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Western Governors University
Western Governors University (WGU) is a private online university based in Millcreek, Utah, United States. The university uses an online competency-based learning model, providing advanced education for working professionals. Degrees awarded by WGU are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Schools and Universities (NWCCU). The university was founded by 19 U.S. governors in 1997, after the idea was formulated at a 1995 meeting of the Western Governors Association to expand education offerings to the internet.
The idea for WGU was first introduced in 1995 by then-governor of Utah Mike Leavitt at a meeting of the Western Governors Association. WGU was founded in 1997 in the United States by the governors of 19 U.S. states. The proposal was formalized later that year, and by June 1996 the governors of 19 states had each committed $100,000 to launch a new competency-based university. Although the initial funding came from state governments, the institution was established as a private, nonprofit entity. In January 1997, 13 governors signed the articles of incorporation, officially creating Western Governors University.
In August 1999, WGU launched its first degree programs including an associate in arts in general education, three technology-focused associates in applied arts degrees, and one Master of Arts degree in learning and technology. In December 2000, Genevieve Kirch became WGU's first graduate. Kirch earned her Master of Arts, Learning and Technology degree.
In 2001, the United States Department of Education awarded $10 million to found the Teachers College, and the first programs were offered in Information Technology. In 2003, the university became the first school to be accredited in four different regions by the Interregional Accrediting Committee. In 2006, the fourth college, the College of Health Professions, was founded, and the school's Teachers College became the first online teacher-preparation program to receive NCATE accreditation. In 2010, the first state-established offshoot, WGU Indiana, was founded by Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, and the school reached 20,000 students for the first time. In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided $4.5 million for WGU Indiana and the creation of WGU Texas and WGU Washington.
On January 8, 2013, Bill Haslam, governor of Tennessee, announced the creation of WGU Tennessee. On January 28, 2013, Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri, in his annual State of the State address, announced the founding of WGU Missouri, creating the fifth state-based subsidiary of WGU. And on June 16, 2015, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada launched WGU Nevada, the sixth state-based WGU. The subsidiaries of WGU share the same academic model, faculty, services, accreditation, tuition, and curricula as WGU and were established to give official state endorsement and increased name recognition to WGU in those states, as well as to qualify students of those affiliates for state-based aid. WGU does not maintain physical campuses for these institutions.
As of June 30, 2025, the university had 192,613 currently enrolled students. As of September 2025, WGU has more than 395,000 alumni, and has awarded more than 445,000 degrees. The median age of WGU students is 33.
An audit by the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, released on September 21, 2017, "concluded that Western Governors University did not comply with the institutional eligibility requirement that limits the percentage of regular students who may enroll in correspondence courses" and that "at least 69 of the 102 courses were not designed to offer regular and substantive interaction with an instructor and, therefore, did not meet the regulatory definition of distance education." Consequently, the audit found that most courses at the university fell short of the required standards for Title IV of the Federal Financial Aid Act as outlined in a 1992 law that defines financial aid eligibility. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General recommended that WGU repay the federal government more than $712 million.
Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune that they were reviewing the Inspector General's report, while also saying "the innovative student-first model used by this school and others like it has garnered bipartisan support over the last decade."
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Western Governors University
Western Governors University (WGU) is a private online university based in Millcreek, Utah, United States. The university uses an online competency-based learning model, providing advanced education for working professionals. Degrees awarded by WGU are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Schools and Universities (NWCCU). The university was founded by 19 U.S. governors in 1997, after the idea was formulated at a 1995 meeting of the Western Governors Association to expand education offerings to the internet.
The idea for WGU was first introduced in 1995 by then-governor of Utah Mike Leavitt at a meeting of the Western Governors Association. WGU was founded in 1997 in the United States by the governors of 19 U.S. states. The proposal was formalized later that year, and by June 1996 the governors of 19 states had each committed $100,000 to launch a new competency-based university. Although the initial funding came from state governments, the institution was established as a private, nonprofit entity. In January 1997, 13 governors signed the articles of incorporation, officially creating Western Governors University.
In August 1999, WGU launched its first degree programs including an associate in arts in general education, three technology-focused associates in applied arts degrees, and one Master of Arts degree in learning and technology. In December 2000, Genevieve Kirch became WGU's first graduate. Kirch earned her Master of Arts, Learning and Technology degree.
In 2001, the United States Department of Education awarded $10 million to found the Teachers College, and the first programs were offered in Information Technology. In 2003, the university became the first school to be accredited in four different regions by the Interregional Accrediting Committee. In 2006, the fourth college, the College of Health Professions, was founded, and the school's Teachers College became the first online teacher-preparation program to receive NCATE accreditation. In 2010, the first state-established offshoot, WGU Indiana, was founded by Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, and the school reached 20,000 students for the first time. In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided $4.5 million for WGU Indiana and the creation of WGU Texas and WGU Washington.
On January 8, 2013, Bill Haslam, governor of Tennessee, announced the creation of WGU Tennessee. On January 28, 2013, Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri, in his annual State of the State address, announced the founding of WGU Missouri, creating the fifth state-based subsidiary of WGU. And on June 16, 2015, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada launched WGU Nevada, the sixth state-based WGU. The subsidiaries of WGU share the same academic model, faculty, services, accreditation, tuition, and curricula as WGU and were established to give official state endorsement and increased name recognition to WGU in those states, as well as to qualify students of those affiliates for state-based aid. WGU does not maintain physical campuses for these institutions.
As of June 30, 2025, the university had 192,613 currently enrolled students. As of September 2025, WGU has more than 395,000 alumni, and has awarded more than 445,000 degrees. The median age of WGU students is 33.
An audit by the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, released on September 21, 2017, "concluded that Western Governors University did not comply with the institutional eligibility requirement that limits the percentage of regular students who may enroll in correspondence courses" and that "at least 69 of the 102 courses were not designed to offer regular and substantive interaction with an instructor and, therefore, did not meet the regulatory definition of distance education." Consequently, the audit found that most courses at the university fell short of the required standards for Title IV of the Federal Financial Aid Act as outlined in a 1992 law that defines financial aid eligibility. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General recommended that WGU repay the federal government more than $712 million.
Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune that they were reviewing the Inspector General's report, while also saying "the innovative student-first model used by this school and others like it has garnered bipartisan support over the last decade."