WGU - Western Governors University Reviews 

I enrolled in WGU's MSITM accelerated IT program based on their website's explicit promise of "Two degrees in one fast-track program", earning both a bachelor's and master's in IT. After completing all of my coursework and reaching the final requirements, I discovered that the master's degree was never actually included in my program and has always required a completely separate enrollment, separate term, and separate tuition.

I was never proactively informed of this. I only found out by asking questions myself. When I did ask, I received three different answers about program end dates from three different WGU representatives — my program mentor, her manager, and student affairs — none of which matched each other.

When I raised these concerns I was told the confusion was on my end. My student portal still shows the old program. My specific questions about whether students were formally notified of program changes have never been directly answered.

I have filed a formal complaint and am escalating to the Student Ombudsman. WGU's own website still advertises this program as "two degrees in one" while telling enrolled students the reality is something very different.

Do your research before enrolling. Ask very specific questions about what degrees you will actually receive and get everything in writing. The gap between what is marketed and what is delivered is significant.

I’ve had a frustrating experience with Western Governors University (WGU), mainly due to a lack of consistency and communication across the program.

One of the biggest issues is the disconnect between course instructors and OA (Objective Assessment) evaluators. The guidance provided by instructors often doesn’t align with what evaluators are actually looking for, which makes it difficult to prepare effectively and leads to unnecessary retakes.

Additionally, general student information is not consistently communicated across departments. I received conflicting answers multiple times when asking about the master’s program, which made it hard to trust the information being provided or plan my next steps with confidence.

Surprisingly, I found online forums and student communities to be more helpful than the course instructors themselves. That shouldn’t be the case in a structured academic program.

Overall, while WGU’s flexibility is appealing, the lack of alignment and clear communication significantly impacted my experience.

Working full-time and being able to do classes on MY schedule is EXACTLY the system I needed to succeed. The courses themselves were well laid out and pertinent to what you needed to know. I appreciate that there aren't many boring lectures and, on the contrary, many YouTube videos from other teachers that are upbeat and interesting (Jacob Clifford's Econ series). I did not have many interactions with my instructors, but when I did they were very helpful.

The alumni event and ceremony blew me away. I had the best time of my life. Every detail was well planned and executed. Over-the-top and fun for every age. I never expected to be so impressed.

DO NOT GO TO THEIR NURSING SCHOOL…I REPEAT DO NOT GO HERE .THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY AND ONCE YOU GET TO 60% OR MORE THEY WILL SCREW YOU OVER .

Truly the best ROI for anyone seeking a truly affordable and autonomous path to elevating your academic achievements and earn a legitimate degree from a formally accredited education program. At the end, the wealth of knowledge and experience gained is better than any in-person university.

In my humble opinion, graduation weekend it one of the best experiences I ever had. From the alumni celebration to the graduation ceremony WGU made the moment special. Everything and everyone was so kind, helpful, and thoughtful. Graduation for me are memories for a lifetime and it was possible because of WGU.

I’m a student here now i wouldn’t recommend they have student services but they are not for the student , once i am done with my bachelors degree i wont be coming back here . Taking my proctored exam using a computer that did not belong to me and something was running in the back ground never knew until i called to find out what and the nice guy helped me figure it out . Got a late test which made me late to work this minting because i was up taking a test that was scheduled well before i needed to be in bed . The proctors are rude the people and wgu are rude it’s a lot that’s going on that shouldn’t be going on i don’t recommend that you attend this university run far away !

Honestly, if you're looking for a quick degree, then go here. That being said, the mentors treat you like toddlers, and the instructors are nonexistent. I set up a contact-as-needed plan with my mentor, which she agreed to in an email. Next thing I know, the school is trying to unenroll me (I was active, had just completed a course, and was on track time-wise). I had to reach out to my mentor, who went off on me when it was her fault for telling them I wasn't active. She said I should have responded to her email confirming activity (she never sent one). To reiterate, I had just completed a class and was enrolled in another. To confirm my enrollment, the school made me enroll in ANOTHER class that I wasn't scheduled to take for at least a month.
Financial aid is extremely rude and crooked. They changed my loan amount by a few thousand without notifying me (I didn't sign off on it) during my second term. I contacted them when I got notified by FAFSA, and they tried to tell me I did okay it (I have paper proof that I didn't). I couldn't do anything about it since the loan had already been taken out.
It is possible to learn the stuff on your own, but if you need someone to teach you, this isn't the school for you. Most colleges are a scam anyway, so you might as well go to one that's quick.

Got my IT Bachelor's and Master's in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from WGU, and I would not recommend. The staff are extremely apathetic and could care less if you lived or died as long as you log in and pay your tuition. The Academic Review Team offered to expedite my assessments if I agreed to sign up and pay tuition for a second Masters, and when I escalated to the Ombudsman to report this, he genuinely didn't care. WGU wants your money and that is all.
EDIT: Just got an email from TrustPilot--WGU flagged this review to try to get it taken down. That is a statement in and of itself.

WGU has literally changed my life! I was able to finish a degree in one term by leveraging my transfer credits, and previous knowledge and skills.

I was able to take classes as I was ready, and on demand with no arbitrary stops or breaks. Thankfully, I never had an issue with the proctored exams, although I admit I only had a few due to my transfer credits. Most of my classes were tasks, which were based on real world scenarios and relevant to the degree focus.

I was immediately able to use my degree to secure a 22% raise in a new industry. All this at a price that was significantly lower than one semester at my local State college.

Do your research, make sure you understand the WGU model, and ensure that it is a good fit for you! This is the only way I could have ever finished college, and I will be forever grateful to WGU.

I currently attend the school and they advertise how it’s half the price of any university that’s first their first mistake because it’s not they’re charging me $9000 a semester to take four classes maybe 3 or 4 classes so that’s the first problem second problem is no one knows what they’re doing. You will never get a straight answer and you will get 5 different answers to your same question. All of which are wrong. There is no dean of academic affairs. There is no one you can go talk to if you have a major problem that is keeping you from continuing your education there is no one to go to because I’ve tried. I’ve searched high and low for someone to talk to because most universities provide that a Dean or a you know advisor of academic affairs, but not here no you get to talk to student support services, which is probably a teenager that’s going to answer my questions and help me with my problems. The next issue is my mentor that is assigned to me told me to do something and if I did what she asked me to do, I would be able to go forward to the next semester and continue on with my education. Well, I did successfully complete what she asked of me, only to find out because they didn’t have someone within their resources to assist me with my clinicals they weren’t able to move me forward basically meaning they only have very few people that are willing to do these clinicals with nursing students or any Allied health program so if they can’t find one for you, guess what you just get to sit there and wait until they do that is not how a university or a college act or treats their students. They talk down to you, they have talked down to me as if I am trashed but yet if you raise your voice, you will get reported to this officer. I guess you can call it Who will send you a nasty gram and then tell you you only have a couple more times or you’re going to be in big trouble for reacting so you can’t say anything to anyone but they can definitely talk to you as if you’re the dumbest person on this earth. I just find WGU to be nothing more than a a Crooked money mill that’s about it I mean it is. It’s so sad. It’s pathetic. I haven’t learned a single thing. Everything I do is on my own. There is no instructor there is no teaching at all. These people literally get paid to sit home and answer emails. There is no instructor teaching your class basically you are paying 9,000 to teach yourself your just using their books. I really can’t believe that nothing is being done about this. I don’t know about you but if I am going to teach myself how to be a nurse I am not going to pay WGU for it. Do not waste your time or money

Get ready to have your assignments sent back for things that weren't in the rubric. They expect you to mind-meld with the jungian collective unconscious to understand everything your finished project is actually supposed to contain. Also, most "classes" are just links to a textbook and a test, and the instructors are forced to spread themselves across many classes despite all those classes containing countless online students. The vast majority of people I actually interacted with were very kind and knowledgeable though, despite the horror stories of what they have to go through anonymously posted online by faculty.

Not sure what all the negative reviews are about, seems like human error on their part. I just finished my bachelors and am already enrolled to start my master's program next month. I finished in one term, had good communication with staff and mentor, accelerated as soon as I completed each course. I don't have a single bad experience. There was a mishap with 2 of my assessment results not displaying after a test, but I just had to reach out to the assessment services department. It's really an easy, straight-forward process if you're determined to succeed. We're adults, quit complaining, use your common sense, and get your degree. I already secured a new job days after graduation. This is coming from someone who already works full-time, takes care of young children, and handling everything else life has to throw at us. If you're considering enrolling and don't require your hand to be held ever step of the way, I say go for it!

I am really disappointed in WGU. It looked like a good opportunity when I initially researched it but once I started I realized that was not the case. While you can move at your own pace, the mentors do not adequately adjust so that you do not have wait periods, at least for teaching. Furthermore, the evaluators who evaluate your papers provide terrible and unhelpful feedback. It seems like they do not even read your assignments. Most of the instructors are equally unhelpful when you reach out for help. I’m nearly done with the degree and I have had one instructor that has been helpful. I would not recommend unless WGU makes some serious adjustments in the way things are done. P

The requirements for placement to complete clinical hour are ridiculous. I have tried for over a year to find a clinical facility that fits their specific rules. They do not take into consideration those of us who work 40 hours a week and they do not provide a list of possible clinical sites in your area. Because of this, it will have taken me 3 years to complete a program that should have only taken me 1-2 years. Most horrible experience of my college education.

It's important not to lead individuals in the wrong direction, advertising whole heatedly means alot

I can't even get started, the enrollment counselors will not call at our scheduled meeting time. They obviously dont care about getting new business. Probably best to go somewhere else.

I am currently a student here I love the college set up and everything however, I really despise the financial aid communicationcomponent of it. There is no communication from financial aid and the only way you know something is missing or needed or whatever is that you log on then when you tell someone about it, all they say is, we’ll just know this time next year make sure you watch that’s insane! They could easily send out an email notifying if you’re missing something or if you just need to make a certain election, which is the case for me. Now all they can say is oh well 12 to 16 weeks for them to process the remainder of my financial aid! This is frustrating as many emails I get from their automated system. They could send out one pertinent to financial aid. And this is not the first communication challenge that I’ve had from financial aid. They just leave you to pick up the pieces.

When I went through my Bachelor's course it was a haphazard mishmash of constantly changing goal posts. Many of the more advanced courses I failed and retook, and for good reason. They kept updating things which forced me to try to learn more and change to a new curriculum mid-class. It was awful. That is the kind of thing that shouldn't be allowed. Students should finish out their courses or be made aware of newer content to opt-in to not just forced into it mid-way through and expected to re-learn everything.

For context this was the IT program and I am writing now because they have irk'd me a bit too much as an Alumni over the past few years.

How? Let me tell you. Should you happen to decide to go there. Just remember the first paragraph and the changing goal posts in your curriculum. Add to that your 'mentor' will definitely try to help in getting you help.. but its not the same as if you are in a physical environment where someone can SHOW you or even where you have a friend in class that can explain something.

That aside as an Alumni when you graduate lets go over some things.

First: There is little to no job placement assistance. Good luck! I hope you picked a popular field in your area. Because you are on your own. Even my local tech college had job placement assistance programs to help people find their first jobs after graduation which actually starts the last year before graduating.

Second: They pretty much didn't want anything to do with me after graduation. They had my money, They pushed me through. Thats all they cared about. I even tried to go back one time because I wanted a bachelors in another program while I, online being the only way to accomplish this because working full time I could only do it like that. They wouldn't return my emails though. So I gave up.

Third: They give you a free Gmail to use. Now.. instead of migrating the account, or contacting you to get that done? They shut down all the storage to that acocunt after graduation. No notification, just out of the blue one day. I can't migrate my email the easy way through Gmail account migration because its 'theirs'.

Fourth (Lastly): This is the last thing and the final thing that has me pissed about WGU. They are implementing MFA (like finally? after all these years?), but... and this is a big BUT.. they dont support common authenticator usage like Google Auth, Microsoft Auth, or any other auth the average person wants to use. In fact, they want you to use their own proprietary Authenticator only. There is an option for SMS, but that should be only for back up purposes in case your Auth app weren't working supposedly. Honestly, This is unacceptable to not support common FIDO and FIDO2 protocols for Authentication. Which quite literally everyone supports that uses Auth tokens for security.