Western Governors University Reviews

Since I graduated, I have applied what I know with my current job and it has helped me be successful. WGU may not be for everyone but, it was what I needed to acquire the skills and competency I needed to be successful. The most helpful thing about WGU is that I was able to learn at my own pace and was not set to a particular schedule.

The other thing I really like about WGU is the continued support. They provide access to Alumni community, resources and clubs to stay in touch with other graduates and students. I am currently studying for certifications and using the alumni resources versus paying 100's or 1000's of dollars for study guides and bootcamps.

In summary, WGU is what I needed, and I would recommend WGU for anyone that is self-motivated and acceptable to digital learning versus classroom. It wasn't easy for me but, self motivation, help from my counselor and letting go of the thought that learning can only be acquired through a classroom were keys to my success.

You will have to study at your "own pace". There is no structure in the courses at all. What topic do I need to finish for this week, this month to achieve the 4 courses in one semester? The people who say they can accelerate may already have experience in the industry, which is why it's cheap for them. Realistically, an average person cannot accelerate. These courses are tough.

I wasn't able to finish on time so it is moved to term 2/semester 2. It is hard because you will do EVERYTHING yourself. Figuring out where and what link to click. If you want help, it is all virtual. This contradicts the work on your own because you will still need to communicate. Compared to a traditional university, there are live people that can help you. Support virtually is not that effective. Get outside and get a life in a traditional university. I find it odd to have a parasocial relationship with a program mentor. You have to tell them what's going on all the time. Remember, you never even met this person. At a traditional university you meet people in real life, and your choice if you want to make a meaningful relationship that's not forced upon you.

Being in this university brings you anxiety. You cannot help it to think if this school is a scam or not. You will have to bear that feeling until you finish this degree. Even then, you are not even sure if finishing this degree will get you a job. The fact they do not have a grading system discourages you because you don't know if it will be accepted by employers or other universities. If you fail a course that's associated with a third party like Comptia, you will have to pay another $300 to pass.

Their website does not work properly. Sometimes study materials won't load. You are loaded with links to click. So many things to read and rules. With one misread, your exam can be revoked. There is no instructor to give lectures or guidance. It's just read and quizzed on your own. A traditional university is in-person and more effective in improving your skills with guided lectures, asking questions, resume building, networking, and presentations. At least some courses have videos, but you will have to find where it is buried somewhere. Writing essays has no guidance, like what format is this going to be? You will have a parasocial relationship with an instructor calling your phone. I just find that really odd. The customer service and program counselor are rude. I had to ask many times to switch to a person that's more professional.

In August I had a major life disruption! My mentor was constantly reaching out as I explained what happened and why I wasn’t able to give the class 100%. This is where things are different. Once I told my mentor that I paid cash, no Fed funds, she actually only called or emailed every few weeks. For someone like me, who doesn’t qualify for Fed funds, I appreciate that they don’t let others use tax payer funded school for people who will take it for granted!

Let me be clear; I am all for grants and such for students who can’t afford college. We should all be given EQUAL opportunity for college. I would give my eye teeth for Fed funds! So I can appreciate that if you’re not able to give it your all, you should wait to enroll until you can. These are the “terms” you agreed to when using Fed funds. It’s not WGU kicking you out, it’s the loan or fund department recognizing the loss. Blame them. That’s their terms, unless you didn’t complete the critical action. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re going to school because this is what YOU want. It’s when things got tough that people usually lose the determination. I was still able to complete my full “term”, 12 credits, and I knew I could’ve completed more and was only upset at myself as I felt that I was wasting MY money, and I was.

Fast forward to my second term ending in 26 days. I’ve completed my full term (12 credits) and will be adding a class to my term. This is called acceleration. Once becoming a student at WGU Reddit will find you! lol. I mean, you can’t avoid it. I keep reading, “Passed Intermediate Accounting in 2 days!” Well, in reality, it takes someone like me 5+ weeks to finish a class like that. I’ve never worked in my field of study. So this is mostly new to me. It takes time to learn and retain the information. They offer Webinars and Cohorts, which are lifesavers for people like me who have trouble teaching themselves unfamiliar concepts. There’s the writing & math center and FREE Grammarly! They give you so many tools to use I’m just flabbergasted at some of these comments. I didn’t have many hiccups in the enrollment process. I was itching to start, but the delay by one month was actually a blessing. A new term starts every month.

As far as the exams go, I think I just got lucky. I am able to use Examity to take my proctored OA’s. They can be a pain sometimes. And yes, the test questions are tricky! You will hear others complain about their MCQ (multiple choice questions). They are sinister sometimes. The only class that I’ve complained about the OA not being consistent with the PA is Prob & Stats. That was a tough class and I passed by the skin of my teeth! I haven’t had to retake any exams yet, fingers crossed, but that’s because I do all the coursework until I am able to pass all the unit quizzes and the PA before I even attempt the OA. This is what works for me.

Additionally, I’m still in mostly pre-req and GE classes so this could be a complaint that comes up in the future. Here’s my two cents, if you failed the OA the first time, you should contact your CI and mentor to find what you need to study. I think because I use Examity, it tells me what areas I was competent on and areas that I need work. I can’t speak for those who have to use testing centers. WGU should clarify that first with students looking to attend if Examity is not an option for you. I agree TC would be a PITA. The test retake fee after a third failed attempt is $60 for the classes that I’ve taken. I am in BS Acct, so I can’t speak for IT or any other program. If you can’t afford the extra fee to retake the exam then you should do everything to learn the concepts for FREE before using the OA’s as a quick guide to study by. This is a sure fire fail, in my opinion. If you think you’re going to outsmart the school by using the tests to guide you, I’m here to tell you that they’ve seen it ALL.

The classes are “major dependent”. Meaning that I can work out of the gate in my degree bc my classes were designed that way.

If grades are important to you, WGU doesn’t give grades, only credits.

I hope this clarifies WGU for those looking for a quick diploma. I admit that even I enrolled with the hopes of a BS in 6 months! I enjoy school, and I’m good at it for the most part, and I can’t accelerate a 4 year degree in 6 months.

May 27, 2024: I get an email stating the eligibility requirements, and a link to sign into their portal, all login attempts fail, I note to look further into this another day. May 28, 2024: I decide to follow up on it since I forwarded the transcripts to the councilor and could not login to the portal. I’m told they cannot find my email on their files and then was told that I could not send my transcripts to them through email because it’s “not official” and that it is in fact a REQUIREMENT to send it to the email not an option like how the email portrays. I am then told I need to have it mailed or directly emailed by my OLD COLLEGE as well, no acknowledgment that the website I was referred to was even an option at all at this point.

So I call customer service to get this rectified as one of their employees were the ones who referred this website and who NEVER SPECIFIED it was REQUIRED to send it to that email and that anything else would be unacceptable. The rep just backs up the person saying that since they mentioned where to send it to, that that’s enough. I ask for the manager, Don **, who not only tells me what the other employee is telling me, defending their employee's obvious miscommunication, but then doubles down saying that they have an UNSENT EMAIL on the transcript process.

So over the course of the 4 days, they NEVER send me that email?! And my “councilor” just so happens to never respond to the email I sent her with the transcripts and NEVER calls me back either. All of what happened was not my fault at all, in fact, if the email stated that it was a requirement, I would admit fault and begrudgingly do the whole process over again, but this was on the employee for not using the correct vocabulary, failing to state their very strict policy, and for NEVER SENDING ME THE EMAIL when they send me everything else regarding the enrollment process. This whole thing was very unprofessional and disappointing, and I’ll be sure to spread the word that no one apply for this school, and the staff have zero accountability and horrible customer service, offering me nothing to try to help me rectify this issue that is clearly their fault.

1) I spoke initially with an enrollment counselor who told me that transcript requests from prior universities would be free, so I submitted an admissions application listing my education history. Shortly thereafter I received a notice that "requirements [were] needed" as they were unable to request transcripts on my behalf. I emailed the counselor I initially spoke with, who never replied. After completing the admissions application I was given a new enrollment counselor, so I reached out to them. They told me that a FERPA release form (whatever that is) was not completed during my application, however the admissions application had no such form listed. In effect, they seem to default to exclusion on their "free transcript request" promise by not providing the underlying criteria. At any rate, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and paid for my transcripts to be sent to them.

2) My enrollment counselor next informed me that I would need to go through an official transfer evaluation to receive credit for my undergraduate degree. So I obliged and spent several weeks coordinating with her, sending my official transcripts and IT certifications to the transcript evaluation department, and waiting for them to process my "official transfer evaluation". When I received this official evaluation, it seemed they didn't even bother to open my transcript or certification documents and just denied all credit transfers. According to the official transfer documentation however, it is very clearly spelled out that I would receive credit for specific courses due to my previous degree and certifications. At any rate, I messaged my enrollment counselor again notifying them about this and they again kicked the whole process back to me to resolve, because apparently this is how WGU operates. Another review here on consumer affairs seems to describe their process perfectly:

"I don't think that the evaluators even read the requirements under the competency in our task review. I thoroughly followed all requirements from there yet I've been having issues with the assignments being sent back lately. They seem to have a different requirement than what the students see. I don't think they even cared to look at the assignments since they tend to kick it back with simple reasons (such as not being able to open the document....really?!). We pay to have lazy people who can't even open a document?? What kind of college is this? Then, they kicked it back because they claimed that something was missing from the document when it was clearly there (I had professors and an evaluation coordinator check). This is a waste of time and money. I would not continue with this type of unprofessional, lazy, neglectful type of college."

3) As one might expect, when I mentioned all of this to my enrollment counselor, she basically gaslighted me, saying "I'm sorry that you struggled with the enrollment process."

Given that, it'd be absurd if I could not bang through a degree in in IT quickly. Just because I can and did do it doesn't mean someone as green as the new spring can do the same. Many expect that and are angry when they are not able to do so. Hence, all the bad reviews here. I had a great experience at WGU. Even though I was able to get my degree pretty quickly, and despite my long experience in the field, I learned quite a few new things and was very pleased with the quality of the material provided. If you want a quick degree with no experience and to get fleeced financially, go to the University of Phoenix and get a sham degree. If you want to learn something and/or you have a lot of experience in the field and want a decent online school, WGU might be for you.

1- Back story. I was one semester from graduating, I now have to start all over because an email that was supposed to go to a family member, went to my mentor. I did not say anything bad. Two years of my life has been wasted but besides this I will discuss their "STELLAR ACADEMICS.' They don't give letter grades, at least not in my program so it is hard to get an academic evaluation. They will give you the credits but no GPA.

2- They care about you when you apply, after that, you are on your own, minus your mentor checking in.

3- The classes are rather easy. It does not take much effort to pass, just a couple of assessments on a rubric.

4- I felt like two years of my life has been wasted and they were very arrogant with me. I am going to go to a real university - Purdue.

I'm smart enough to take the PRAXIS tests, as is evidenced by the scores I ended up getting on them, but I needed testing accommodations both medically and mentally, and I'm not ashamed of that. They were not arranged for because not only was I not properly informed of the university's inability to work with ETS on the matter, but I was also not clearly informed about the timeline of testing by my academic advisor. This delayed my graduation by at least 6 months and my career by a year.

Then there's this, "The only thing different than Illinois is that you have to take the PRAXIS." That lie left out the singularly most stressful event in the teaching program; the EdTPA. Then finally, "We can like... help you make your resume better (lie, they'll help you make it archaic) but we can't actually help you find a job (even though you qualify for and are enrolled in vocational rehab)."

I love that this school didn't just give me a grade and a short explanation of what I did wrong or right (which almost every professor I've had has done). WGU allows students to redo assignments until they reach competency. I got explicit details on what I needed to improve and was usually emailed by professors who offered advice. The only thing I will say is that when my program mentor told me that my new course was harder, I had to right away make an appointment with the professor, or I wouldn't get availability until the next week or two. I also love that this school gave me the option to have one-on-one video discussions with professors about my work, and provided cohorts, recorded webinars for each section of tasks (as opposed to super long sessions of whole tasks), and detailed resource support pages that gave me access to everything I'd need to complete my assignments and tests (assignments, example papers, checklists, etc.).

Usually, when I went to other colleges (I've went to two previous colleges), I had to comb through books and resources to find out how exactly I was going to complete my assignment (understanding what exactly the teacher was asking me to do). At WGU I get to just spend time learning content that is actually relevant to my assignments and completing my assignments. I didn't have to comb through books and resources to try and figure out what was in tests because I knew that course content always directly related to my assessments.

This school is easy in the sense that it allows you to focus only on your work and apply your newly learned skills, and hard in the sense that you don't pass a class unless assignments are completed to rubric standards. Overall, this school is the only school I feel gave me money's worth of resources, professional development, and support. Also, this school is not for procrastinators, how fast you get done is usually up to you.

This could be a viable preferred university for many students to choose but the university's leadership are so out-of-touch with what's actually happening at the student level that it's a big fail. Try another - and make sure that if they advertise "learn/test from home on your schedule" that they mean there will also be instructors provided for you in your time zone as well.

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!

When I asked professors about this they didn't really have an answer for me as to why the materials provided are so different. Especially in an online learning environment, this didn't make sense to me. All of the tests are also proctored through examity and I never had a great experience with that platform either. The proctors often would not be available to answer questions or would take 20-30 minutes to respond to me when I would tell them I have finished my exam.

The only positive things I have to say about my WGU experience would be the program mentors and the math/writing centers. My program mentor was GREAT and very encouraging when things were tough. I just never found the course instructors to be helpful, they really just reiterated what was already provided in the coursework and beyond that never added any value. Overall I just would not recommend this institution. As someone with text anxiety, getting to an exam after studying all the material and not having a clue what questions are being asked and having to take exams multiple times was a horrible experience.

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.

Their inability to process my aid in a timely manner is one of many reasons why I and many others left. Because they dragged their feet, it took three months after being accepted before I could even start taking classes. I spent half the term twiddling my thumbs waiting, and the other half jumping through hoops, trying to get assistance with learning modules, only to get an automated reply back from “instructors” who don’t even teach. Rather than actually teaching, they just redirect you to some broken or outdated website that fails to actually address the material covered in class. The whole experience was a complete joke. It’s a good thing I left after only one term, instead of wasting more time. Save yourself the headache, and fork up the money to go to a real school.

I started like everyone else at a good click - then I got injured at work - by a patient. My ability to move at the same rate was diminished. While undergoing treatment and recovery over the course of the next year my progress slowed. I reached out for disability accommodations to which they stated I had no disability they could accommodate despite being able to see a significant change in my attendance pre and post injury. They constantly changed my mentors. I’m currently on number 5 - finally just told them I don’t need to get you to know you because you will leave shortly too. Though I will add the mentors have been very kind.

The instructors are not instructors. I have been taught nothing. I’m on my capstone project. I learned how to make a Gantt chart by watching Linked In Learning which I guess I did learn from WGU because that’s how I have access. But, the evaluators - who you are not allowed to talk to, have awareness of their qualifications or experience- nor the course instructors' experience- reject things intentionally to make you talk to an instructor. There is no talking to them- they send you an email. They are often unavailable and delay your submission of work. This is how they get around the correspondence school concept- forcing you to “talk” to the instructor.

They start new courses while you are in a course and if you can’t finish the old version you have to resubmit everything instead of allowing the already enrolled students to complete and enrolling new students in the new class. They have cohorts you “must” attend but when you don’t, you receive an email saying thank you for attending here are the notes. I was told by my mentor to just dumb down my papers and write exactly what they are asking for so it will pass (using their words).

The evaluators have zero understanding of anything that isn’t direct patient care so make sure your final project is a cauti or patient centered intervention. The legitimately asked me how education of staff improves revenue. Ummm aren’t you an institution of higher learning. This seems common sense to me but the evaluators did not understand how education technology and revenue are related. It’s ok I dumbed it down and they understood better. If you want quick, easy and not going to improve your practice- choose WGU. If you want enriching, knowledge filled challenging education that makes you grow - spend your money elsewhere! This place is a discriminatory, very expensive correspondence school. Two thumbs down. 0/10. Would not recommend.

Those who had bad experiences with WGU, I am sure there may be some truth to their experiences. Some are just utterly blowing things out of proportion. Before WGU, I attended 2-3 different state schools, and my experiences were far worse than what some commenters are posting, many more things I could complain about, and did not receive half the support that I did at WGU.

Ultimately, my MBA degree is the highest paying degree at WGU (arguable because college of IT is on a different level). Nevertheless, WGU has changed my life for the better, and I have no regrets. If you are a person with a "go getter" mindset and attitude, you will not regret WGU, and some disappointments will not ruin your overall experience. I work in government, and my degree is very respected. Thank you WGU.

Original Review: WGU cheerleaders will tell you this university is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sorry to burst some bubbles here, but this place ain’t all that swell. Lemme tell you why. First, there’s no professors here but “course instructors” who can’t instruct somebody on how to tie their own shoelaces, let alone teach a class. Speaking of classes, they're full of mistakes. Wrong answers get marked correct on quizzes all the time, and vise-versa. Online textbooks are from a decade ago and the videos look like they were recorded back in the late ‘90s/early '00s. 100,000+ students and that’s the best they can do? They’ve got the quantity, but boy are they lacking in quality. You’d be better off watching videos on youtube for free instead of shelling out thousands of dollars a year in tuition.

When you try to email instructors for help, they pretty much get back to you when they feel like it. Come exam time, it takes hours to set up. Proctors speak broken english and disrespect students without batting an eye. Not to mention, last I checked, WGU ain't even ABET accredited which is a deal breaker for me. If having your degree recognized by companies and federal contractors who require ABET as a minimum standard for licensure matters to you, then look elsewhere. Don’t be fooled by phony five star reviews (likely submitted by faculty themselves) singing high praises. So happy to say I’m transferring out of here to an actual accredited degree program. I feel like singing high praises myself, now that I’m finally leaving!

Secondly, I would like to say that I highly recommend WGU to anyone who is looking to advance their education and is willing to put the time and effort into doing so. I found the flexible nature of WGU’s curriculum to be a breath of fresh air. I learned a great deal and appreciated the ability to go at my own pace. I highly enjoyed my time at WGU, and had a great relationship with my mentor. I will be returning for my MBA and will continue to tout the graces of WGU everywhere I go!

You are also not allowed to knock out any other class in your term and come back to the one you failed at a later time. You MUST take that same exam before moving on. As you can tell, this decreases your capability to accelerate. My advisor told me that most students will fail their exams the first go. And it’s no wonder as to why. WGU has outdated learning materials, and even worse software. For a school that is touted as the go to solution for IT professionals wanting to obtain their degree, I find it quite concerning that they have so many technical issues.

The student portal crashes every other day, with big red banners issuing a fake apology and explaining that staff is “currently working on the matter.” They’ll be “working on the matter” for 365 days plus. If you ever manage to access the student portal, some feature is always buggy or lacking. The exam scheduling buttons fail half the time. And the education software they use–the laggy Pearson, the bloated McGraw Hill, and the abysmal MyEducator plug-in–make it difficult for you to actually learn anything in a class.

And don’t get me started on the proctors. Proctors come an hour late at a minimum. If you have test anxiety, be prepared to be on edge by the time these people remember to show up. Exam rules are inconsistent and confusing. Besides having you scan your test area, you will be told to peel off water bottle labels, remove your shoes, lift your keyboard, take down paintings, and other nonsense that has NOTHING to do with the exam, FIVE PROCTORS would not let me start my exam because they’d claim my white board (that WGU sent me, mind you) wasn’t a “white board” but instead a “dry erase board.” They must not understand that they’re literally the same thing because of the way it translates in their native tongue.

Why is WGU using a third-party company for its students who are based in the United States? That tells me that they don’t care about student’s quality of education, they just want to save a few bucks and get cheap labor overseas. It’s concerning giving people whose faces you cannot see, from a country infamous for scamming, absolute control over your computer. Who knows what kind of viruses and monitoring they’re doing while you take your exam?

That’s not even the worst part. Imagine going through all that trouble, just for the proctored exam to crash midway. Good luck contacting IT about your problems. They’re too busy fixing the myriad of other issues at the school. Even if you do manage to get in contact with a human being, they have absolutely ZERO training on how to help you other than blaming your problem on your internet connection and telling you to reschedule your exam, before issuing a mountain full of tickets that they don’t follow up on half the time. Rinse, and repeat.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that the IT staff are actually WGU grads who couldn’t find work anywhere else (since they would actually have to put real IT skills that they lack to the test), and were hired on by WGU, just so the school could tell people their students found work after graduation. That seems to be the case for many of these so called “online schools”. If you need something fixed, expect to wait weeks for any updates or feedback. I have never seen an institution so poorly run in my life. DO NOT attend WGU unless you want to waste your time and money.

The terrible instructors are the ones who send you generic, auto-filled responses. If that is going to be the case, then they need to program software to respond and manage the class and FIRE the instructors who don't feel that engaging with the student is the correct way to do things. I read the feedback about their proctors and scheduling exams - yes, I wholeheartedly agree.

Half the time the proctors are LATE and by the time they read their scripts you are 45-60 minutes past your testing time because of the 3rd world country's Examity managers and their lack of interest in being on time for the exam. Which brings me to another curious question: if they are using a 3rd world country to proctor the exams why isn't there more testing availability in terms of time of day or day of the week? I mean, wasn't that the goal of WGU to save money and plug in proctors into testing times?

And I cannot help but wonder: why aren't WGU using people who live in the United States to proctor the exams??? Here we go with the whole job outsourcing to a country who could care less about the importance of the exam, of being on time, or otherwise. And WGU never hold them accountable for being late or for not understanding the test instructions correctly. WGU seemed to be a great idea but now I'm wondering if it would be better to branch out to another school to finish my degree who will help me accomplish this without all of the Beverly Hillbilly hassles.

The thing I really admire about my program mentor is how helpful she is on answering my concerns. For instance: I told her how I’m struggling to plan out how I’m going to study for this course I’m currently in. She gave me valuable tips that has helped me in this course. My program mentor also celebrates my wins when I received an award for my first paper. She sent me a text to congratulate me. I really appreciated that. The instructors are amazing.

Whenever I’m starting out in a course, I always contact the instructor by email introducing myself and letting them some of my concerns and asking if there are any tips or suggestions to survive. The recorded cohorts that the professor do are important. They tell you more information than what is in the rubric. One of the instructors shared the rubric is purposely created with minimal details to pass. This is due to test if the students are in those lectures/cohorts - you don’t have to attend, but you can watch in your own time, that’s what I do. That’s my go to before starting the course is listening to recorded cohorts from the professors.

In regards to proctors, yes they are outsourced and the thing is we need to understand that our way of communicating/understanding is very different from others who either can speak very little to no English. While they may seem rude, it’s likely unintentional. I grew up with parents where English is their second language. When someone is speaking or trying to communicate in a second language there’s a lot going on in their mind to ensure they get their words out in hopes the person can understand what they’re saying. With that being said, I think we need to be more reasonable when it comes to people who are proctoring the exams.

There were a couple of things I liked about the program. Firstly, I was able to get enrolled and take all of my courses online, and read most of the course materials using my Android tablet, which for me was huge. I loved that I could sit comfortably on my couch with a lightweight device, study, and take quizzes with minimal distractions. Secondly, I was able to study at my own pace. This was something else that sold me on this program. They told me that I could study at my own pace and theoretically earn my degree much faster than I would have been able to elsewhere. I estimated I would be able to finish in about three years, instead of the typical four, and not only have my degree in hand in 3/4 of the amount of time but also with 3/4 of the amount of financial aid debt.

During my first semester, I completed four classes, earned two professional IT certifications, and got about halfway through my fifth class. I decided to take the next few months off to relocate and look for a new job. This is when the issues start to arise. About four months after completing my first semester I contacted the admissions department and let them know I wanted to continue taking classes. They said "no problem" and I was quickly assigned a re-enrollment date, and was on track to start up again two months later. I continued applying to, and interviewing for jobs, and had just enough cash to cover my rent until I was scheduled to receive my (second) financial aid check. This is when the nightmare began.

I contacted them about a week before my official re-enrollment date to make sure everything was on-track and ensure that I was set to begin my next set of classes. They then informed me that they never got me re-enrolled, wouldn't be able to start on the date they provided months earlier, and needed to wait another several months until the next enrollment to begin. This completely screwed up my life, leaving me unable to pay my rent for the following six months, while I continued looking for work, and I was basically left with a "sorry we screwed up but there's nothing we can do" excuse from them.

So, I warn anyone considering attending WGU to proceed with extreme caution. There were numerous things they could have done to prevent or rectify the situation but I didn't feel that they even cared to. They should have.... got my enrollment right in the first place and I wouldn't have lost the roof over my head. They should have.... contacted me the minute they knew there was an issue and said "We know that we enrolled you on this date but there's been a problem; however, here's what we can do to fix the problem quickly." They should have.... been able to re-enroll me to start the next month (considering these classes are all study at your own pace) so that I would have received my financial aid, be able to pay my rent (late is better than never), and so I could have continued my coursework.

They did none of these things or even attempted to provide a sincere apology, letting me realize that they really didn't care about my education, but just wanted the money they received from me being a student there. Which keep in mind, was roughly TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, for taking all of four classes in six months. Thankfully, I only have to pay back about half of that because the other half I received via a Pel Grant, but I'm now left without a degree, was left without a roof over my head, and ten grand in debt, INSTEAD OF earning a Bachelors of Science in Software Engineering in three years, and a better chance at finding a high-paying job. They dropped the ball catastrophically, left me with a $10k financial aid debt, and didn't care in the least.

Lastly, unless you desperately want a job that requires a degree (like becoming a teacher or doctor) I would highly reconsider attending colleges or universities in the first place. In my case, at the time I really needed the money from the financial aid because I had been out of work for a while and thought WGU would give me a better shot at securing higher-paying jobs in a field I enjoy, not to mention at least allow me to pay my rent (at a bare minimum) while I continued applying to new jobs. I'm sure many people have been in similar situations and now see after going through it how you're basically screwed if any one of a hundred things goes wrong and the college or university will not have your back, no matter how sincere they appear when they want you to enroll.

My argument for not attending in the first place is based not only on the level of complete incompetence at these colleges and accredited universities but based on the fact that you can study many of these professions at your public library (or online) for no money, not go in debt $10, let alone $10,000, and spend more time actually learning things that you'll use in your jobs, instead of studying basically irrelevant coursework like US Government and The Constitution, Geography, Project Management, Algebra, etc. when you're trying to pursue a career in SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.

Can project management come into play later in your career, maybe, but Geography and Government classes likely won't, and not only are you paying a pretty penny to take them, but you're also spending weeks on end learning about things that have next-to-no bearing on the professional skills you'll need in entry to mid-level jobs in the profession of your choice.

Nearly everyone should have taken enough Government, Science, and Math classes in high school to get by in life, and when you're required to take over half of your courses in more of them, spend half your tuition on taking them, I argue that there are better and easier paths to take to get where you want in life than these ** online universities. Think earning professional certifications (on your own), buying books and thoroughly learning the skills you need for your profession, and accepting internships or entry-level jobs that can provide you with hands-on professional experience in your field, not to mention references that can help you get better jobs.

I say all of this after trying to go to college three times. I left the previous two times because working and paying my bills was a higher priority than earning a silly piece of paper (that just says I kinda know what I'm talking about when it comes to this subject). And that is all that a degree says, don't get it twisted. Many college students spend a large percentage of their time partying, a large percent taking classes that have next-to-nothing to do with the careers they're pursuing, and graduate with about a year (out of the four, when it comes to Bachelor's degrees) of actual, relevant coursework in the areas that they "specialize" in.

Imho, going forty grand in debt, or more at more prestigious universities, for a year's worth of additional experience, actually places you FAR BEHIND professionals who have been out working and studying 24/7 for four years in just the areas they need, and none they don't (like Geography or US Government). Don't get me wrong, the Geography class I was taking was interesting, but there wasn't one thing I learned that I felt like I was actually going to use any time soon, in my personal life or in any job I worked.

I hope I've cleared up my legitimate reasoning for leaving a negative rating and review. I simply don't see the real value in the service they provide, especially considering you typically would get out of college, maybe earn a few dollars more an hour than you would otherwise, and almost always be far behind people who didn't even attend college, not to mention $40k - $200k in debt.

Granted, it was in the format of "question and then answer in complete sentences", but the last thing I want to do is write, for no credit at all. Finished orientation, now I wait for classes to start....or so I thought. Nope, another time-consuming nonsense task: meet with a "mentor", which consists of a phone conversation that is 30 minutes long. You must do this in order to enroll in any classes and for the duration of your first term, you must correspond with this individual via email or by phone, on a weekly basis.

That's just what the adult-learner needs: another task that is a complete waste of time and energy. Financial services sent me an award letter on the 6th, then sent me an email on the 20th, stating that I had required tasks to complete. The term at WGU starts on the 1st of the month. So, I look into it and see a correspondence that essentially says "Another institution is requesting student loans, so we can't request those loans. You have to contact the institution and tell them to cancel their request." I have been told that WGU can't process my student loans until the other institution cancels their request. I have attended several institutions and haven't ever run into this type of problem.

So, I've developed a theory: WGU is either unable or unwilling to reconcile student accounts until the actual funds are in their account. I have received a financial aid refund from a college, and then had the funds revoked and I've had to pay back the college. The college essentially extended me credit and when the loan wasn't funded, I owed that debt to the college. I really REALLY wanted to put the pedal to the metal and bang out my ** in a year, but there has been too much doubt sown. Buyer beware.

The second thing I hate about WGU, is that it doesn't test your knowledge in a number of cases, the tasks you have to complete have NOTHING or little to do with the actual curriculum!! How can I trust a degree from there, when people are passing courses via tasks that have nothing to do with the real knowledge they should have about the subject matter. So, while I still go there, it's a NO for me. Hard pass. I hate this school and their courses. I recently was about to take an exam and I took a mini practice quiz to get ready, and the quiz tested me on things the section never covered. Typical WGU in my experience. So don't frustrate yourself by going.

WGU is for you if you:

- Have a degree, but want to complete a graduate program

WGU may not be for you if you:

- Will ultimately move on to certain professional graduate education such as medical or law school

I believe I have been fair in my assessment of the above. I do truly believe that there are plenty of circumstances that would not benefit from attending WGU. I will say, however, that the vast majority likely do not fall into those categories. Every concern I had about WGU prior to attendance has dissolved. I was concerned that the school was a diploma mill, had low quality, under-educated professors and staff, did not educate students adequately enough to perform in their careers, would be looked down on by future employers and colleagues, would not lead me to graduate-level opportunities. None of these concerns materialized. The opposite proved true.

My bachelor’s degree was hard-won. My master’s work is challenging and fulfilling. My employers and colleagues praise and admire my education. I have been accepted to multiple graduate-level programs of varying renown. My professors have been some of the best I've ever had in my life and consummate academic professionals.

It's simply a no-brainer to choose WGU if you are considering it. I cannot say that everyone will have the same experience I have, but I can say considering my not-insignificant experience with universities and colleges, Western Governors University has shone brighter than any other. If interested, please see me story below for more details.

My story: As I said, WGU was my fourth post-secondary institution. I was not graced with a traditional education as a youth and, therefore, my opportunities for higher learning were somewhat limited initially. In addition to that, and perhaps in concert, I began working full-time at a young age and was living completely independently just weeks after my 18th birthday. All this is to say, though I was eager to complete a college degree, the barriers to my college learning were great. I never did, and never will, have the opportunity to solely be a university student with no other obligations. But I was determined to complete a course of study, so I began any way I could and gave little thought to my future career.

As a result, the vision of my future has shifted considerably over the more than a decade since I began college. Work obligations (the basic necessity of putting food on the table, and also having a table to put it on) were a persistent roadblock as well. Eventually, attending classroom lectures and labs became a near-impossibility. I shifted to hybrid and fully online-based courses at my local community college. This eased the burden somewhat, but my progress was still painfully slow due to the time constraints of semesters and how long each course would take. I started to become quite pessimistic about finishing a degree program. I was already seven years in and had changed my major four times. I needed something different.

I was introduced to WGU through a family member. They had just completed their MBA at the university. At the time, WGU was just another one of those predatory, private, online schools in my mind, so I never gave it much thought. This family member's experience wowed me. They had completed a bachelor’s program at a prestigious state university prior to WGU and were gushing about how much better their experience had been at WGU. I was skeptical but decided to find out more. So, I began interrogating him about my impressions of the school. Wasn't it just a degree factory? Doesn't it cost a ton of money? Isn't the quality of education and instructors sub-par? Won't employers look down on you because of where you got your MBA? These were, of course, valid concerns. But my initial impressions of WGU were far from reality. Or so he said. That's when I decided to give it a shot.

Skeptically, I applied and was admitted to the university. Having a substantial educational career by this point, I figured a transfer would be no questions asked. To my surprise, they were more selective than I had anticipated. This might be dissuasive to some, but it was encouraging to me. I was placed with a Program Mentor, a role I equated with academic advisors like I had met with in past experiences. That was a mischaracterization. My interactions with academic advisors had been brief and often unnecessary. My WGU Program Mentor was in contact with me weekly. She was enthusiastic and celebratory in my success; concerned and motivational in my struggle. I attribute much of my success at WGU to some excellent Program Mentors that have guided and encouraged me along the way.

I was apprehensive of WGU at first because I suspected the professors to be of sub-par quality and educational preparation. This fear quickly evaporated as I moved through courses and became familiar with some professors, or what WGU calls Course Instructors. Each experience with my professors at WGU has left me with the utmost confidence that the university cares deeply about the quality of their professors. I have been supremely impressed with my Course Instructors, many of which have gone far out of their way to help me in times of need. In comparison with some of my previous professors at other institutions, I can say that I had a few that were outstanding. But the overwhelming majority of my professors at WGU have met that standard and I cannot thank them enough.

Finally, let me share my experience about the issue I was most concerned about. Like many, I was fearful that putting WGU on my resume or my LinkedIn page was going to be perceived as a derogatory mark. I thought that in important job interviews I would be questioned about my education and that my colleagues would consider me lesser than. I am happy to report that I was wrong.

I have had dozens of interviews over the years since beginning at WGU and have had a few different jobs as well. If anything, I could say that the opposite has been true. I get more questions about the university from individuals that have heard good things and are exploring graduate opportunities. I have been asked in exactly one interview, perhaps the most important one of my life thus far, about Western Governors and the intent was not to question my education but to praise the university. Perhaps there have been opportunities I've lost as a result. If that has occurred, it has been without my knowledge.

I am incredibly proud to be both an alumnus of WGU and a soon-to-be graduate of a WGU master’s program. I persistently evangelize the university to my colleagues, friends and acquaintances. The opportunities that have opened to me because of my choice to attend have been manifold and have launched my life to a new level. I know the same can be said for many of my alumni peers. I submit the same could be said of you.

She met me where I was and in the process of that, we ended up moving through enrollment/admissions quickly. She is a rockstar and I'm confident in WGU because if they have someone like her on board, then I have high standards for the people I work with from this point forward. Thank you Melina for setting the tone for my college experience. Good luck to all those considering furthering their education, I hope you get someone like Melina to assure you along the way.

I called back and spoke to someone who informed me they didnt have a degree path that could fit my needs. Okay, no worries. I got an email from Kaylyn right thanking me for my interest and asking me to let her know when I was available to set up a call again. Not the same email, but ridiculously close. I emailed her back and let her know that I already spoke to someone and and they told me WGU didnt have an option for me. No response, but the next day someone called me again asking if I had time to speak to an advisor about my interest in WGU.

I cant comment on their courses or anything else, but just as someone who was considering this place for online school this method of communication is a huge red flag. Felt like no one was listening to me and I was just being passed around like a sales lead. The emails from advisors/enrollment are obviously both automated and unmonitored. I was not impressed.

I am a certified teacher thanks to WGU and their program. I would recommend it to anyone looking to get into the workforce if they have prior knowledge in the field. Some people were taking it slow and that's okay, that was their experience. With WGU you can make it your own and it's challenging work with real world applications.

The content itself is honestly easy, with little thought needing to go into it. That said, the worst part is everything is graded by rubric and 100% on said rubric is expected... meaning they will nitpick anything and everything. Other (non-classroom) departments are like this as well, with everything having to be perfect. The only one I have interacted with that wasn't a pain was the Finances department, so at least the people getting you in debt are competent. All in all it has been a fair headache, and I likely would not recommend WGU to any friends. Maybe someone I hate, but only if I get to watch them deal with the bureaucracy.

Secondly, they have this weird system where you have a, "mentor." But the mentor would be more appropriately described as a "keeper" or a, "minder." All interaction with the university administration is supposed to go through the mentor. I didn't like this, it felt unreasonably controlling. I'm an adult, I should be able to communicate with the university directly. Finally, my single term was full of errors and miscommunications on behalf of WGU. I found them to be punitive when I made an error, but indifferent when they made an error. The different departments all seemed to be on different pages. You could ask 10 WGU employees the same question and get 10 different answers. This was amplified by the fact that I had to wait for my mentor to respond. Ultimately, I decided to leave WGU and enroll in a community college.

My last few classes in the program I must have talked to a professor 2-3 times a week! I think I failed one assessment and the instructor called me to see if I needed to talk about the issues I had and to encourage me to take it again. And let’s talk about price— this is place is a steal at $25,0000. Please remember you’re getting a degree- they’re not cheap and master programs are even more expensive. I started a business graduate program at another online school - price tag: $50,000. I did one class and left. They assigned tons of homework with zero interaction or assistance from the instructor. I’m pretty sure they didn’t even read my ten page paper. No handouts, no videos, no lecture— if I wanted to contact them, it was email. So good luck with that.

Is there anything I didn’t like?? Yep. The mentors. I get why they have them at the school. But I am extremely self-motivated and independent. I didn’t get much out of mentor phone calls - that turned to text messages. She didn’t remember our previous conversations and I found her to be rude and condescending at times. I felt like she was overworked, too many students, and had a cardboard answer to everything (it’s why her responses to some of my issues were condescending and didn’t apply). I’m glad people loved their mentors and having them was helpful. But for a person who’s already goal setting and focused, she was a more a hindrance than help.

I also had some issues navigating their student assistance sites and classrooms. The set ups and finding stuff can be a bit confusing. Each class is set up slightly different, so you have to peruse everything or you can easily miss something (guilty!). I have recommended this place at least a dozen times. And will continue to do so. I’ve never been so happy with an online school. I wish they had more degree options, because I would certainly go back.

Let me be brutally honest, the teachers say they want to help you, but it's kinda hard to believe. I spoke with my mentor, got no help, just useless weekly phone calls that were pointless to the matter. The professor would always give me the run around about how I needed to read the book all over again, if I wasn't getting it. The materials were all outdated and they provided no useful resources for students to grasp the content. I had to literally google helpful materials that I thought would help. I've never felt so lost in my life. FYI: If you're not an LVN or RN, please don't patronize this school. They will talk to you like you're incompetent and make you feel worthless for not knowing the material. I had many anxiety attacks just from being worried about failing the exams, and possible dismissal.

Unfortunately, the worst had happened, I was dismissed from the program. When I tried to send the mentor an email about how I felt, I was blatantly ignored. I tried complaining to the school, and they found every excuse in the rules and regulations to blame me. Another awesome part about this was that I was slapped with a 6k bill from them. Moral of the story is that they don't care about the students, this is clearly a business for them. They can care less if you pass or fail. Now I can see why the Texas program was closed in 2017, the school needs to be shut down indefinitely. It's a silly school to attend, not worth it. See link below. **

Original Review: June 18, 2020

Great advisor and selection of classes. HORRIBLE scores department. They made me lose $3,000 because they do NOT update transcripts after weeks of waiting, and they do NOT provide a contact link to reach them at. If your employer is paying for your university and needs to see your grades in a timely manner, do NOT go to Western Governors University. It's a great institute but it's weighed down by an incompetent scores department who will actively screw you over time and time again.

Original Review: June 8, 2020

Overall, WGU is inexpensive, affordable, and they have great undergraduate programs. My MSML program through WGU has been a joke. It has been comprised of papers (mostly in which I didn't even look at any material for) and rote memory quizzes. How this school was given the accreditation it has boggles my mind. However, it is accredited and a decent option if you are working full time or do not have the ability to attend a brick and mortar school. A degree here holds its weight about the same as anywhere else.

My issue here is that in the middle of my program they removed a class. After removing this class they told me that due to the fact I had engaged the course and finished half of it I would either need to finish it or receive a "not pass" on my transcript. Everyone else in my boat who decided not to finish their work early do not have this same outcome.

After speaking with program manager Seth **, I was pretty much told finish it or receive a bad mark on my transcript. This decision is short sighted and does not make an ounce of sense. Why even tell me you are doing this? Why not wait until the end of the semester? It effectively punishes students for finishing work on time. I do not want to have to take a 3 hour final that is not necessary as the class is being removed. I also don't want a bad mark on my transcript. This needs to be fixed. This should not be on any student transcript if it isn't required to graduate, PERIOD. I was then sent an email stating I had to certify I was okay with this after saying I wasn't. Did you hear what I said?

The best thing about WGU is for sure the staff. I had a mentor who called me every week at the same time on the same day like clockwork throughout my whole 3 years. She was amazing and always in good spirits! Her name was Jess. She answered every question I ever had, gave me tips, told me exactly what to expect on my current and upcoming courses (difficulty, how long the average student takes to complete, the requirements, etc). She also made sure I was held accountable for my work. They say online classes are the hardest because you have to stay focused on your own.

With my mentor, I was always reminded of what I needed to do (“I see you haven’t logged into your class in a week, are things going okay?”) She was also very understanding with me and let me vent when I went through a period of depression. I loved working with her. Also, the teachers on the courses are a lifesaver. Every time I started a new class, I would ALWAYS make sure to contact the teachers and get their tips and tricks for completing the course. Some classes are finished with a test or an essay. You have 2 or 3 tries to pass a test that you take over a webcam, and you have as many attempts as you need on your essays. Essays are 100% easier to complete when you have talked to the teachers to find out EXACTLY what they need/want.

I learned a lot. I actually loved my core class requirements like the science course and history course. I learned things I never thought I would know. I also learned how to write lesson plans, manage classrooms, ethics in teaching, etc. The hardest part about the course was the 60 hours of in class observations required. Luckily I was able to go to a school every week for a couple of hours to observe. THIS was how you really learned how to teach. Challenging to get it done, but it’s definitely needed. My student teaching was set up easily in the district I preferred near me. I also had an amazing WGU evaluator come to rate/grade me in person 6 times. She was so helpful and I could tell she wanted me to succeed.

After graduating and student teaching, I passed all my state exams, got my state teaching license, and was offered a job at the school I student taught at. I was also able to attend an in person graduation ceremony in Austin, which was nice and unexpected. I have been at my student teaching school ever since, I teach 5th grade and love it. I just bought a house and can now provide for my family. I couldn’t have done it without WGU and their amazing staff. Did I mention the price is right? Also, my government awarded Pell Grants paid for my tuition. But without the grants, the tuition was very reasonable. I recommend anyone to WGU. And I’m thinking about going back for my masters. I wouldn’t trust any other online learning platform.

One instructor will tell you one thing another in the same team will tell you another, none of them are on the same page yet it's your problem you're not understanding. Just a bunch of double talk while you're paying for this junk education they offer. Run from W.G.U.. Do not waste your money. IT IS A SCAM and they do not help you if you need help. They take your money and it's your fault you're not understanding their crappy assignments. I gave them one star only for the mentor I had who was fair and understanding. If I had a choice the entire university deserves ZERO STARS!

Anyway, I applied to a large university in my hometown and they said I needed at least two years to complete general courses I never took (courses only their university required). My Uncle had just recently graduated with his Masters from WGU, so I checked it out. Applied (WGU offers FREE applications), and got accepted. A counselor called me, explained the entire process of how WGU works and asked any questions I had. I had a mentor call me every week my first semester to help keep me on track, which is awesome because it was hard to change and put myself in charge of my own success.

At WGU you have to put in the work on your own, there's no syllabus, scheduled quizzes or tests, it's all personal choice of when and how you get the courses completed. Mentors are there to help give you tips of surviving each class, seriously, they're great. I also got a scholarship the first semester that is good for the three semesters I'll be attending. Also, I have been able to accelerate my courses to where my last semester I will be a part time student with only two courses left.

WGU has given me an affordable and empowering (in a way) option to finish my degree. I've traveled a lot more and have had a ton of freedom compared to other students. The degree is a piece of paper you've earned, and it will look the same as any others in an interview. And about the credibility issue, I pretty sure the government (FASFA) wouldn't give me any money (loans) if it weren't a non-accredited school. That's not really how it works.

First of all let me say if I had the money for college I would be attending. I am almost 50 years old and wanted to get a better job in healthcare. I am a single woman that is currently $85,000.00 in debt to the great lakes for the cost of all my children’s college educations. (Parent Loans) I was told that I should start getting my student loans together or I could start applying for a very competitive scholarship programs that are available. I also felt the wheel of my education had completed stopped turning as soon as they realized I had no money for a further education.

This was very shocking to me especially after listening to my fellow colleagues who perform the same job as I do and they are bragging about getting free money in pell grants (50000.00 to be exact). I am very disappointed that the so called caring about my future from WGU just ended abruptly when they realized I had no money.

It's very interesting to me that so many people can lie to the government and get their educations paid for at the expense of the working poor, such as myself. Therefore since you don’t care about people, just money, I intend to let the people know just how corrupt the entire system is. I will be making some videos for Facebook and Youtube and let others decide for themselves. Thank you for allowing me to spend so much of my own time applying for something that I wasn’t able to afford. Thank you for denying me the education I deserve. Thank you for your commitment to serve the government and to get others like myself deeper and deeper in student loan debt.

Also, the WGU social network communities are phenomenal - Reddit, Facebook... I gained so much knowledge on how to approach courses, study tactics, specific course info just from reading posts, asking questions or engaging in those communities. In fact, I interacted more with fellow students and alumnus there than I ever did going to my previous b&m school. There are so many awesome things I can say about WGU. I'm just so proud of this university and to be an alumni. The only problem I have is that I didn't find them sooner. Love WGU!!!!

We will be contacting the BBB and submitting a report of how bad this business operates. Moreover, when I finally got fed up with calling and being ignored by the fin aid office I asked to speak to upper management, they refused to allow their own students to have access to those emails or phone numbers! My advice is go somewhere else, their degree will not be worth the paper it is written on when they go out of business!

Amy

I asked to switch mentors and get some assistance during this time and I was assigned a new mentor but she also never told me how to put the courses on hold so I could focus on my mental health. At this point I am in jeopardy of withdrawal due to not attending my studies. I am trying to cancel my enrollment altogether and this seems to be an impossible task. Worst educational experience I have ever had!

1) Right off the bat, at the top of the reviews page, Consumer Affairs gives an extremely misleading impression - seemingly attempting to fool you into thinking that WGU is unaccredited. Consumer Affairs is of course referring to their OWN inconsequential and irrelevant in-company "accreditation" system, which means absolutely nothing and is, in my personal opinion only, little more than an attempt to extort schools who do not pay into this meaningless system. Clever, isn't it?

2) At the bottom of the reviews page, Consumer Affairs fails to mention that WGU's Business school is additionally accredited by the ACBSP.

-------My actual review----------

First of all, WGU will not admit just any random person who shows up "off the street," so to speak. You must already have your AA (BA/BS for admittance to the Business School), or else take their initial readiness assessment and pass a fairly rigorous interview. Once in the program, the initial few classes and exams may seem easy enough, and you may even think "I've got this" - but things will soon increase in difficulty. Once your basic "freshman" classes are out of the way, the exams ratchet up by orders of magnitude. You WILL have a few "what did I get myself into?" moments, simply because of how difficult the core degree classes can get.

The objective assessments are, in some ways, MORE difficult than at a traditional college. This is because each class has only one exam, with upwards of 80 questions, which can be pulled from any topic in the class. Now add on the fact that a couple of exams will require ALL of the 3.5 hours allotted to you, no matter how well you think you know the material and you can see how this school will put you through the wringer. Don't even get me started on what WGU will put you through if you fail to pass the first version of an exam. WGU will not hold your hand, nor will you be able to skate through unless you already know the material inside-out and have many years of experience working in your major's field. This school is the real deal, and it's no joke. If you think it's so easy, go and graduate from it, already!

-- BS, Accounting

If you are struggling financially and trying to go to school, do not expect to receive your student loans timely. If you do not have any money saved and are not working, be prepared you will wait indefinitely for the disbursement to occur. Every time you call financial aid, you will get a different date of disbursement and different explanation. If you think this is an affordable school option, it's not. You will start from the beginning, you will end up in school 4 years, with a degree that is based on competency, no grades here. I highly doubt if you don't finish a degree with this school and want to transfer, the credits will NOT transfer either.

While this school seems like a great option, daily it seems to be highly unorganized and really keen at holding onto your student loans (I imagine for their benefit). Who pays the interest you are accruing while they are holding your loans? This school is turning into a nightmare. You are literally on your own here, you must have savings or an income to attend this school. Waiting for your loans to disburse for two months plus, can put a student in a very stressful situation. This is definitely a buyer beware institution.

The final course I have to take, is a community health nursing course. This course is the most sloppy, half hazard, unstructured course I’ve ever had. You have to get 65 hours of volunteering, and shadowing experiences. You choose a subject from healthy people 2020, and go out and assess your local community based on your subject. You can only get 5 hrs of “interview time.” Prep time does not count to these hours, and you cannot use the internet to assess, so go to your local health department, and look like an idiot. It’s a course milking you for money, gives you little to no guidance as to how to accomplish the objective, just tells you to assess.

They give you no guidelines for your assessment. You have to cold call and “hope” you get a response from agencies, but since Western Governors is totally “hands off” good luck. Many places I tried getting into, for clinical hours, unless the school is affiliated, you’ll not be able to get in. They say use the intro, “I’m a nurse working in your community currently going for my bachelors and I would like to...” and the response I got from places was “Good for you, but no.”

Say, you’re a CPR instructor for your community, like run CPR courses outside a hospital setting, you cannot use that to count towards your hours. They don’t want you staying in one place. The worst part is prep time, does not count to these hours. So, say you’re doing emergency preparedness, and you want to assess a middle school population about knowledge of fire safety, and prepare a presentation for the knowledge deficit. You design a survey (that design time doesn’t count), you give the survey (that time counts), then review results (time doesn’t count). You prepare the presentation (time doesn’t count), give the presentation (time counts.).

This course is not for your personal work benefit, so if you wanted to become part of your facility disaster response team, courses therein don’t count towards hours. So basically, this course is designed so it’s difficult to accomplish the task, and milks you for money. It feels like you’re set up to fail. I asked other schools how they have this community health course designed, and they will utilize your facility, your facility leadership and resources to accomplish the hours and have clinical coordinators to work with you to get you into community health places, instead of leaving it all on you, and say figure it out. I’m hoping some of what I did at Western Governors can transfer, but I’m not hopeful. Don’t waste your money. You want a quality nursing education, don’t go through them.

In my final semester at the end of the term, my final project was ripped apart for multiple revisions ending with me having to go into the next term for a small error that was a result of copy/paste. This type of error would never have "failed" my paper at a more traditional institution. I had to correct the error and I resubmitted one day into the next term, which cost me an extra $1000.00!!!!

Prior to this final project, I had almost no revisions on my earlier work. I understand that the final project should be more difficulty, however, this was ridiculous. I really feel like they just wanted to squeeze another grand out of me before I graduated, as if I didn't already give them a ton of money. SO, buyer beware... it could happen to you too! Get your tasks done early in your term!

That being said, it is doable if you are focused. There is a great support system in place and plenty of supplemental materials for each course designed to help all learning styles. The general format that has worked for me is to read the textbook material (all in online format), take practice quizzes at the end of each section, watch all supplemental videos and then take practice test to see what I need to review before taking final exam. This is definitely the full on approach, but that's what works for me. I know others that have been successful just skimming the text book, participating in the online webinars and taking the practice test.

That's what is so great about WGU, you really can tailor it to fit your learning style. Also, instead of taking 4 or 5 classes at once you get to take one at a time and when you finish one you move onto the next. I work full time and have 4 kids and was able to complete 6 classes in 1 semester and I paid the same amount for 6 classes that someone else might have paid for 4. You can really save a lot of money if you can devote the time. I have 3 semesters left and will have completed my Bachelor's in 2.5 years which isn't bad considering I have been working full time while attending. If you are organized and driven to get your degree I highly recommend WGU. It is a self driven program and can only be as good as the effort you put in.

I have done my research and for the cost and flexibility, WGU was the right school for me. I had my AA from years ago and made it to VP level at my company making six figures but it always bothered me that I didn't have my degree. After being at my company for 11 years, I think everyone assumed I had one. I remember going into my boss’s office to talk to him about tuition reimbursement. The first thing he said was, "Are you getting your masters?" I had the embarrassing conversation and said, "No, I never finished my Bachelor's degree." He couldn't believe it! His eyes opened wide, he said, "Does HR know!" Haha.

I started with an AA as a Supervisor so it wasn't required. Anyway, I think the first step is making the decision to go for it. If you have other classes to take prior, take them, I heard they have affiliated schools that are low cost and will prequalify you. I told my brother-in-law about it and he had zero colleges and he said you get credits online in a similar format as WGU. He flew through it because he was smart and because he worked hard, he did graduate with his BSBM 6 months after me. I took longer, I had to travel for work. But I did it as I set out and followed my planned commitment. I gave myself two years. And that was exactly what it took. I started in August 31, 2015 and graduated September 1, 2017. Best decision I ever made. I say go for it!

I have been able to accomplish the entire BS degree in one term only transferring in a few courses (not all from the local college 'sufficed' for WGU). If you are motivated, want to learn on your own, at your own pace, can/will work through course notes and learn from them, can take an exam with a proctor and not cheat, and can type long essays without blaming college for making you do the work - enroll at WGU.

I self-paid my way as most do at WGU because they are returning professionals able to afford $3,500 a term. Imagine $3,500 a term and finishing the entire degree (if you're not working) and in two terms if you are working. Coming from business reality, the material teaches you all of the formal and most important practices/models to know. The BS in Business Management is thorough, relevant, and extremely beneficial even after having worked in the business world for more than a decade. I now combine real-life experience and formal education. If you've stumbled upon this to validate WGU - consider this a validation. But, WGU is not for the lazy who depend on a teacher answering every question. You must be a self-starter and be able to solve issues on your own without depending on someone to hold your hand.

I started at WGU in September 2018. I had 3 classes transfer in from my previous school leaving me 36 to complete. I am down to 11 classes in July 2019. I am focused and devoted, studying several hours after working a 10 hour day, but that is what it takes. 8 hours of studying on days off, but it’s worth it knowing I am so close.

The support is unwavering and massive. The professors reach out as soon as you enroll in a course. You get a study guide, rubric for performance assessments and the online courses are well built and thorough. My mentor and I started out speaking weekly, setting goals and sticking to them. Several months in my progress was so quick she moved me to bi-weekly calls. Now we communicate only through emails, she opens my final exams as soon as I begin a class so she’s not holding me up and gives me advice and tips on each class as I get going. She’s been amazing.

I see that financial aid seems to be a common thread here, I am paying out-of-pocket (and getting tuition reimbursement!) so I cannot speak to this. I can however tell you that this school is the real deal. They are regionally accredited and all of the programs have an accreditation from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. My experience has been phenomenal, and I would give this school 10 stars if I could. Good luck with your decision and schooling.

I didn’t need to do reach out very often because the course material was pretty clear as to the objective, but I always received a response within 24 hours. That being said, I transferred my credits from a community college and a state school that I dropped out of years ago, and they accepted 30 out of the 60 that I had completed. It was very fair because some were random courses that had nothing to do with my major at WGU. I was very dedicated to completing this program. I finished 3 yrs of traditional college work in 1.5 years while working 45-50 hrs/week job. I have always been an A/B student, but I am also dyslexic and have rheumatoid arthritis, which can take over your whole existence when you least expect it.

My point is that, bitter failed students that write nasty reviews should really look inward on their personal problems and not blame outside entities. I graduate this month with my BSBM, and I feel well prepared for starting a career in business management. I will be returning to WGU at the end of the summer to earn my MBA. I can’t offer any feedback about financial aid because I didn’t receive any. FAFSA is an independent program from the college you attend, and the application process is fairly simple. Bottom line is my application was never approved for aid because I made $14.50/hr and I was able to pay for WGU out-of-pocket each term.

I got married acquired a lot of stuff, became a private pilot for use in my consultancy, promoted to CIO of a global corporation earned 6 figure income and was able to have a lot of fun. We had kids and I was doing so well, I didn't even want to go back to school. I enjoyed the accolades and rewards of prestigious certifications more than going to classes to prove I knew my stuff. However, my father always wanted me to finish my degree, when he passed away he left money for tuition and so I just enrolled and should finish by September 2019.

Over the years I've earned numerous certifications and awards. I also have taken additional college credit from other universities at night but it was always a hassle and professor egos were practically intolerable. WGU is designed for people who are more than competent and want to get a real degree without typical University fluff. In addition I've earned more certifications and updated my entire skill set. WGU isn't easy, however; it is very flexible. I'll update this after I graduate, but so far I've enjoyed the freedom and value of WGU.

Three years, and I am done with my BSBM as of today! I am so excited! I will say that there are plenty of naysayers.... people who don't understand online education, people who maybe can't motivate themselves to turn off their lives and just open up their coursework and power through. It isn't for everybody, but it was awesome for me. I am pinching myself! I know my dad doesn't see this as a real degree because it's online, but he's old and just didn't even research it like I did. But now I am a graduate and I can update my resume and perhaps advance my career. I now have the education I had been missing for most of my career and I have WGU to thank. If you are on the fence, I say: give it a try!

Never felt so strange when asking about grades. This is not a school to go to if you are a scholar interested in furthering your education. They really had no interest in inviting me to attend after I sent them all of my detailed transcripts from brick and mortar universities. My friend, who was my test buddy, got the opposite treatment, they took her AA, cut off most of what she had done at a community college and then invited her in with welcome wagons and grants. They gave her financial aid and she is in and taking what appear to be high school classes. She never had good grades, and so the pass/fail idea was gold to her, as she was gold to them. They wanted her money and they got it. Pass or Fail is for children, not adults. They seem to me to prey on the less educated and actually will avoid you if you are already educated. Seems strange to me.

Finally, the one thing I was concerned about when considering WGU was how would employers react to a degree from WGU. I'm happy to report I have worked for two Fortune 500 companies since graduating and neither of them blinked an eye. They accepted my degree just a degree from any other university. I can't recommend WGU highly enough. If you're trying to advance your education don't wait any longer. Get signed up and get going. With the self paced courses you'll be done a LOT sooner than a traditional university, with much less stress, and at a much better cost. Good luck and get going!

I have now been accepted for student teaching by a major public school district, and will be a state certified, highly qualified math teacher when I graduate. WGU requires a huge amount of work, and is not for anyone looking for the easy way out. WGU is an accredited education on par with brick and mortar colleges, but without all of the red tape. Plus, books and access to a huge research library are included with tuition. WGU is a great value in education for those willing to put in the work.

It is self-paced. It is not intended for someone who has never done online learning before. They also don't want to admit someone that might not be motivated to finish what they start. Your first six months, you will talk to a mentor every week. Their job is to keep you motivated by having you make commitments and then holding you to them. They, however, are not going to hold your hand and spoon feed everything to you.

If you study and learn the material that they provide, you will pass. You may find that you may need to go online to other sources to gain a better understanding of the material. This is no different than you will find at brick and mortar schools though. Prior to my deciding to go with WGU, I spoke to a few people in the IT field about attending some of the local colleges to get my Bachelor's Degree in IT. There was a lot of hesitancy to recommend any of them. I asked about WGU and received much more enthusiasm. If you put forth the effort, you can save a lot of money and walk away with your degree and a bunch of certifications proving that you know your stuff. I am only giving it 4 stars because I am just starting and this provides the opportunity to go up or down between now and degree.

My student mentor, Stephen was crucial to my success and made a point to reach out every week for a scheduled call. WGU class instructors were there ANYTIME I needed them. The resources provided were more than enough to help me learn the subjects I needed to learn, to confirm my understandings of the subjects I didn't know about, and relevant to my field of study. The instructors were available at appropriate times to help me with what I didn't find information on. Cost wise, I spent a 3rd of what I spend on my associate's degree, and I feel that the ROI was much more.

One of the things I love about this school is that you study at your own pace: fast, slow. If you have obligations such as family, or your job, then you're able to work a little slower than the typical student, and schedule Objective Assessments whenever you want. (Objective Assessments are final exams that are proctor through a webcam.) However, since I'm only working part time and don't have any kids, I'm able to progress a little faster. IMPORTANT NOTE - The courses are not any easier than the courses found at public colleges. In fact, they have the same courses and use the same textbooks found at some university. I would only recommend attending WGU if you have prior experience at a 2, or 4 year public college.

In terms of my specific degree program, Computer Science, I have no complaints about it; the courses are relevant as you will study Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms, Data Structure, Java, C#, SQL, etc, and others if you're not transferring in. However, I want to talk about the mentors (instructors). Most of them are well educated, and experience; WGU mentors have at least a master's degree, and they are almost always available to assist you with either a scheduled 15, 30, or 45 minute appointment. Well, I could go on, but I'll just end it here, and whichever school you decide to attend, good luck.

I asked the admissions counselor what I could do to qualify and wouldn't you know it, he gave me a website that, out of my own pocket of course, I could get my very own cert. to qualify. Did I mention this is connected to WGU? I would have to pay at $150 for the course, not including the $99 membership fee! But don't worry, most people finish the course within 6 weeks. What a ripoff, the Board of Education needs to look into that.