About Graduation Rates
Every year, colleges and universities like WGU are required to submit data about our institution and our students to the federal Department of Education. This information is then posted on the federal web site, College Navigator where you can search for colleges and compare information. WGU is also required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, to provide all students and prospective students with specific information about our institution, including the retention and graduate rates on this page.
At WGU, graduation is our goal. It’s the reason we exist: to help every student who enrolls achieve the degree that will turn dreams into realities; so we take graduation rates very seriously. You may have seen graduation rates reported for WGU, including a rate on the College Scorecard of under 20%. That’s because the College Scorecard uses Department of Education data that only counts first-time, full-time students.
In other words, the nontraditional students who make up more than 98% of WGU’s student body are not counted in the College Scorecard data. The vast majority of WGU students have previous college experience before coming to WGU. These students are not considered first-time students, so their success at WGU is not counted in the rate reported by the Department of Education through the College Scorecard.
To put it another way: The College Scorecard data excludes the very students WGU was designed to serve.
Graduate Career Success
While students come to WGU for widely different career reasons, when they graduate, they’re finding the opportunities they sought.
Advancement: According to a 2023 Harris Poll survey1 87% of WGU graduates reported they were employed in their degree field.
Employer Acceptance: When employers were asked how the WGU graduates they’d hired performed on the job, 98% said WGU graduates met or exceeded expectations. 97% said that their WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs, and 97% said that would hire another WGU graduate2.
Graduate Satisfaction: A 2023 Harris Poll revealed that 96% of WGU graduates have recommended WGU to others, compared with 84% of those who attended other schools. 96% of WGU grads said they would choose WGU again, compared with 91% of grads from other schools3.
Low Default Rates: Most WGU student borrowers are careful about their school loans and repay them in a timely fashion. WGU’s FY2019 cohort's official 3-year default rate of 0.7% is less than half the national average of 2.3%, much lower than at many similar institutions, and has actually decreased in recent years, bucking the national trend.4
1 2023 Harris Poll survey of 1,655 WGU graduates.
2 2023 Harris Poll survey of 300 employers of WGU graduates.
3 2023 Harris Poll of 1,655 WGU graduates and 1,443 national, non-WGU graduates.
4 The Institute for College Access & Success
Graduation Rate
The graduation rate, also called the "Student Right to Know" or IPEDS graduation rate, measures the progress of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students. It tracks whether they complete their program within 150% of the standard time expected for graduation.
Note that WGU has 1% of the student population which are first-time, full-time students. The majority (99%) of our students began their studies at another college or university. For this reporting timeframe, 900 students were counted as “full-time, first-time”.
Race/Ethnicity
Cohort
Grad Number
Percent
American Indian or Alaskan Native
10
3
30.00%
Asian
67
41
61.19%
Black, non-Hispanic
87
48
55.17%
Hispanic/Latino
83
30
36.14%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
3
1
33.33%
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
11
8
72.73%
Nonresident Alien
54
20
37.04%
Two or More
16
7
43.75%
White, non-Hispanic
569
300
52.72%
Total
900
458
50.89%
Race/Ethnicity
Cohort
Race/Ethnicity
Grad Number
Race/Ethnicity
Percent
American Indian or Alaskan Native
10
American Indian or Alaskan Native
3
American Indian or Alaskan Native
30.00%
Asian
67
Asian
41
Asian
61.19%
Black, non-Hispanic
87
Black, non-Hispanic
48
Black, non-Hispanic
55.17%
Hispanic/Latino
83
Hispanic/Latino
30
Hispanic/Latino
36.14%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
3
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
33.33%
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
11
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
8
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
72.73%
Nonresident Alien
54
Nonresident Alien
20
Nonresident Alien
37.04%
Two or More
16
Two or More
7
Two or More
43.75%
White, non-Hispanic
569
White, non-Hispanic
300
White, non-Hispanic
52.72%
Total
900
Total
458
Total
50.89%
Race/Ethnicity
Cohort
Grad Number
Percent
American Indian or Alaskan Native
835
396
47.43%
Asian
1,448
783
54.07%
Black, non-Hispanic
4,500
1,511
33.58%
Hispanic/Latino
4,597
2,068
44.99%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
235
107
45.53%
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
19
10
52.63%
Nonresident Alien
1,210
706
58.35%
Two or More
890
402
45.17%
White, non-Hispanic
30,431
17,074
56.11%
Total
44,165
23,057
52.21%
Race/Ethnicity
Cohort
Race/Ethnicity
Grad Number
Race/Ethnicity
Percent
American Indian or Alaskan Native
835
American Indian or Alaskan Native
396
American Indian or Alaskan Native
47.43%
Asian
1,448
Asian
783
Asian
54.07%
Black, non-Hispanic
4,500
Black, non-Hispanic
1,511
Black, non-Hispanic
33.58%
Hispanic/Latino
4,597
Hispanic/Latino
2,068
Hispanic/Latino
44.99%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
235
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
107
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
45.53%
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
19
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
10
Race or Ethnicity Unknown
52.63%
Nonresident Alien
1,210
Nonresident Alien
706
Nonresident Alien
58.35%
Two or More
890
Two or More
402
Two or More
45.17%
White, non-Hispanic
30,431
White, non-Hispanic
17,074
White, non-Hispanic
56.11%
Total
44,165
Total
23,057
Total
52.21%
Status
Cohort
Number of Grads
Percent
Male
497
214
43.06%
Female
403
244
60.55%
Total
900
458
50.89%
Status
Cohort
Status
Number of Grads
Status
Percent
Male
497
Male
214
Male
43.06%
Female
403
Female
244
Female
60.55%
Total
900
Total
458
Total
50.89%
Status
Cohort
Number of Grads
Percent
Male
14,485
6,555
42.25%
Female
29,680
16,502
55.60%
Total
44,165
23,057
52.21%
Status
Cohort
Status
Number of Grads
Status
Percent
Male
14,485
Male
6,555
Male
42.25%
Female
29,680
Female
16,502
Female
55.60%
Total
44,165
Total
23,057
Total
52.21%
Status
Cohort
Number of Grads
Percent
Received a Federal Pell Grant
236
115
48.73%
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
67
42
62.69%
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
597
301
50.42%
Total
900
458
50.89%
Status
Cohort
Status
Number of Grads
Status
Percent
Received a Federal Pell Grant
236
Received a Federal Pell Grant
115
Received a Federal Pell Grant
48.73%
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
67
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
42
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
62.69%
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
597
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
301
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
50.42%
Total
900
Total
458
Total
50.89%
Status
Cohort
Number of Grads
Percent
Received a Federal Pell Grant
14,279
6,406
44.86%
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
5,900
3,090
52.37%
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
23,986
13,561
56.54%
Total
44,165
23,057
52.21%
Status
Cohort
Status
Number of Grads
Status
Percent
Received a Federal Pell Grant
14,279
Received a Federal Pell Grant
6,406
Received a Federal Pell Grant
44.86%
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
5,900
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
3,090
Received a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive Pell
52.37%
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
23,986
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
13,561
Received neither a Pell Grant nor a Subsidized Stafford Loan
56.54%
Total
44,165
Total
23,057
Total
52.21%
Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the percentage of first-time students who return to WGU to continue their studies the following year. Data come from the 23-24 IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey.
Entering year-to-second-year retention rate for first-time (full-time) students: 62%
Continuing Education
WGU completers who have continued their educational pursuits.
In accordance with the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, WGU must make available information regarding the types of Graduate and Professional education pursuits in which graduates of WGU’s four-year degree programs have enrolled.
Seventeen percent of WGU’s four-year degree program graduates (221,555) between July 1, 1998, and October 23,2024, went on to complete a Graduate or Professional program. Source data: National Student Clearinghouse Subsequent Enrollment and Graduation Survey.
Degree Earned
Total
Percent
Doctorate
7
0.02%
Master's
37,806
99.69%
Juris Doctor
6
0.02%
Post-Master's
86
0.23%
Post-Bacc
18
0.05%
Total
37,923
100.00%
Degree Earned
Total
Degree Earned
Percent
Doctorate
7
Doctorate
0.02%
Master's
37,806
Master's
99.69%
Juris Doctor
6
Juris Doctor
0.02%
Post-Master's
86
Post-Master's
0.23%
Post-Bacc
18
Post-Bacc
0.05%
Total
37,923
Total
100.00%
WGU Baccalaureate to Graduate Program
WGU’s four-year degree program graduates who continued with WGU and earned a graduate degree.
Degree Earned
Total
Percent
Master's
37,328
99.75%
Post-Master's
9
0.02%
Post-Bacc
15
0.04%
Endorsement
69
0.20%
Total
37,421
100.00%
Degree Earned
Total
Degree Earned
Percent
Master's
37,328
Master's
99.75%
Post-Master's
9
Post-Master's
0.02%
Post-Bacc
15
Post-Bacc
0.04%
Endorsement
69
Endorsement
0.20%
Total
37,421
Total
100.00%
Updated 10/28/24
