Western Governors University was founded in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors who saw a need for a college-educated workforce in their states—a need that was not being fully met by traditional higher education.
WGU is making education accessible for all by offering courses at any time, anywhere, and by measuring progress by competency, rather than credit hours. But don’t take our word for it–explore our 25th Anniversary Impact Report to see our impact in action.
WGU In Your State
An online, non-profit university committed to making high-quality, low-cost education accessible to all.
$261 Billion
WGU’s more than 300,000 graduates will earn $463 billion over the course of their post graduation lives– $261 billion more than they would have otherwise.
$826,000
WGU graduates earning their bachelor’s degrees at age 38 earn, on average, $826,000 more in their lifetimes than they would have without coming to WGU.
$1.03 Billion
WGU has saved its alumni more than $1 billion in tuition, freeing that money to go to other parts of the economy and giving graduates and their families a higher quality of life.
Contact your regional WGU representative to discover what WGU can do for your state.
Discover what other states are doing and get actionable policy suggestions.
The WGU Policy Playbook serves as a guide to help state leaders better understand and serve their working learners. It outlines specific, actionable policies that can transform higher education into a system that offers quality, customized learning experiences of all.
Read real-life stories of impact.
On our blog, we share stories of impact from WGU students and alumni, plus updates on how we’re redrawing the education landscape.

WGA and WGU with Jim Ogsbury

The Importance of Telling Our Story with Allen Clarkson
