WGU is a real nonprofit online university, founded in 1997 by 19 US governors, and its own accreditation page names the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as its institutional accreditor. The catch is the model: you progress by passing assessments rather than attending classes, which suits self-starters. Check the accreditation of your specific programme before you enrol.
Whenever someone asks me about studying online, the first worry is whether the degree will be taken seriously, and WGU comes up because it looks different from a normal university. It's a fair question, and the answer sits in accreditation, so that's where I've started. I'm working from WGU's own about, accreditation and competency-based education pages, plus Wikipedia for the history.
Who started WGU and what type of school it became
WGU's about page describes it as the nation's leading nonprofit institution providing accessible high-quality education at a low cost, and says it was founded in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors. Wikipedia adds that the idea came from then-Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, that it's a private nonprofit, that it's fully online with no physical campus, and that it's based in Millcreek, Utah.
So the origin story is public and unusual. State governments were involved at the start, but WGU describes itself as nonprofit and it isn't a state-run campus. That helps explain why it looks different from a traditional university.
Is WGU accredited?
This is the question that matters most. WGU's accreditation page names the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) as its institutional accreditor, and says NWCCU covers a seven-state region that includes Utah, where WGU is headquartered. Institutional accreditation is the baseline that most employers and other colleges look for, so it's the first thing to check for any school.
The page also lists programme accreditors for particular areas. Here's how it's laid out, in the university's own words:
- Education: the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).
- Nursing: the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
- Health information: the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) for the bachelor's programme.
- Business: the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for several programmes.
- Technology: the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission for the B.S. in Computer Science and the B.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance.
The page separates real accreditation from other recognition. It says the Society for Human Resource Management finding on the HR bachelor's degree and a government cybersecurity designation are recognitions, not accreditations. I'd do the same when you read a prospectus: ask whether something is accreditation or a badge. And check the exact programme you want, because the accreditor for the university isn't the accreditor for every course.
How the WGU competency-based model works
WGU's competency-based page says students finish courses as soon as they've proven competence by passing the necessary assessments, rather than by spending time in class. In plain terms, if you already know a topic from work you may move through it faster, and if you need longer you can take it. Wikipedia describes the same idea: students advance by showing mastery, not by completing terms or seat time.
That has trade-offs. There's no timetable pushing you along, so you need to set your own routine. I'd be wary of anyone who says a self-paced degree is automatically quicker, because it depends on your prior knowledge and the time you can find each week. The page doesn't promise a pace, and I won't either.
What the Department of Education said about WGU
Wikipedia reports that a 2017 Department of Education Office of Inspector General report concluded that at least 69 of 102 courses did not meet the regulatory definition of distance education. It recommended that WGU repay more than 712 million US dollars in federal aid. You should know this exists, and you should also know how it ended.
According to Wikipedia, in 2019 the Department's Federal Student Aid office disagreed with the Inspector General and found WGU eligible for federal student aid, and the Inspector General ultimately agreed with that final determination. I'm reporting a summary of a public dispute, so read the original documents if the detail matters to you.
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Questions to ask before enrolling at WGU
I haven't covered tuition, graduate outcomes or what a degree does for your career, because I'd rather not repeat numbers I couldn't tie to WGU's own pages. Those are the places to ask hard questions. Here's the short list I'd use:
- Is the programme I want listed on the accreditation page, and who accredits it?
- Will the degree meet any licensing rules for the job I want, in my state?
- How will my prior experience and credits be assessed?
- What are the exact terms and costs for my programme, in writing?
- Have I got the time and self-discipline for a model with no class schedule?
If you're studying to change jobs, my roundup of online course platforms covers shorter options too, and how to check that an online tutor job is legit uses the same habit of checking before you commit.
WGU at a glance
| What I checked | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Type | Private nonprofit, fully online |
| Founded | 1997, by 19 U.S. governors |
| Institutional accreditor | NWCCU, per WGU's accreditation page |
| Learning model | Competency-based, pass assessments to finish courses |
| 2017 review | Inspector General report, later 2019 eligibility finding |
Is WGU worth considering?
WGU is a real, accredited, nonprofit university with a clear institutional accreditor and a model built for adults who already know some of the material. The caution is that the model needs discipline, programme accreditation varies, and you should look at the whole history, including the 2017 report and its outcome. Check the programme you want, ask for the terms in writing, and compare it with at least one other school.
Frequently asked questions
Is WGU legit?
Yes. It's an online nonprofit university founded in 1997, and its accreditation page names the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as its institutional accreditor.
Is WGU accredited?
WGU's own page names NWCCU for institutional accreditation, with programme accreditors such as CCNE for nursing and ABET for certain computing degrees. Check the accreditor of the specific programme you want.
What does competency-based mean at WGU?
WGU's page says students finish courses as soon as they've proven competence by passing the necessary assessments, rather than by spending time in class.
Is WGU a nonprofit?
Yes. WGU describes itself as a nonprofit institution, and Wikipedia describes it as a private nonprofit.
Did WGU have a problem with the Department of Education?
Wikipedia reports a 2017 Inspector General report that recommended repayment of federal aid. In 2019 Federal Student Aid disagreed and found WGU eligible for federal student aid, and the Inspector General agreed with that determination.
