (Huge perk) EdTPA: During student teaching you must take the EdTPA, even if it is not required for your state. This was the most annoying task that caused a lot of stress. A lesson planning task for a focus learner, a video task where you have to record yourself teaching the learner and an assessment task. WGU has many, many resources that help you through it, but it is more like an information jungle that you have to fight through to find what you need. Working with the course instructor really helped. All in all, I did not regret my decision to go with WGU. I was able to get a 140 credit degree from an accredited school within 4 1/2 years without being in debt. Is it the best school? Probably not but let's be honest, not many degrees make up for real on the job experience.They just lay a foundation in your work field which this degree did for me.

I enrolled at WGU with high hopes of bridging over to my Bachelor's degree. I went through 3 program mentors. Two of them were useless babysitters who half the time never showed up to the meeting and when they did, it was nothing more than a babysitter check-in. While taking my Foundations in Healthcare Data Management class in my second semester, I ran into some issues. I failed the final once and used what little the results showed to study in the areas I lacked. Took the exam a second time and... Read More it was completely different. Failed again and noticed the weighting of each category had changed. It was not the same as the first in which categories were the percentage of questions. I met with my Course Instructor and explained that some of the scenarios came off really gray or didn't make sense and it was very hard to determine, even using the process of elimination. She advised she was aware of this issue and went on to explain that final exams are created by an outside firm WGU contracts with. This firm, however, does not use subject matter experts. She stated that this had been brought to "higher management" at WGU by several CIs but nothing was done and the CIs were not given a copy of the exam nor the questions. I did the course feedback survey as my CI advised. She then also stated that some students took up to 6 tries to pass this final and there are other courses she knew that were like this as well in my program. After 3 tries, WGU makes you pay for each additional exam retake. I brought these concerns to my Program Mentor, Jessica, who advised she was going to investigate as she had no idea how the finals were created and had never heard of this. She acted outraged and understanding and asked me to focus on another course while she looked into it. Weeks after being told this was being reviewed she advised she spoke with her manager who stated the CI must be "bitter" over not being involved in creating the final exam. I explained that was not helpful and encouraged them to find a way to fix this. For multiple weeks she avoided our bi-weekly meetings stating she had internet problems and never rescheduled. Stating we would just meet at the next scheduled bi-weekly. Finally, I emailed demanding an update as we were not 3 months into the issue and had no resolution. She advised "investigation" was a strong word and started back peddling everything she had voiced to me on our phone call. I was advised that the curriculum was under review as it was due for it. However, they still refused and avoided any review of the final exam. I heard from another student that they had a similar issue but the school offered the student an option to do a paper instead of an exam. I've never even been given the option. This school is a rip-off. This is how they make back the money you think you are saving. They take no accountability and refuse to address issues. When you review a paper with the CI they tell you what the school is looking for. The CIs are just figureheads and have no say in material or tasks either. DON'T waste your money!

I chose WGU because I needed a degree quickly after I got some bad medical news and was told I'd be medically retired soon. I work in cyber for the military so I have gotten training and have a handful of certifications. WGU was largely based around CISSP with a class about CEH and one about CHFI. They've recently updated the curriculum. I loved how WGU works. My mentor was hands off after I finished 4 courses in a month, but was always on-call when I was ready to start my next course. The mentors... Read More are really just there to make sure you're on track to graduate and get you enrolled in courses, they have degrees in completely different feilds. When I reached out to a course instructors they responded in less than a day most times. This is a very independent program because you just get a stack of e-books to read, but if you already work in cyber or study before hand (reddit has study tips for every course) you'll be fine. The papers you write are pretty accurate and are decently realistic for the business world. For about $4,700 and 5 months I got a master's, another certification, and made finding a great job that much easier. I didn't use tuition assistance because of all the requirements for officers and I was told that TA would slow me down. No one has questioned the credibility of my degree because WGU has four regional accreditations and is recognized by the DHS and NSA--that and a number of people I work with are also going to WGU.

I love that WGU is online, as I’m a self learner and learn easily. Love the courses too. I don’t mind the highly proctored exams though the first experience with this was terrible. My biggest issue with WGU is their mentors. They don’t help you progress, they hinder your progress. They can refuse that you to take courses in the order you prefer, they also nag you constantly, and treat your cell phone as if WGU is paying for it. No respect for personal space. They will rarely contact you via school... Read More email or even your personal email, or home phone. They will bombard you with calls and texts though. This is the issue for me because it takes the joy out of learning. No one likes to be nagged and this doesn’t work for most people. WGU needs to change this!

It works for working and not being able to go to scheduled classes, but be prepared for push back every time you want to do more than the bare minimum classes each semester. Every semester I've tried to get more than 12 hours, and every time they say 'start with 12, and add more after' I'm 38 years old, I think I know how my brain works for education. The degree counselor is younger than me, but telling me how my work ethic works like they've ever met me in person. And I've been through 3 different... Read More counselors, so fairly certain it's the college telling them how to do it. If I could afford (time or money) to go elsewhere, I would, but unfortunately options are limited for this type of schooling so far.

I started back in 2013 and I stopped for at least 6 years, when I started back I chose the Network Operations Bachelor degree, in the middle I got blocked by a network lab that uses a cloud lab. The lab gets deleted or becomes unresponsive after certain days and you have to start from the beginning, I got frustrated with the class and change the Major to Cyber security. I got through all the classes and in the final class I got stuck with the SSCP certification, the most stupid certification ever.... Read More You don't exactly what response they would like to see, they can help me get away with one class replacement. Then I changed my Major to Network and they added 11 more classes, wonder if I see the Network Lab again and Phyton and guess what you have to take 4 hours of the Phyton exam live while somebody watching you coding and solving the problem. Then I changed the Major to Information Technology and they added 3 more classes, one of the classes is really a joke, C850 when you write an essay about emerging technology that only has 4 years old. the criteria in the essay is just going nowhere. Online I couldn't even find the resources for these new technologies, there are only paid articles. Please save yourself time and money and choose another University. I'm trying to save you here to get graduated early and get to your goal. This school is a total Joke.

I’m 25% done earning my bachelors degree in Business Management and I’m happy with the school so far. You have to remember that this is an online school with an independent learning model, meaning you basically teach yourself. They give you all the resources you need to be successful but it is 100% your responsibility to use them effectively. I have weekly phone calls with my academic advisor who helps keep me on track and lets me know how I’m doing. It is true that trying to get an appointment with... Read More your instructor can be difficult and it may not be right away. The other thing that is a little, different let’s say, is the proctored exams. They are online with a company that is based out of India, so the proctors can be difficult to understand, I’ve actually had proctors fall asleep during my exam and sometimes they don’t “show up” so you have to take extra steps to get your test done. Overall I’m happy with my experience so far and I’m actually thinking of going on to get my masters from this school.

I received my BA in Elementary Education from WGU in 2022, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately re-enrolled to pursue my MA in Elementary Education, which I am currently working on. It seems that reviews here are mostly either 5 star or 1 star reviews. Keep in mind that most satisfied people never leave reviews. People, in general, are more likely to vent about a negative experience online than they are to write about a positive one. That said, I think the fact that so many here are leaving... Read More 5 star reviews shows how well this educational model works for many people. I'd like to address some of the complaints I've read here: 1. The idea that course credits don't transfer because WGU wants to charge you extra money is ridiculous. Most of the credits I earned during my Associates Degree DID transfer. A passing grade at WGU is 80%. If you passed classes at another school with less than 80% those classes will likely not transfer. If your previous school was not accredited, they probably won't transfer. If you are required to retake a class that did not transfer, but you know the material, you can usually complete that class in under a week - and often in as little as a day or two. If you know the material, you take the exam and do any tasks (written assignments that are often only a few pages long) required. If you pass, you just move on to the next class. It isn't a big deal. It isn't like other schools where you have to waste time and money sitting through material you already know for an entire semester. WGU charges a flat fee for a 6 month term. They don't charge per credit. This means that you can work at your own pace. You can take the minimum 4 classes to be considered a full-time student if you don't have a lot of time, or if you need longer to absorb information. However, if you are a fast worker with industry experience, you might be able to blast through 10 or 20 classes in a single term, at NO EXTRA COST. You won't find a more affordable college anywhere. 2. One person said that it is a lie that you can work at your own pace. She said that work interfered with her ability to be scholastically productive and she had to fight to stay enrolled. You CAN work at your own pace, but you are required to log in to your courses at least once every 2 weeks. You don't have to DO anything, take any tests, or submit any work. But you are required to log in to your coursework, just to show that you are still serious about being a student. Also, be transparent with your course mentor. Let them know that you are still committed to earning your degree, but work is crazy at the moment so you won't be accomplishing as much as you'd like. Work WITH your mentor to come up with a study plan that works for you. 3. Someone said that their mentor was not helpful and only had 2 minute conversations. Someone else didn't like having weekly check-ins by their mentor. If you don't like your mentor or s/he is not helpful, contact student services and request a new one. It is not a big deal. Some people go through 3 or 4 mentors before they find the one that really meshes with their learning style. WGU WILL work with you if you reach out. I love my mentor. Finding the right one really improves your learning experience. Also, if you don't like the weekly check-ins, they probably won't last past your first term. In the beginning, the mentors check on you weekly to make sure things are going smoothly because many have problems adjusting to an online learning platform. After your first term, once you've proven that you can deal with online learning, typically you will hear from your mentor less often. My mentor never calls anymore unless I schedule an appointment to speak with her. She simply sends me an email every couple of weeks asking if I need anything. If your mentor is still checking in with weekly phone calls after the first term, and you don't like that, then tell him/her. If s/he won't respect your preferences, request a new mentor. 4. There are no professors. The course instructors are unqualified. The course instructors don't teach. Blah, blah, blah. This is all poppycock. Every course I've had has had a team of instructors. Every instructor I've had has held a doctoral degree. Most of the classes include teacher created materials which might include written information/charts/graphic organizers, videos/podcasts/and cohorts live and/or pre-recorded. If you need individualized help, you can book an appointment with ANY instructor of the class - it doesn't have to be the instructor specifically assigned to you. Like any good school, WGU employs many excellent teachers, but even good schools can sometimes employ a few duds. If you are assigned a dud, reach out to one of the others. Also if you have a quick question, you will usually get a prompt response by shooting an email to the instructors' group email. Someone in the office will get back to you. I've found that most of the teachers are eager to help. As others have said, WGU is for self-motivated individuals. It is also geared toward those with excellent reading/study skills, since the vast majority of information you receive will in the form of e-textbooks, online articles, and book exerpts. You will do a lot of reading and writing, and you will be expected to seek out additional help if you need it. WGU offers far more support for students than my community college did. If you need extra help with math or writing, there are labs you can visit to get one-on-one assistance from a teacher. You have teams of instructors waiting for you to book time with them so that they can help you. If you need to, you can book several sessions a week. You have a course mentor who is dedicated to helping you succeed. The help IS there. You just need to ask. If one individual sucks, ask someone else. One or two crappy teachers doesn't mean the whole school stinks. I love WGU. I got my BA here. I'm working on my MA. If they ever offer a doctoral program, I'll be back for that, too.

The exams are horrible, times are the biggest downfall you can be right in the middle of an exam and they want you to sit still like a statue while taking this exam and these exams can be up to 2 1/2 hours long and it’s very stressful you can’t understand what they’re saying because they don’t speak English. It’s frustrating and if they would get rid of the proctor exams or at least have a proctor exam without a WebCam, it would be great I mean if you’re so worried about People cheating they don’t... Read More offer online courses. It’s ridiculous. I wish I could go back in time and have never in rolled in the school.