Our Story Is Our Students

As the most student-centric university in the world, the story of WGU is centered on our students. We are directly invested in their struggles, their lives, and their successes.
 

Too many people have felt that education was out of their reach. Distance, cost, and life situations led them to believe that education was unattainable. From our inception we have taken these barriers to education head-on so our students have access to the surest way to change their lives for the better—a degree. 
 

Although our university has grown and our focus has widened, our single commitment to our students has not. Our ambition to help individuals bridge the gap from talent to opportunity will never rest. 
 

Nonprofit, Independent, and Guided by a Mission

WGU is a nonprofit, online university that was founded by 19 U.S. governors. However, WGU is a private university, not a state university. WGU developed out of a vision for the future of higher education that emerged among the governors of the Western Governors Association (hence our name), but WGU operates independently with its own governance structure. This allows us to keep our focus on students, following the vision that got us started.

 

Bridging the Gap Between Talent and Opportunity

The surest way to opportunity is education. The transformative effect of education impacts individuals, families, and communities to improve social mobility. Our mission is to change lives for the better by creating pathways to opportunity

 

Making Opportunity Work for Everyone

The promise of higher education is the surest path to opportunity—and it's a promise we intend to keep. 
 

Our belief in education’s transformative power and our commitment to improving its quality, accessibility, and outcomes compel us to do more. They compel us to invest in endeavors that we hope will transform not only the institution, but also the system of higher education as we strive to make opportunity available for everyone.
 

WGU is characterized by its flexible learning architecture and multi-dimensional delivery, which allows us to better personalize learning, adapt to changing workforce needs, and provide relevant pathways for an individual’s first and next opportunity. 
 

Our commitment to measurable student impact will ensure accountability as we innovate through failures and invest for the long term. We won’t rest in our effort to expand equitable access and attainment or in our effort to accelerate the advancement of our mission of creating pathways to opportunity.
 

Endeavoring to be the World’s Most Inclusive University

Since our inception, WGU has focused on advancing equity by increasing access to higher education through affordable tuition, online learning options, and competency-based education. We know that education is one of the surest pathways to a better life—by expanding access to learning and the opportunities it affords, we advance equity for all.
 

Our goal is to foster a diverse, inclusive environment where students, faculty, and staff can be their best selves as they learn and grow. WGU is committed to promoting inclusion, respect, and acceptance for differences, equal opportunity, and diversity in all of our operations and endeavors.
 

WGU has an active and growing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) program, which is focused on advancing equity among all of our stakeholders—students, employees, and alumni. Our DE&I initiatives are aimed at building communities that value each individual and encourage open, respectful conversations.