Student Success, One by One
If 2020 was the year of the pandemic, 2021 for WGU was the year of living our one-by-one cultural belief: to solve for the individual student and advance outcomes one student at a time. As we reflect on the challenges and triumphs of the past year, we recognize the determination of our hardworking students, the efforts of our dedicated employees, and the goals we are working toward in 2022.
In his annual report message, WGU President Scott Pulsipher recalls the innovation and advancement that focused on student success, as well as the ways WGU is continuing to transform higher education.
Measuring What Matters: WGU's Key Results
WGU’s mission is to change lives for the better by creating pathways to opportunity. We achieve this by being the most student-centric university and measuring ourselves on key indicators that show whether students are easily accessing WGU’s educational programs, completing their studies in a reasonable timeframe, and attaining their degrees.
In 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force, we saw a divergence among students who had the means and support to be able to complete their programs on time and students with fewer resources to help them. That divergence is reflected in the on-time completion rates and the attainment rates for students from low-income households.
As we continue to see long-lasting effects like rising inflation rates stretch into 2022, recognizing which students might benefit from a supportive community of care helps us refine our strategy and focus on equitable engagement for those who need it most.
Improved Access
WGU works to make higher education more accessible through monthly start dates, flat-rate tuition per six-month term, and flexible, competency-based courses. We endeavor to continue making education more accessible, especially for underserved communities. Our goal is that 37% of our student population will be students of color and 30% will come from low-income* households by 2025.
*WGU defines low-income as households that make less than $35,000 per year.
On-Time Completion
Education is a personal journey that includes time for study, demonstration of competency, and variables in learning pace and style. Along with improving access, we assist students as they make measurable progress in their program(s) with guidance from Program Mentors. Our goal is to increase students' on-time completion by 1% per year.*
*Calculated by the number of students on time divided by the number of students in the cohort.
Attainment
WGU works to empower students to earn relevant, affordable degrees that enhance their careers and lives. But without degree completion, students may not realize a full return on their investment. Higher education attainment levels for underserved groups have traditionally been lower than average. As such, our goal for 2030 is to increase the 4-year graduation rate to at least 55% with equitable distribution across all socioeconomic groups.
2021 Enrollment Demographics
Enrollment Over Time
Underserved Populations
2021 Graduates
Graduate Demographics
Graduates Over Time
Celebrating WGU’s 250,000th Graduate
In October 2021, Marissa Price of Olympia, Washington, was recognized as WGU’s 250,000th graduate after earning her bachelor’s degree in human resource management.
Price said she faced many obstacles in pursuing her degree but with help from her program mentor, she was able to persist in her studies and finish her program.
“No other school would have given me the time I needed to balance my work and personal life,” said Price. “My advice to anyone out there who wants to go to college is that you have more time than you think you do and resources and support available. I am proof of that. I wanted to climb higher, and now I’m in the field of my chosen career.”
Graduation Rates
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
Source: WGU Internal Data
Graduate Outcomes
Each year, WGU alumni are surveyed to assess the value they have found in their education. National polling shows that WGU alumni are thriving in comparison to peers that graduated from comparable universities. They are also well-prepared for their careers and are employed in their degree fields at higher rates than alumni in the national sample.
Gallup Alumni Survey
WGU participates in the annual Gallup Alumni Survey to gather feedback on students' academic experiences, career readiness, and wellbeing. The results show that WGU alumni are thriving at much higher rates than their peers, not just in their careers but in all aspects of life.
Survey conducted Nov. 17-Dec. 12, 2021 with responses from 1,238 WGU undergraduate alumni and 1,000 national bachelor’s degree holders.
Harris Poll
The WGU-Harris Poll Graduates Study shows how students rate their overall experience with WGU’s academic programs, whether they possess the competencies required in their field of work, and their employment status after graduation.
Survey conducted Oct. 7-Dec. 1, 2021 with responses from 1,252 WGU graduates and 2,342 national, non-WGU graduates.
National Survey of Student Engagement
In a pandemic year that forced WGU and its students to continue to adapt, those who participated in the survey expressed a high level of satisfaction with the university’s efforts to support them while providing a relevant and affordable education.
Survey conducted in 2021 with responses from 211,667 students of 342 institutions.
These are just a few of the thousands of companies that employ WGU graduates:*
*As self-reported by alumni at the time of graduation.
Harris Poll—Employer Satisfaction
Prepared for Success on the Job
*From a 2023 Harris Poll of 300 employers of WGU graduates.
100% of employers said that WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs.*
97% of employers said that they would hire another WGU grad.*
98% of employers said WGU graduates met or exceeded expectations.*
From a 2021 Harris Poll of 300 employers of WGU graduates that gauges how well WGU's programs are preparing students for the workforce.
We got our master's degrees together, all while working full-time jobs. I pursued an MBA degree to help set myself apart from all the competition in my industry. Similarly, my wife was looking at promotion opportunities in healthcare where a master's was required. We spent nights studying but we did it at our own pace, on our schedule, and wouldn’t have chosen any other way!
- Jordan Barta, MBA
Michelle Barta, MBA Healthcare Management
WGU’s Focus: The Whole Student
Students are at the center of all we do. This means WGU engages students in academically rigorous degree pathways and takes a holistic approach to student support. In 2021, our faculty, mentors, and staff worked diligently to care for our students during another year of difficulty, growth, and recovery. At the same time, WGU pursued projects that, if adopted on a wide scale, will change all of higher education for the better. Those projects include:
Closing education gaps in underserved populations with the help of a $4.9 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Promoting skills-based education and hiring with the help of an $850,000 grant from Walmart.
Assisting students affected by natural disasters and other major events through the Environmental Barriers program.
In her annual message, Chief Academic Officer and Provost Marni Baker Stein reflects on WGU’s efforts over the past year and discusses goals for 2022 and beyond.
College of Business
- The B.S. Business Administration-Accounting degree program is first nationally in bachelor's degree conferrals.*
- The M.S. Accounting degree is second nationally in master's degree conferrals.* WGU graduate accounting students have the top CPA exam pass rate (58%) among leading online-only universities and exceed the pass rates of many leading state schools.**
- The B.S. Business Administration-Human Resources Management degree program enrolls more students than any other undergraduate HR program in the U.S.*
- Our MBA and B.S. Business Administration-Management were listed by the Wall Street Journal as top return on investment programs.
- WGU’s College of Business supports the largest virtual student SHRM chapter in the country, a growing National Black MBA Association Club, and a Facebook group with more than 15,000 members.
* National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
** 2020 National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Report
Mitsu Frazier, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean, College of Business
College of Information Technology
- Received the National Security Agency’s Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NSA CAE) designation, joining the top recognized cybersecurity institutions across the country. This designation opens the door to additional opportunities for both WGU and our students.
- Hosted WGU’s first-ever, free Virtual Cyber Camp NYC, led by WGU College of IT faculty members. For a week in July, 31 New York City high school students—including eight young women (26%)—explored the high-stakes world of cyber sleuths and data protection. Twenty-nine participants were from minoritized populations (95%).
- Women in Tech (WIT) club exceeded 1,800 in membership during the first quarter, and launched an alumni group for graduates.
- The WGU chapter of the security-related National Sword and Shield Honors Society reached more than 850 members, making it the largest chapter in the country.
- The student Cyber Club membership topped 5,000 members, and teams competed in the National Cyber League, National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, and the National CyberForce Competition.
Ashutosh Tiwary, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean, College of IT
Leavitt School of Health
- Designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. Only 1% of nursing programs across the United States earn this designation.
- Launched two non-degree offerings through the Center for Professional Learning: Chronic Care Coordination and Behavioral Health Care Coordination.
- Redesigned RN to BSN degree program to include six professional development certificates.
- Launched two post-master certificates in Nursing Education and Nursing Leadership and Management.
- Created a value-based care certificate through the Institute for Advocating Health Care Value and the Center for Professional Learning.
Jan Jones-Schenk, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean, College of Health Professions until her retirement in April 2022.
Teachers College
- Celebrated the 20th anniversary of “from idea to impact" in 2021 and reflected on how WGU’s Teachers College has grown to become the largest college of education in the nation, with more than 67,000 alumni across the U.S. and more than 33,000 active students.
- Helped mitigate national teacher shortages due to the pandemic by serving as a vital pipeline in providing talented next-generation teachers and leaders in communities. The Teachers College graduated more than 13,000 education students in 2021–a 23% increase from 2020–while remaining steadfast in delivering high-quality academic programs and student-centered mentoring support services.
- Continued “flexing in the field” by maintaining more than 2,500 partnerships with school districts across the country to ensure that thousands of education students and student-teachers have access to local, high-quality, on-ground research; capstone, clinical, and student teaching experiences; and initial licensure degree programs which prepare students for licensure in all 50 states.
Stacey Ludwig Johnson, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the School of Education
Making Higher Education Affordable
The second year of the pandemic continued to bring challenges to students across the country, from job loss to frontline burnout, food insecurity to the high cost of childcare (if it was available at all), and overall mental health difficulties stemming from long-term stress.
In addition to maintaining a flat-fee tuition model, WGU continued to create networks of financial support for students during a year of difficulty. Two examples are:
1. HEERF Funding. While fully online universities were excluded from the first round of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), the federal government changed course and opened up HEERF rounds II and III to online students, including WGU Night Owls. WGU received $59,230,607 in HEERF funds and disbursed $46,330,050 to 28,898 students in 2021. The remainder of the funds have been disbursed to students in 2022. WGU developed a task force to help identify students that were potentially in the most need because of the pandemic. Guidelines were created to try to equitably reach as many students as possible with grant amounts that would make an impact on individual financial situations. WGU prioritized grants to students with exceptional financial need, including Teachers College students working through their unpaid student teaching requirements, military students who exhausted their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, College of Health Professions students who were working on the front lines of the pandemic, and many more. The goal of this approach was to alleviate students’ potential debt burden and help them persist in their respective degree programs.
2. Scholarships. WGU awarded more than $23 million in scholarships in 2021, which is a 38% increase over the amount awarded in 2020. In all, 10,576 students received scholarships—a 19% increase in the number of students served in 2020. One major focus of funding was the Online Access Scholarship, which helps students with internet costs as well as laptops and webcams. In 2021, WGU invested a total of $770,644 in the OAS program to support 1,053 students.
1The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS): https://ticas.org/.
WGU figures are from WGU internal data.
WGU Students Respond to HEERF Grants
“This really helped me realign some things for my family and get us situated—childcare mainly. It has a positive snowball effect. I intend to repay this back by paying it forward, engaging my studies, and graduating.”
“The HEERF award was right on time. I was able to put the money toward everyday living expenses. This took a tremendous amount of pressure off of me and brought balance back to my student life and home life. With that new balance I was able to focus more on completing school. I just graduated 12/18/21. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“I felt less stressed about money, because I knew I had money to buy things my kids might need, like warm clothes, formula, diapers.”
WGU Advancement
WGU Advancement was founded in 2018 to raise funds to break down financial barriers to higher education and accelerate innovation in the higher education sector. In its four years of existence, Advancement has had a major impact on students, both directly and indirectly, through fundraising campaigns for student scholarships and support for skills-based projects such as the Open Skills Network and EdTech innovators at WGU Labs.
3,371 total donors in 2021
- 53% alumni
- 27% faculty and staff
- 16% students
- 4% WGU board members, corporations, foundations, and friends
- 12,087 total gifts received
$15,573,032 in total funds raised
Read more about the work of WGU Advancement in their FY21 Year in Review.
Creating Communities of Care
Many of WGU’s students are working learners who balance the demands of work, family, and school. They are forging their paths through difficult terrain and we are determined to support them in their journey.
WGU works to implement innovative care networks to help students persist in their programs and attain their degrees. These include individualized faculty support, social media groups where students can support each other, and a robust scholarship and financial aid program.
This year, we want to highlight two programs that excelled at student support in 2021: Military Engagement and Outreach, and Environmental Barrier Services.
WGU Is Military-Focused
In 2021, WGU’s Military and Veterans Benefits department increased support staff and enhanced processes for military-affiliated students utilizing education benefits. As a result, WGU increased its opportunity to optimize its military focus and student obsession.
We also expanded the Military Engagement and Outreach team in 2021. The director of military outreach is focused on increasing opportunities and partnerships that enhance the educational experience of military-affiliated students. Additionally, there are eight military outreach strategic partner managers to support regional and local engagement and communicate WGU’s unique offerings to the military and veteran community.
WGU and the Veterans Health Administration are working together to provide a no-cost added service to our veteran students called VITAL (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership). This program assists veterans through the transition and culture of higher education, addressing physical and mental health and veteran benefits. The partnership provides clinical care and coordination and pairs our veteran students with a peer mentor. This pilot program grew to cover students in two regions in 2021.
WGU has also partnered with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) to support Air Force and Space Force students. This creates a clear transfer path for students to continue their studies once they have completed their associate degree through the CCAF. WGU has ten approved business and IT programs ready for CCAF enrollment.
Environmental Barriers
Developed from a pilot in 2017, the Environmental Barriers (EVB) Program monitors for natural disasters, major weather events, and public safety issues across the country that may affect WGU students’ lives and proactively responds to provide support.
Weather extremes in the U.S. were prevalent throughout 2021, impacting communities from coast to coast with record heat and cold, drought, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and tropical storms.
27,000
Students Supported
47
Major Events
87%
Average Retention Rate for Affected Students
In addition to the impact from environmental events, the EVB team supported 13,714 new needs related to COVID-19. Because of the major impact on medical professionals in the months of January, February, March, September, and October, the team began tracking all new, first-time students in the College of Health Professions.
National Scale, Local Impact
In 2019, WGU launched a regional strategy to increase outreach in local communities—meeting students where they are and engaging to solve local, state, and regional workforce challenges. Seven regional teams, led by regional vice presidents, focus on the specific needs of the areas they serve through service opportunities, scholarships and other aid, and the development of relationships with education partners, business leaders, and policymakers.
Valued Partnerships
WGU works to forge partnerships with fellow education organizations, nonprofits, community groups, local workforce leaders, and state and local governments. 2021 saw many such partnerships come to fruition with the goal of improving access to education and aligning education and skills to workforce needs. Examples are:
National Governors Association (NGA)
In October, WGU and NGA announced a strategic partnership to address the future of work and education. Over the course of the partnership, we will focus our work on four initiatives to address and overcome the prevalent workforce and education issues states are facing, especially as states grapple with how to equitably rebuild their economies coming out of the pandemic: the skills-based learning and hiring ecosystem, the Workforce Innovation Network (WIN), expanding broadband access, and the NGA Chairman’s Initiative.
OneTen
In August, WGU was endorsed as an education partner by OneTen, a coalition of leading executives and organizations committed to upskill, hire, and promote one million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement. WGU is uniquely suited to support OneTen’s mission—and specifically its 10-year timeline—due to its skills- and competency-based education model, which effectively helps graduates connect with opportunities in their fields.
New State Affiliates
WGU was built by states, for states. For that reason, the university has worked with state governments to augment the offerings of traditional brick-and-mortar state schools and create opportunities for working learners to pursue more flexible higher education programs that lead to better careers. These partnerships allow for easier credit transfer between state institutions and access to state-based financial aid.
In 2021, WGU formed new partnerships with three states: Utah, Idaho, and Montana. These relationships will create even more pathways to opportunity for WGU students in those states.
“Trusted partners like Western Governors University ensure all Montanans have access to the workforce training and education they need to succeed, regardless of where they live.”
-Montana Governor Greg Gianforte
What We Believe
We believe in human potential.
We believe in the inherent worth and ability of every individual. Talent is equally distributed; opportunity is not. We were founded to fix that.
We believe in the promise of education.
We believe education is the surest path to opportunity. We want to reinvent education so that every learner can have success.
We believe in our students.
If we provide them a student-centered, radically affordable, high-quality, workforce-relevant education, they will succeed.
We believe that outcomes matter.
Enrollment isn’t enough. We want to drive value for students: in their career progression, engagement, and life satisfaction.
We believe that learners are workers.
Our students don’t just want a diploma—they want a pathway to opportunity. We design our programs to maximize student success in the workplace.
We believe we can’t get there without innovation.
Sustained success depends upon doing things differently, not just better. We are compelled to innovate and change the way people engage with learning and access opportunity.
We believe that big problems demand big solutions.
The number of learners who are being left behind is massive. The only way to solve the problem is to solve it at scale.
Looking to the Future: Innovation
WGU is currently involved in many innovative efforts beyond degree programs. Watch the video to learn more about these initiatives from WGU's president, Scott Pulsipher.
How We Innovate
- WGU Academy
- WGU Labs
- The Open Skills Network
WGU Academy continues to improve student success measures of on-time progress (OTP) and retention through its focus on holistic readiness. In 2021, 2,315 students graduated from the Academy and an additional 6,258 students enrolled.
Data suggests that Academy is most efficacious for learner profiles that exhibit low academic preparation, first-generation background, and high economic stress. A higher proportion of Academy graduates achieved OTP after their first term at WGU:
- 6.9% more Academy graduates achieved OTP after their first term at WGU than those who did not attend Academy
- 8.5% more students of color
- 9.4% more first-generation students
- 7% more low-income students
At the second term mark, the results are even more incredible:
- 14.3% more Academy graduates achieved OTP after their second term at WGU than those who did not attend Academy
- 14.3% more students of color
- 21% more first-generation students
- 12.1% more low-income students
Academy is increasingly becoming a trusted partner for employers, community organizations, and other institutions of higher education. In 2021 it worked with multiple employer partners and partnered with Dahlia's Hope and Weber County Intergenerational Poverty Initiative to enroll new students. Academy collaborated with WGU Advancement and Sentara Healthcare on a pilot to support veterans, active duty military, and their spouses. And it enrolled new students in the OWL Transfer Program, a partnership with community colleges.
Examine
WGU Labs Research investigates policy, systems, and technology solutions that will transform learning.
In 2021, the Labs research team examined environmental factors, tools, and strategies that may improve equity, access, and the learner experience through 23 research engagements with 12 different institutions—including key partnerships with WGU’s College of Business, College of IT, Financial Aid, and Alumni Relations. Insights from these studies are fueling the next generation of learning solutions and policies at WGU and beyond.
Build
WGU Labs Product designs high-quality learning technologies and instructional content.
In 2021, Labs built six solutions to major challenges in the education marketplace and here at WGU, including:
- A competency-based evaluation for nursing programs
- An LMS-integrated tool to test instructional materials
- A DA platform that connects parents to educators for assistance in pandemic-remote learning
- A gamified exploration of ethics and social responsibility
Labs’ solutions have supported WGU’s College of Health Professions, Teachers College, WGU Academy, and other university initiatives.
Connect
The College Innovation Network (CIN) connects a growing network of post-secondary institutions to uncover and address critical barriers that impede impactful EdTech-driven innovation.
In 2021, CIN recruited an additional seven institutions (13 total) representing more than 250,000 students; developed a multi-phase EdTech needs assessment; piloted and evaluated three EdTech solutions in five member institutions; published groundbreaking EdTech Self-Efficacy research; and held convenings during which members discussed best practices and emerging needs.
Grow
The Accelerator at WGU Labs helps promising early stage EdTech startups improve and bring their solutions to market.
In 2021, the Accelerator at WGU Labs invested in and grew 13 EdTech companies valued at more than $120 million, whose solutions address strategic moments in the student lifecycle. This support includes market development, research, and university trials with more than 1.35 million students impacted, including pilots with the WGU’s Alumni Relations, College of Business, and College of Health Professions.
Creating Opportunity by Closing the Skills Gap
The Open Skills Network (OSN) launched in September 2020 to promote a more equitable, skills-based education and hiring ecosystem. Initial funding for the OSN was provided by Walmart.
In 2021, OSN sponsored and supported more than 20 community-led and cross-functional pilot projects that created Rich Skill Descriptors (RSD) libraries. An RSD is a machine-readable, enriched definition of a skill. It includes a contextualized skill statement and other associated metadata that enables the interoperability of skills across digital platforms. The OSN expanded use cases across different industry sectors, including employers, education providers, professional associations, and the military.
The OSN held its inaugural Skills Summit, which hosted more than 300 skills enthusiasts and included a keynote from Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Summit participants included education providers, employers, military, and tech, all coming together to problem solve around open skills use cases and identify actionable steps for implementation.
WGU and OSN released the Open Skills Management Tool (OSMT), a free open-source software project enabling the development and sharing of open skills libraries. Within the first month of release, more than 40 OSN member organizations accessed the OSMT code for deployment in their own organizations, accelerating open skills implementation across the ecosystem.
About WGU
WGU is the world's most student-centric university. Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors, the nonprofit now serves more than 132,000 students nationwide and has more than 275,000 graduates in all 50 states.
Lifetime Achievement Award
At the ASU+GSV Summit in 2021, former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, former Colorado Governor Roy Romer, and founding WGU President Dr. Robert Mendenhall received the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of their vision to change the lives of WGU students and their families for the better. The award was presented by WGU’s first graduate, Ginny Kirchner, and recent graduates Salomon Torrescano and Chris Woods.
As part of the celebration, they participated in a conversation with current WGU President Scott Pulsipher and recounted the humble beginnings of what has become the nation's largest online university.
“WGU is doing the world’s most important work: making available education and training to people who do not have access to it, making it available at a cost they can afford, and doing it based on competency, so that you are qualified to do the work that you were trained for.”
- Former Governor and WGU Cofounder Roy Romer
