Salt Lake City, UT · Private · 155,088 undergraduates · suburban
Western Governors University
Open admission
Competency-based online degrees that allow progress when students demonstrate mastery rather than after a fixed number of classroom hours.
Institutional profile
Established Exceptional in affordability, and strong in mobility.- Admission
- Open admission
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 51.7%
Open admission
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$60,615 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Western Governors University apart
Academic design
Students progress by demonstrating mastery through assessments and projects in business, education, information technology, and health-related programs, with terms structured to support self-paced advancement within program rules.
Campus pattern
There is no residential campus; students work online with course instructors and program mentors while balancing employment, family, and other responsibilities.
Defining feature
Competency-based online degrees that allow progress when students demonstrate mastery rather than after a fixed number of classroom hours.
Can I get in?
Open admission
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Undergraduates enrolled
155,088Open admission
Every applicant who meets the published requirements is admitted, so the work is placement and course selection rather than selection itself.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Western Governors University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Western Governors University weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Students progress by demonstrating mastery through assessments and projects in business, education, information technology, and health-related programs, with terms structured to support self-paced advancement within program rules.
Make the fit specific
Competency-based online degrees that allow progress when students demonstrate mastery rather than after a fixed number of classroom hours.
Account for the tradeoff
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.
$65 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Computer scienceAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
NursingAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Western Governors University
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Competency-based online degrees that allow progress when students demonstrate mastery rather than after a fixed number of classroom hours.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Admits separately
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
Admits separately
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
What is campus life like?
Western Governors University beyond the classroom
There is no residential campus; students work online with course instructors and program mentors while balancing employment, family, and other responsibilities.
A defining academic feature
Students progress by demonstrating mastery through assessments and projects in business, education, information technology, and health-related programs, with terms structured to support self-paced advancement within program rules.
What shapes an ordinary week
There is no residential campus; students work online with course instructors and program mentors while balancing employment, family, and other responsibilities.
What changes the experience
Competency-based online degrees that allow progress when students demonstrate mastery rather than after a fixed number of classroom hours.