Top 138 Reviews From Legit Western Governors University Buyers (2024)

I see the bad reviews here and I can only say, Online learning is not for everyone. I graduated from WGU for my undergraduate degree and immediately signed up for my graduate courses. I will say, as an older person, I had a very hard time learning skills for digital learning. The introduction courses for digital, online learning helped some but, I had to also talk to other learners to understand how to be successful. When I went to WGU, we didn't have the Night Owl community but, my counselor was a very integral part of my learning. And, there were times I got frustrated and thought about just giving up. But, I would talk things over with my counselor who would provide me resources to overcome my frustration and/or anxiety.

Since I graduated, I have applied what I know with my current job and it has helped me be successful. WGU may not be for everyone but, it was what I needed to acquire the skills and competency I needed to be successful. The most helpful thing about WGU is that I was able to learn at my own pace and was not set to a particular schedule.

The other thing I really like about WGU is the continued support. They provide access to Alumni community, resources and clubs to stay in touch with other graduates and students. I am currently studying for certifications and using the alumni resources versus paying 100's or 1000's of dollars for study guides and bootcamps.

In summary, WGU is what I needed, and I would recommend WGU for anyone that is self-motivated and acceptable to digital learning versus classroom. It wasn't easy for me but, self motivation, help from my counselor and letting go of the thought that learning can only be acquired through a classroom were keys to my success.

Let me first start off by saying that I paid out of pocket to attend WGU. There are different restrictions when paying cash for college and getting federal funds. My first term started in July 2023. It clearly states upon enrollment that you need to complete a critical action by the first 30 days of the term, every TERM. Unless you completely flaked on reading anything, or even attempting to log on, there’s no way to miss that statement! I mean, it’s everywhere, and coming out of your mentor's mouth. No excuses full stop. That was not a problem for me because my mentor gave me a super easy first class. I think most mentors set it up this way.

In August I had a major life disruption! My mentor was constantly reaching out as I explained what happened and why I wasn’t able to give the class 100%. This is where things are different. Once I told my mentor that I paid cash, no Fed funds, she actually only called or emailed every few weeks. For someone like me, who doesn’t qualify for Fed funds, I appreciate that they don’t let others use tax payer funded school for people who will take it for granted!

Let me be clear; I am all for grants and such for students who can’t afford college. We should all be given EQUAL opportunity for college. I would give my eye teeth for Fed funds! So I can appreciate that if you’re not able to give it your all, you should wait to enroll until you can. These are the “terms” you agreed to when using Fed funds. It’s not WGU kicking you out, it’s the loan or fund department recognizing the loss. Blame them. That’s their terms, unless you didn’t complete the critical action. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re going to school because this is what YOU want. It’s when things got tough that people usually lose the determination. I was still able to complete my full “term”, 12 credits, and I knew I could’ve completed more and was only upset at myself as I felt that I was wasting MY money, and I was.

Fast forward to my second term ending in 26 days. I’ve completed my full term (12 credits) and will be adding a class to my term. This is called acceleration. Once becoming a student at WGU Reddit will find you! lol. I mean, you can’t avoid it. I keep reading, “Passed Intermediate Accounting in 2 days!” Well, in reality, it takes someone like me 5+ weeks to finish a class like that. I’ve never worked in my field of study. So this is mostly new to me. It takes time to learn and retain the information. They offer Webinars and Cohorts, which are lifesavers for people like me who have trouble teaching themselves unfamiliar concepts. There’s the writing & math center and FREE Grammarly! They give you so many tools to use I’m just flabbergasted at some of these comments. I didn’t have many hiccups in the enrollment process. I was itching to start, but the delay by one month was actually a blessing. A new term starts every month.

As far as the exams go, I think I just got lucky. I am able to use Examity to take my proctored OA’s. They can be a pain sometimes. And yes, the test questions are tricky! You will hear others complain about their MCQ (multiple choice questions). They are sinister sometimes. The only class that I’ve complained about the OA not being consistent with the PA is Prob & Stats. That was a tough class and I passed by the skin of my teeth! I haven’t had to retake any exams yet, fingers crossed, but that’s because I do all the coursework until I am able to pass all the unit quizzes and the PA before I even attempt the OA. This is what works for me.

Additionally, I’m still in mostly pre-req and GE classes so this could be a complaint that comes up in the future. Here’s my two cents, if you failed the OA the first time, you should contact your CI and mentor to find what you need to study. I think because I use Examity, it tells me what areas I was competent on and areas that I need work. I can’t speak for those who have to use testing centers. WGU should clarify that first with students looking to attend if Examity is not an option for you. I agree TC would be a PITA. The test retake fee after a third failed attempt is $60 for the classes that I’ve taken. I am in BS Acct, so I can’t speak for IT or any other program. If you can’t afford the extra fee to retake the exam then you should do everything to learn the concepts for FREE before using the OA’s as a quick guide to study by. This is a sure fire fail, in my opinion. If you think you’re going to outsmart the school by using the tests to guide you, I’m here to tell you that they’ve seen it ALL.

Pros:
The amount of work you put into the program is the benefits you’ll reap.
They have cohorts, webinars, recorded cohorts, the writing center, math center, course instructors, and mentors to help you succeed if you’re willing to use them.
You can get your bachelor’s for less here than any other online school I’ve researched. YOU are in control.
The classes are pass/fail, so there’s a pretty large margin of error. With Prob/Stats, I would’ve failed that class at any other University.
Credits will transfer to other Universities with same accreditation if going for same major.

The classes are “major dependent”. Meaning that I can work out of the gate in my degree bc my classes were designed that way.

Cons:
If you’re using Fed grants, loans, etc. there are terms to stay enrolled. Your mentor will be on your case if you’re slacking.
If you don’t have the discipline it takes to stay focused in school, you’re going to struggle here.
The MCQ’s are purposely worded to make sure that you KNOW the coursework.
There’s no easy diploma here. No instructor or mentor can give you a pass with extra credit, or because they know “how hard life is for you”. You MUST pass the OA.

If grades are important to you, WGU doesn’t give grades, only credits.

I hope this clarifies WGU for those looking for a quick diploma. I admit that even I enrolled with the hopes of a BS in 6 months! I enjoy school, and I’m good at it for the most part, and I can’t accelerate a 4 year degree in 6 months.

Most of the reviews on here are by those who seem to be disappointed that WGU is not in fact a diploma mill. The truth is that for most classes, you have to study hard and have a firm grasp on the material to be able to pass the final (OA). Those OAs are not easy and are extremely broad generally, so are just as challenging -- if not more so -- than what you'll find at a brick and mortal school. I think when people read reports of those who accelerate (as I did), that they think they can do it too. That the school is easy. However, I have more than twenty years of experience in the industry, have been playing with computers since I was just out of diapers, and spend even non-work time learning new things in my field.

Every month you will get charged $1000 dollars. That is not cheap. A traditional university charges $300 per course. So, in one semester that is about $4000 dollars and you only finish 4 courses. Remind you, these courses are not easy as well. Compared to a traditional university, a semester costs about $1200-1500.

You will have to study at your "own pace". There is no structure in the courses at all. What topic do I need to finish for this week, this month to achieve the 4 courses in one semester? The people who say they can accelerate may already have experience in the industry, which is why it's cheap for them. Realistically, an average person cannot accelerate. These courses are tough.

I wasn't able to finish on time so it is moved to term 2/semester 2. It is hard because you will do EVERYTHING yourself. Figuring out where and what link to click. If you want help, it is all virtual. This contradicts the work on your own because you will still need to communicate. Compared to a traditional university, there are live people that can help you. Support virtually is not that effective. Get outside and get a life in a traditional university. I find it odd to have a parasocial relationship with a program mentor. You have to tell them what's going on all the time. Remember, you never even met this person. At a traditional university you meet people in real life, and your choice if you want to make a meaningful relationship that's not forced upon you.

Being in this university brings you anxiety. You cannot help it to think if this school is a scam or not. You will have to bear that feeling until you finish this degree. Even then, you are not even sure if finishing this degree will get you a job. The fact they do not have a grading system discourages you because you don't know if it will be accepted by employers or other universities. If you fail a course that's associated with a third party like Comptia, you will have to pay another $300 to pass.

Their website does not work properly. Sometimes study materials won't load. You are loaded with links to click. So many things to read and rules. With one misread, your exam can be revoked. There is no instructor to give lectures or guidance. It's just read and quizzed on your own. A traditional university is in-person and more effective in improving your skills with guided lectures, asking questions, resume building, networking, and presentations. At least some courses have videos, but you will have to find where it is buried somewhere. Writing essays has no guidance, like what format is this going to be? You will have a parasocial relationship with an instructor calling your phone. I just find that really odd. The customer service and program counselor are rude. I had to ask many times to switch to a person that's more professional.

May 24. 2024: I called WGU to get an update on my application process. I was told they needed my transcripts. I was sent an email on how to get them and what website I could use, the email says “you can always send your transcript to, “‘transcriptinfo@wgu.edu’”. May 26, 2024: I order and paid for the transcripts. I have them sent to myself in case I need to forward it elsewhere. That same day I get my transcripts, I don’t open them. I forward them directly to Eli.

May 27, 2024: I get an email stating the eligibility requirements, and a link to sign into their portal, all login attempts fail, I note to look further into this another day. May 28, 2024: I decide to follow up on it since I forwarded the transcripts to the councilor and could not login to the portal. I’m told they cannot find my email on their files and then was told that I could not send my transcripts to them through email because it’s “not official” and that it is in fact a REQUIREMENT to send it to the email not an option like how the email portrays. I am then told I need to have it mailed or directly emailed by my OLD COLLEGE as well, no acknowledgment that the website I was referred to was even an option at all at this point.

So I call customer service to get this rectified as one of their employees were the ones who referred this website and who NEVER SPECIFIED it was REQUIRED to send it to that email and that anything else would be unacceptable. The rep just backs up the person saying that since they mentioned where to send it to, that that’s enough. I ask for the manager, Don **, who not only tells me what the other employee is telling me, defending their employee's obvious miscommunication, but then doubles down saying that they have an UNSENT EMAIL on the transcript process.

So over the course of the 4 days, they NEVER send me that email?! And my “councilor” just so happens to never respond to the email I sent her with the transcripts and NEVER calls me back either. All of what happened was not my fault at all, in fact, if the email stated that it was a requirement, I would admit fault and begrudgingly do the whole process over again, but this was on the employee for not using the correct vocabulary, failing to state their very strict policy, and for NEVER SENDING ME THE EMAIL when they send me everything else regarding the enrollment process. This whole thing was very unprofessional and disappointing, and I’ll be sure to spread the word that no one apply for this school, and the staff have zero accountability and horrible customer service, offering me nothing to try to help me rectify this issue that is clearly their fault.