Western Governors University Online: Cost, Outcomes (2026)

Western Governors University (WGU) charged $8,658 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, and its average net price was $12,548 for 2023-24, according to College Scorecard’s June 2026 data. 52% of students who started in 2016-17 earned a credential within eight years.

WGU is an online-only private nonprofit accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). It uses competency-based education: you move to the next course when you pass the current one, and tuition is charged per six-month term however many courses you finish.

WGU is a private nonprofit, online-only university accredited by NWCCU

Fact	WGU
Control	Private nonprofit
Accreditor	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Location	Salt Lake City, UT
Undergraduates studying fully online (fall 2024)	100%
Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024)	155,088
Graduate students (fall 2024)	55,120
Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023)	84%
Admission rate (fall 2024)	Not reported
Federal school ID (UNITID)	433387

WGU tuition is $8,658 a year, and the average net price is $12,548

Scorecard lists $8,658 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, the same for students in every state.

Net price is the full cost of attendance, including housing and living costs, minus grants and scholarships. Scorecard’s average covers full-time, first-time undergraduates who got federal aid in 2023-24: 1,448 students at WGU.

Family income	Average net price, 2023-24
$0 to $30,000	$12,064
$30,001 to $48,000	$12,436
$48,001 to $75,000	$12,578
$75,001 to $110,000	$14,824
$110,001 and up	$12,734

The average ranges from $12,064 for families earning under $30,000 to $14,824 for $75,001 to $110,000. Every income band pays more than tuition because net price includes living costs.

For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 a year to eligible undergraduates, and your own net price depends on your income, family size and state. The aid check stacks Pell, state grants, campus aid and federal loan limits for your numbers in about two minutes, and shows the result before it asks for an email.

52% of WGU students earn a credential within eight years

Measure	WGU
Earned a credential within 8 years (all students who started in 2016-17)	52%
Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time students only)	48%
Median earnings 6 years after starting	$69,572
Median earnings 10 years after starting	$60,615
Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing	$87,445
Graduates’ median federal loan debt	$11,116
Undergraduates with a Pell Grant (2023-24)	39%
Undergraduates with a federal loan (2023-24)	43%

WGU’s 6-year earnings figure is higher than its 10-year figure. The two track different entry groups: students who started in 2013-14 and 2014-15, and students who started in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

These are school-wide medians. Your payoff depends on the program, the job you target and what you pay.

Nursing and business produce most WGU graduates

These are WGU’s five largest fields by graduates in 2022-23, from Scorecard’s field-of-study file. All five are offered fully online.

Field and credential	Graduates, 2022-23	Median earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (bachelor's)	7,786	$97,114	$9,470
Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)	4,366	$98,950	$13,165
Curriculum and Instruction (master's)	3,728	$69,935	$9,341
Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)	2,505	$83,654	$14,816
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (bachelor's)	2,015	Not published	Not published

Field and credential Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 7,786

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $97,114

Median federal debt $9,470

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 4,366

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $98,950

Median federal debt $13,165

Field and credential Curriculum and Instruction (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 3,728

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $69,935

Median federal debt $9,341

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 2,505

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $83,654

Median federal debt $14,816

Field and credential Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 2,015

Median earnings, 4 yrs after Not published

Median federal debt Not published

Field names are the federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) categories Scorecard uses, not WGU’s program titles. Earnings are medians for graduates who got federal aid, four years after finishing, and debt is their median federal loan balance.

Who WGU fits, and the watch-outs

It fits if

• You already know part of the material. Tuition is per six-month term, so passing more courses in a term lowers the cost of each.
• You want a low sticker price. Tuition and fees were $8,658 for 2024-25, with no out-of-state premium.
• You are an adult learner. 84% of WGU undergraduates were 25 or older in fall 2023.

Watch-outs

• Many do not finish. 48% of students who started in 2016-17 had no WGU credential eight years later.
• No campus, no fixed pace. 100% of undergraduates study fully online, so the pace depends on you.
• Borrowing is still common. 43% of undergraduates took a federal loan in 2023-24.

Check your own aid before you apply to WGU

WGU’s averages describe what other students paid. The aid check applies the 2026-27 federal rules to your income and family, takes about two minutes, and shows the result before any email or school contact.

To compare on the same measures, see Southern New Hampshire University (35% eight-year rate, $21,082 median debt) or Purdue University Global (28%, $26,078).

Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional and comes after you see your aid result. The figures here come from federal data, and this profile does not rank schools.