Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah · Also known as WGU Western Governors · Website
$60,615
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$60,615
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Western Governors University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Salt Lake City, Utah with 155,088 undergraduates and 55,120 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,548 a year (tuition and fees $8,658). 46% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $60,615 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $11,116 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,548
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$8,658
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
46%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$11,116
About $118 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$60,615
Rank 765 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,548
- Tuition and fees
- $8,658
- Cost of attendance
- $16,728
- Students with a need-based grant
- 39%
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,064
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,436
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,578
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $14,824
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $12,734
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $6,070 in 2015-16 to $8,658 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 155,088
- Graduate students
- 55,120
- Part-time students
- 0%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 42
- Completion rate
- 46%
- Retention rate
- 65%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 55
- Endowment
- $3.32M
- Other
- Online only, Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 765 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 48 in Utah (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | UT median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,548 | $18,659 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,658 | $8,658 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 86% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 46% | 72% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 65% | 86% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $11,116 | $10,548 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $69,572 | $34,587 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $60,615 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 54% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 86% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
55 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7,786 | $9,470 | $85,861 | $97,114 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 4,366 | $13,165 | $83,321 | $98,950 | $103,485 |
| Curriculum and InstructionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 3,728 | $9,341 | $62,910 | $69,935 | $63,399 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2,505 | $14,816 | $66,432 | $83,654 | $68,257 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and ResearchOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2,015 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2,001 | $10,110 | $92,416 | $129,303 | $85,063 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,949 | $13,665 | $100,249 | $111,688 | $120,193 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,810 | $7,989 | $63,169 | $71,469 | $70,644 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,796 | $13,527 | $98,667 | $111,643 | $89,981 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1,496 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,495 | $10,414 | $58,818 | $65,801 | $63,707 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,308 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,916 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1,301 | $15,915 | $58,784 | $75,767 | $76,194 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,149 | $11,526 | $121,837 | $144,205 | $121,855 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1,116 | $14,909 | $66,651 | $82,644 | $58,716 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1,105 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 840 | $7,044 | $83,860 | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 828 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 710 | $16,625 | $84,242 | $108,836 | $92,374 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 672 | $12,696 | $102,028 | $125,944 | $106,092 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 667 | $17,937 | $46,271 | $52,090 | $50,499 |
| Computer ProgrammingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 661 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 645 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,290 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 584 | $12,718 | $101,328 | $129,737 | $120,083 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 560 | $12,772 | $71,905 | $84,521 | $71,685 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Salt Lake City and Utah on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Utah
- Homes: Homes for sale in Utah
Questions and answers
How much does Western Governors University cost?
$12,548 a year is the average net price at Western Governors University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,658, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $16,728. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,064 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Western Governors University?
Western Governors University has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Western Governors University graduates earn?
$60,615 a year is the median pay of former Western Governors University students who work, 10 years after they started ($69,572 after 6 years). That ranks 765 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 48 in Utah. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's) at $121,837.
How much student debt do Western Governors University graduates have?
$11,116 is the median federal student loan debt of Western Governors University graduates, about $118 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 43% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Western Governors University?
46% of first-time, full-time students at Western Governors University finish within 6 years. 65% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Western Governors University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (7,786 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (4,366 master's graduates), Curriculum and Instruction (3,728 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 55 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.