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I really enjoyed my time at Western Governors University, but do need to call out that it's not really a conventional school. Each 'semester' is 6 months, and in that time, you can basically take and complete as many classes as you want. So if you're able to study up and finish coursework within a week, you are welcome to do that. This school is also pass/fail, so there is no typical grade structure.

Not being a conventional school could throw some people off, but the flexibility is really amazing,... Read More especially for someone with a family or a full-time career. If you have more time, then you can complete half of your courseload in one semester, but if you need more time, so long as you complete the minimum classwork, you're good to go.

All of the one star reviews aren't a fair assessment of the school as a whole. It took my longer than it should have to complete my degree, I can't fully fault the school for that considering there was a global pandemic and I was working in a retirement community during that time. Is the online proctoring annoying? Yes. Every proctor is different and they don't like that you have water or a snack while taking the exam. Is the program mentor helpful? Sometimes. My mentor was awesome, she was understanding... Read More and worked with me to get the degree done. She asked me every term what classes I wanted to take and guided me through finding the ones that best fit where I was at the time. The assessments often do not align with the materials, you really have to spend some time reading reviews for each course on Reddit, and you will find lots of helpful information there. You can't be lazy, you will need to actually apply yourself, and if you do you can complete the degree in record time. My first term I knocked out over 30 credits, and my wife was able to complete her entire degree in a years time just by diligently working through it all. If you are disciplined and willing to work well, you can be very successful as a student at WGU.

I love that WGU is online, as I’m a self learner and learn easily. Love the courses too. I don’t mind the highly proctored exams though the first experience with this was terrible. My biggest issue with WGU is their mentors. They don’t help you progress, they hinder your progress. They can refuse that you to take courses in the order you prefer, they also nag you constantly, and treat your cell phone as if WGU is paying for it. No respect for personal space. They will rarely contact you via school... Read More email or even your personal email, or home phone. They will bombard you with calls and texts though. This is the issue for me because it takes the joy out of learning. No one likes to be nagged and this doesn’t work for most people. WGU needs to change this!

It works for working and not being able to go to scheduled classes, but be prepared for push back every time you want to do more than the bare minimum classes each semester. Every semester I've tried to get more than 12 hours, and every time they say 'start with 12, and add more after' I'm 38 years old, I think I know how my brain works for education. The degree counselor is younger than me, but telling me how my work ethic works like they've ever met me in person. And I've been through 3 different... Read More counselors, so fairly certain it's the college telling them how to do it. If I could afford (time or money) to go elsewhere, I would, but unfortunately options are limited for this type of schooling so far.

The WGU university is one of the largest private accredited online colleges in America. So you will see reviews from all walks of life, but only a few types can succeed in this college as it requires effective time management and analytical skills. I have five years of experience in my field; 70% of my classes would have been a struggle if I didn't. This University will be an excellent choice if you are a "significant!!!" self-starter, a good test taker, or at least can deal with difficulties as... Read More they arise and not let negative thoughts impact your education. Suppose you are looking to get in without much trouble and want constant hand holding. This University is not for you! You are 100% expected to be proactive on everything, and I repeat everything. You have to analyze the materials that are given to you carefully, and you have to research classes and stay active within the online community of students. For those still wondering, I strongly suggest looking at Linkedin alumni, joining online groups, and seeing for yourself. I am forever thankful that I am a student in this college; it has given me opportunities I could not imagine having.

This is a buy-a-degree school at best and more realistically a complete scam. You log in and take a pre-assessment for each class and then if you pass you take a final and boom you’ve got the credits. No lectures, homework, accredited, sounds great right? WRONG. I spent a ton of money, learned NOTHING in the year I went here, and now that I’m trying to go to a regular school again there is a 6 day overlap between the start of my school’s NORMAL FALL SEMESTER and WGU’s BS 6 month terms. If you go... Read More here and try to go somewhere else you have to wait an entire semester for financial aid to clear so now I can’t even pay for a real education due to this useless waste of time joke of a college.

WGU is a great school. I really enjoyed the self paced environment. I’m 54 and had not been in a college course in over 30 years. WGU was a perfect fit and I admit I struggled through a few courses but with instructor assistance I passed them all. I was able to finish my degree in 5 semesters with only 6 transfer credits. Thanks to my mentor for constantly staying in touch with me and guidance they provided. WGU is a wonderful school and I recommend it to those people who are self starters and motivated.... Read More

I hope this review will help someone in determining whether or not to attend WGU or more importantly to pursue a college degree. In regards to WGU I decided to finish my degree at this institution. I obtained a BS in Business Management. Was it worth it? Yes. Was it easy? No. I had almost 3 years and Indiana University and De Paul University. Trust me when I tell you doing it online creates its' own set of challenges. Self motivation, and determination must be in heavy supply to succeed. Compared... Read More to my brick and motor experience in some cases it was even more challenging than either University. I'm self employed so the education has proven to be invaluable in my companies success. I look at my diploma hanging on my office wall every day, and know how much work it took. Is a college degree worth it? Yes. It's a math equation. Only 36 percent of US citizens have a Bachelors degree. By obtaining even a Bachelor's degree you just eliminated 64 percent of the competition. Hope this helps.

If you are a motivated adult learner in need of a Bachelors or Masters degree. WGU is the place for you. Great for self starters and motivated learners. I loved my time at WGU. They want you to succeed, and give you the tools for success but you need to be motivated to do the reading and coursework. This school is not for the lazy or procrastinators. The Business Management program is relevant and current. I have years of business experience at the managerial level but lacked a 4-year degree. I can... Read More say first-hand that coursework covers knowledge you WILL USE during your career. Once you get past your general education requirements, the core coursework is interesting and pertinent to today's business world. There's no busy-work or time wasting projects here. Of note, financial aid refunds take time, but paying out of pocket is very easy and their are financial options through the school if you do not want to use a federal loan. Due to the fact that there is very little in the way of "filler" assignments, you can definitely handle a full-time student workload while working a full-time job. This was incredibly important, as "part-time" status at any other school would have resulted in the degree taking twice as long. Don't think twice about WGU,

I just graduated from WGU last week. I finally finished my BS in Business Management. I am reading some of the reviews and I have to ask, if someone has had an experience as bad as some of the ones that I've read, what are you looking for? If it's help from instructors, WGU has more than enough instructors in each course. If you had poor communication with anyone at the university, something is seriously wrong. As soon as I enrolled in any class, I would immediately get welcome emails from course... Read More mentors wanting to set up time to go over the course or enroll in live cohorts. If you didn't like sitting through live or recorded cohorts, what in the world are you looking for? My interactions with course mentors, when I needed to, were great! When an appointment was made with a course instructor, they would call on minute it was scheduled. Someone complaining about the rubrics? Really, if I had a paper returned, (only twice) is was because I missed the mark on a rubric item, not from being "too creative." I was able go through my program in 14 months. Some classes, admittedly, were a little more clunky than others, but you'll have that anywhere. I treated my time there like having a second job. I left my day job, and went to "work at night." Overall, I really enjoyed my time at WGU. Recommend it to others? Absolutely. You get out, what you put in. Good Luck!

The instructors were not very engaged with the students. Trying to receive any help outside of your student mentor was impossible. The process for submitting assignments was horrible and made claims to plagiarised work when all was proven to be uniquely created content after a review. The quality of education just was not there. I see that it seems to be a 50/50 split on whether a student has a good experience or a bad one. I would not advise anyone to take this gamble. I moved onto the American... Read More Military University to finish my studies and could not be happier.

Finishing up my first term at WGU soon and I have nothing but great things to say about my experience so far. Obviously I still have a ways to go before I graduate, but the courses so far have been challenging in the best possible way. I was skeptical to apply at first because of previous reviews I had read online, but being a mom of 2 who works two full time jobs, I didn't have the luxury of choosing a brick and mortar school to finish my degree and move forward in my career field. Now that my first... Read More term is under my belt, I honestly can't see why there are so many negative reviews. Yes, it is self-paced so if you are not motivated or self-sufficient you will probably not succeed. But I have always excelled in school and never had an issue with self-discipline so this program has been pretty ideal to say the least. I am actually accelerating through my coursework faster than I would in any traditional program and expect to be finished with my degree in less than two years, which is amazing considering I started out with less than 25 transferred credits from my community college, which were completed over 5 years ago. And the support I have received from my program mentor and course instructors have been nothing short of consistent and satisfactory. My program mentor, Ann, never misses a weekly check in and makes it a point to reach out when I complete a course milestone, even if it's just to say "congrats" for my accomplishment. It is so refreshing to have someone who actually takes the time to make sure my needs as a student are met and that my accomplishments are recognized, no matter how small they are. The course instructors are equally responsive and helpful. I have received phone calls from my instructors, even without me prompting them, just to check in and see how I was doing with the coursework and see if I had any questions or concerns. Additionally, the resources available are limitless. I have found the library to be extremely useful, especially when writing my 10 page paper for English Comp, and the cohorts are very detailed and help a lot when I need some help understanding certain aspect of course material. The only downfall I have to report on would be the 3rd party proctors for Objective Assessments. They outsource to some company in India and, while I have no problem with the outsourcing factor, the proctors are generally hard to understand and are a little pushy. Other than that, I have had no issues and have passed every single one of my exams and assignments without problems of any kind. I would HIGHLY recommend this school (well, at least this program of study), to anyone who is interested in online education. This has been such a game changer and for the first time I actually look forward to getting my schoolwork done. I am looking forward to continuing this program and will most likely re-enroll with WGU for my Masters once completed. Please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. Talk to an enrollment counselor and get a feel for the school before making hasty decisions.

WGU rescued me from the hazing system of participation replies, busy work, and worthless classes I suffered through at The University of Phoenix,. At WGU, I moved at my own pace and only paid for classes needed to complete the degree. They truly care about their students as compared to Phoenix - who charge me nearly $1400 per class - with no chance of completing the degree early: unless I paid additional money. My only critique of WGU is they trashed me on the transfer credits, even though I attended... Read More a regionally accredited school (only allowed 12 out of 33 credits) was brutal. The good news is they have a flat cost which meant I could take 22 credits per semester, but only pay for 12: that's how I survived the hit on the transfer. Would I recommend WGU? Absolutely I would, because the ability to test out of a class based on a competency exams was priceless. Take my advice, haul a** away from Phoenix - transfer to WGU - and get your degree.

Solid University, truely. The quality of the education for the price is reminiscent of a good level state school, at a substantial discount from that. The professors and support staff, they rock. Now for the Financial Aid: (crafted after reading several reviews, and interacting with them first hand) Absolute garbage. The individuals are unqualified, rude, they administer information that is factually wrong, and they may even be afoul of the regulations. The school itself comes off as a good level... Read More state school, Financial Aid comes off like a very low level rural community college's staff.

Avoid if you need weekend or night support. Every bit of staff works bankers hours. They post "office schedules" where they claim to be available until 7 or 8p. They never are. They tell you theres a group mailbox to email if you need help. In my entire tenure, never has anyone responded to that mailbox. Complain and you get a "you can do it" sympathy email and it dies there. You're held to STRICT communication policy. Staff may or may not be there during their posted hours. Especially if its late... Read More or weekends. Good for bankers hours, terrible for anything else.