Western Governor's University ripoff dishonest fraudulent advertising and billing Salt Lake City Utah

Your a bit arrogant, eh?  

1)  Fanboys are absolutely able to write reviews on her.

2)  Just cause they don't agree with you, doesn't mean they're "fanboys"

3)  Did you notice the little word "rebuttal", on the bottom of each comment?

 

Yeah, rebuttal.  That means that those with differing opinions can post theirs in order to offer what they believe forms a well rounded website.  Sorry you feel that your little opinion shouldn't be contested.

Your final comment, on an otherwise unnecessarily wordy novelette, reveals your ultimate M.O....all who disagree with you are "pathetic"....got it.  You paint with a broad brush, friend.   But at least we see your general disposition, and realize exactly how well you are able to apply your (freshman year level) critical thinking skills.

Good luck.

I have to laugh. Seriously, if you are going to act in such a manner, whether it is true or not, your lack of grammar and lack of respect by not proof reading makes you (anonymous) look like a hmm...donkey?

http://www.geteducated.com/regional-vs-national-accreditation-which-is-better-for-online-colleges

 

I found this article regarding national vs regional accreditation. I hope this clears up the mis-conception.

Well, it would be great if you could follow the steps you laid out if it wasn't for the horrible horrible horrible system that each state seems to want to implement. It is not that easy to become a teacher if you're not enrolled in a Teacher Education Program {maybe in Texas where the majority of people are too stupid to get things done correctly (I've lived there and left because most poeple [not all!] where too stupid t get the job done correctly).} I am trying to get a certification and it's more than jumping through hoops to get to this point. If you're a good teacher, the education classes will complement you not make you or your teaching style worse.

 

 

True, you do need a 2.5 GPA to get a TX teaching certificate, however, with a degree from WGU, you can get a UT certificate, then get your TX certificate right from there, for a year, before getting your permanent certificate. Since you're already certified, you do not need to resubmit info about your degree.

Holy crap, anonymous sounds like a total psycho. No wonder they were going to kick him out. 

Except for the fact that anyone who is HQ in a subject matter can get certified in Texas . . . kinda blows your nonsense out of the water.  What is a responsible adult doing trying to get an Education degree anyway?!?!  Grow up and get a degree that holds merit and then get your teaching cert for that discipline.  Kids don't need aimless adults who could only pinpoint a generic field of study that teaches them how to indoctrinate as their teachers.  

 

As for the original poster who thought they were scammed with 115 useless credits from a glorified training house in southern Cal . . . you're an idiot.  WGU has locked degree programs with specific course requirements for graduation . . . just because you took 40 credits of underwater basket weaving doesn't mean there is a spot for that in the WGU degree.  If you had your plan together why would you leave your original institution before graduation?  Had to move?  You didn't have a solid plan when you were there otherwise you would not have withdrawn so close to the finish.  Your lack of understanding that a university (a legitimate one with graduation residency requirements) has no obligation to offer you credit for courses that don't apply to the degree program of your choice is evidence of your lack of sophistication as a college student, not evidence of deception on the part of WGU.   Again, you are an idiot.

You are a very smart person to look at both sides before crossing the road. Please Please stay away from WGU. They are horrible; everything from customer service, financial aid, inneficient course material, to mentors. Customer service will show the most disrespect possible, your mentors will yell at you, financial aid will make errors on your figures. Everything possible that can happened at this university believe me - will happen. With me it all started with one person yelling at me and it excalated from there. I filed a useless complaint with them, thats when all my trobles started. The person I filed a complaint against lied about what actually transpired and the case was closed. I was not satisfied so I persisted only to encounter more hostility from everyone and every level at this university. Since I persisted things were taken up by the conduct office and even though I tried to be as professional as I could, they started accusing me of things like "interfering with conduct officers to do their job and bullying their staff. If you don't agree with them and try to make them realize their faults, then they add this to your conduct: being argumentative. Emails I sent to them almost all were not dealt or items in them where either not acknowledge, or poorly acknowledge, if at all. I tried to stay another semester while I was in the process of finding another school, but I just could not bear their poor treatment towards me. They were about to meet up again on the 19th of August to discuss the issue at hand. I realized that that the only reason the conduct office was meeting was to decide to exclude me from the university. YOU CANNOT DISAGREE WITH THEM, YOU CANNOT TELL THEM THERE ARE MISTAKES IN THEIR COURSES, YOU CANNOT COMPLAIN AGAINST THEIR STAFF, YOU CANNOT PERSIST IF THERE IS INJUSTICE AT THEIR SCHOOL. PLEASE STAY AWAY ----- DON'T LET THE PRICE FOOL YOU --- Other online universities are charging about the same and they are better and better accredited. They want you to believe that you can take as many units as you like for a set price, but the truth is that their courses are purposely set up to only complete 12 units per 6 months. Divide this by their set price and you will see that it is even more than the other universities are charging. Oregon Online university for instance is charging only $191 per unit and that is way cheaper than the WGU around $350 per unit that they charge for theirs. --- WGU is more expensive after all, and their quality of education is quite cheap. PLEASE REMEMBER ME IF YOU DECIDE TO ENROLL WITH THEM - at the end they will win because they have the power to pull the plug and believe me they will abuse their power. thank you. 

These days, any educated person knows that one of the benefits of the web, is the ability to read BOTH Good and Bad reviews and comments and then make a determination.  It is not possible to do a good job of determining if you want to use a service or purchase a product without reading both the good and the bad reviews and weighing them for your self.  To make a comment that people who like a University should not want to say so, after other people have put it down, is downright contemptuous and rude as well as sounding non democratic. 

If you were looking at a service or a product I hope you would want to read reviews from those who did and did not like it and why.  If not, if you only like reading bad reviews, you will miss some of the best products and services as there is ALWAYS someone with a bad review.  I know nothing at all about this institution but I resent your desire to chastise those who write that they had a good experience.  It is a bad idea for you, this site and the press in general

 

Hello many people like you are always mislead by the word accreditation. Accredited by NCATE and this its recognised the the U.S. Department of Education. The department of Ed recognizes the accredited body NOT the schools. What does this mean to you? In a nutshell: well lets take the NCATE accreditation. NCATE accreditation mean the teachers at this school, NOT the program means criteria set by the U.S Board of Education. Accreditation means nongovernmental review. NCATE and other accredited bodies are privite, nonprofit organizations and because they are not governmental bodies many state boards of education may not except the credits earned or even recognise the degree you earned at schools they accredited as it may not meet thier state standards. When looking for a school to go to. Ask the recruiter if the credit you earn can be transferred and ask what schools in your state accept them. If they are not willing to give you any specific names; look elsewhere. You should also beware for slights of words. These are phases that can have any interpretations. Also check thier websites they will have on then declaimers about the program it may take dome digging, but it needs to be done. However if you don't want to do a lot of independent work then check with your state board of education and see what they say.

 

I received a B.A. in English from the University of Tennessee in 1994, and 10 years later I decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I attended WGU from 2004-2006, and received a post-baccalaureate certificate in their Teacher Preparation Program (Elementary Ed. K-8). At the time, my husband's career required him to move every 6-12 months, so I was not able to attend a traditional university.

WGU made it possible for me to continue pursuing my dream of becoming a teacher, and I feel like they essentially "held my hand" throughout the entire process of applying to the program, financial aid, and scheduling courses and assessments. Program requirements were clearly outlined, and I received unparalled support throughout the courses. Completion of the program enabled me to apply for and receive my state certification. During the student teaching portion of WGU's program,  I repeatedly received positive comments from administrators and school staff about how exceptionally prepared I was for the teaching profession and for the classroom environment, and was often asked where I had attended college. I was offered a certified teaching position in a public elementary school immediately following completion of student teaching.

WGU's programs are designed to prepare students for the "real world" workplace--they want their graduates to have the ability to fluently APPLY the knowledge and skills they receive from WGU. As with any educational institution, there were some glitches and "issues" here and there, but every single one of these was addressed and corrected (if correction was needed), and answers were provided. I was so happy with the experience that I returned to WGU in 2009, and received my M.A. in Teaching a year later.

I have spent a total of 5 years at "traditional" state universities, and the education and support I received at those universities cannot compare to the exemplary education, support, and experience I received from 3 years at WGU.

Please educate yourself concerning WGU's programs, policies, and both regional and NATIONAL accreditations. Here is a link to start....http://www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/annual_report_2012.pdf

 

 Ashley. Fresno CA

This is a page of consumer complaints. Why are all you fanboys on here so vehemently protesting any complaint by a consumer spending thousands on their education? Were you there for my whole experience? Do you know anything about the details? No you don't so stfu and go do something else. We all have different experiences and why can't we share what went wrong in our expereinces to enlighten others to not make the same mistakes? Just because you guys had a great experience doesn't mean we did and it doesn't mean we are lazy or wrong. You fanboys are so ridiculous a bunch of white knights comming to save the day ! Don't you all have something better to do than attack others trying to share their experiences with potential WGU students? There are sites out there for you to post your experiences so why are you here? LOL it is so pathetic. Having said that I will tell all the OTHER PEOPLE reading this page exactly what is wrong with WGU. I am not saying they shouldn't go, I am saying to do tons of research and decide what is best for you. My experience and others can help you make a decision.

I am in my second year at WGU and seriously contemplating staying next semester. I'm 26 years old and have been attending both city and state colleges on and off since i was 18. I usually don't take that many credits as i usually work full time. I have a daughter as well and have taken time off to raise here and go to school full time. WGU was the ticket for me in my situation! I was lied to from the start about EXACTLY what is expected of you at this school. First off I started in early childhood education program. I applied to this school with that major. 2 weeks before my enrollment date my mentor called me. He then told me the early childhood education program wasn't available in my area (CA). This was after he confirmed i was in K-8 program! I told him im in early childhood not K-8! He sounded surprised.  I was very dissapointed. WHy didn't he tell me earlier? I did my whole application and transfer credits and tests etc.! I did everything and he  barely told me then that my state didn't accept that? SCAM anyone? Get my money and THEN tell me you don't have that program for my state? HUH? He instead said I could get an interdisciplinary study degree to teach K-8 instead of preschool like i wanted..... UM ok I guess? I have always thought of doing that as well and would make more money so i went along with it. I'm not complaining about me staying so don't get it confused fanboys. I am complaining that i wasn't told this earlier before i invested so much time and energy. I was a little suspicious but not enough to quit. I was told most of my credits would transfer . I had around 55 units from state and city college. I would say about 25 transfered which is OK BUT...The classes that didn't transfer had the same exact material these WGU courses had. The same math, the same stupid poem interpretation s**t... Everything was the same. the same science and the same english courses as well. Why didn't they transfer if they were the same content? Exactly the same I cannot stress enough. Ok whatever I said. Two things i don't like o well right? And they accepted most of my credits so I was ok with that. I also knew the classes would be a breeze since I already knew the material. Needless to say I was ok with this BUT it still was wrong and a waste of time in my opinion.

My biggest complaint at WGU is this: I was told REPEATEDLY by my admissions mentor that there are to be NO MANDATORY ASSIGNMENTS OR HOMEWORK EVER! This was awesome to me as I would go to college for my exam only and never attend regularly becaue i actually knew the material. I am an indendent learner and can read material and learn it fairly easy. Most teachers were ok with that since i got excellent grades. To me, WGU sounded like a dream because all you do is take a content exam to pass the course. It was what i had been doing in college anyways so it sounded like a dream! BEWARE this is seriously false. There ARE long and sometimes tedious assignments if you fail your first attempt at an objective exam. Let me explain: there as you know are 3 attemps to take a test be it performance or objective. There are also practice tests for objective exams. My thing that honestly worked great my first semester is i would take both a practice exam and the real exam back to back. I would study the practice and then take the real one. I wouldn't study much. This way i would take the test and see what is on it and how in depth i had to know the sometimes ridiculous material. Many times i would pass the exam first attempt. Sometimes i didn't though but i found what was on the exam and would study harder and take the test over and of course pass it the second attempt. Most teachers would unlock my exam after asking and accessing the learning materials more in depth. SOme teachers however give you 15 pages worth of questions to answer in paragraph form just to unlock your test again. SOOO there is no mandatory assinments but you must complete 30+ questions in paragraph form to unlock your test?! That is more than a 6 page paper if you do it correctly! They lie! Sure it is definately good to know the material no doubt, But don't lie and say there are no assigments and hold my exam hostage! I am currently trying to negotiate a middle ground so that i can take my test over without completing a 16 page, yes 16 page study guide with 30+ paragraph answers. I have never ever in my 15 years of schooling gotten a 16 page study guide. Are you serious with me? While it was helpful, it is not helpful to make me complete a 16 page study guide and turn it in via email form in order for someone to unlock my exam!

Now lets talk about these ridic objective exams under the scrutiny of a ridiculous camera system. I have repeatedly gotten my tests paused for absolutely no reason whatsoever. This is extremely distracting. One time my test was stopped 3 times with no explanation from my proctor. MY lighting never changed, my seat postion and or camera angle never changed. My proctor would even be baffled sometimes. Every single time i take my exam i have at least one pause and it is extremely distracting. One time i even had to retake my keyboard analysis 10 times to access my test as it said it was different than i had done it before. I called my proctor and said HELLO this IS me you have me on camera. He expalined he could do nothing until the computer allowed me.  For you fanboys: No i am absolutely not cheating. While i agree i should be monitored, this type of activity should not occur this often for no reason.

Do you like being babysat as an adult? I sure don't but that is exactly what your personal mentor is there for. they are there to personally babysit you and make sure you do your work. Yes i did know this from the beginning but it doesn't make it less annoying. Not to mention i am pretty sure my mentor has no clue who she is talking to when she is talking to me. She frequently asks the same questions we already answered together before and always is late or early when calling me. She even forgets our appointment times and calls me on different days. She even called me twice in one week one time! She had no clue she even did it! She even called me on my two week vacation that i sent her 2 emails about and discussed over the phone twice! Yaaaaaa..... need i say more about this?

Lets not even get into how stupid and lame our performance exams are. Buzzwords anyone? Seriously you can say the same exact things but leave out two buzzwords and you will get a failing grade. My advice? Use those buzzwords you don't even really have to learn the material! This is my biggest complaint about performance exams. the rubric repeatedly says to apa any sources IF and only IF you use sources. Sometimes I already knew the answeres and didn't need sources etc. I would fail and wonder wtf? I would see in my very useful but at times annoying feedback page that i didn't use sources.... HELLO! it says clearly (and i do point it out to my instructors,) that it says IF you use sources... Well i didn't soooooo. complete bullshit.

ALL you fanboys are pathetic. Can people not have differeing opinions without being attacked on a site page MEANT for complaints? Go to your own site! I want people to know exactly what they are getting into so that they can be informed. They can also go to your site! I cannot complain about accredidation because it is ok for me in CA. I love how you most of the time don't have assignments. I was satisfied although not thrilled about how many units they accepted. I am satisfied at the help I do recieve usually if i ask. I love that it allows you to work FOR THE MOST PART independtly. However, I am definitely not entirely satisfied and i am definitely questioning whether or not to stay next semester becasue the school is very flawed. The material is laughable and most of the time extremely easy or just plain ridiculous. There are classes i never would have to take for a liberal arts degree. There are many problems with this school so be forwarned. Having said that, this school does have some advantages. I competeed over 25 units my first semester! O wait that really doesn't count for s**t since no other school recognizes these units lol! 25 fake units great! Sorry for the typos and run ons etc i really don't have time for this s**t but still want to help.

 

 

Hi. I just wanted to say that I am a 2010 graduate from the WGU teacher college and I am also a Texas teacher. I had to apply for my Utah license first, because that's where the school is, and then transfer my license to Texas. Once I took the state tests for Texas, the whole process of licensure took about 3-4 days. I also had no trouble finding a teaching position. It is a bit of a process but the work and degree is recognized just as any from any other college. My experience at WGU was great. 

The above statement isn't entirely true. You apply for a teaching license in Texas after you have got your license from Utah. So you must apply as an out of state teacher, then begin to take the Texas required test. So no you can't just graduate and  get licensed likestudents who attend a physical university in Texas. You transfer in as out of state teacher. I am going through this process right now anhaves no problem getting my license from Utah. My clinical supervisor with Wgu was a principal and teacher with North East Independent School District in San Antonio and she's assured me and shown proof that students with WGU can and do teach in Texas.

WGU is a fantastic school.  I'm finishing up my bachelors degree at 43 years old after 3 years.  The course fit for my lifestyle and the way I enjoy self learning.  They have great resources and staff.  My experience with the bursars office has been great.  It is straight forward billing.  One fee for a semester.  I didn't use any financing so I'm not familiar with that.

Please make sure this is what you are looking for and that WGU is accredited in your area before applying.  It's not their fault people don't take the time to be responsible adults and point blame on anyone but themselves.

It works for some and others it doesn't.  Just because it doesn't work for some people doesn't make it wrong.  Many people just can't be educated via self learning.  And there are even some who just can't be educated because they are held back behind their own fears of success and lack of ambition to do something more.

If you are an "adult" looking to complete a degree or get a new degree it does work.

Slackers blame.

Winners work hard.

Be a winner and I hope others find out what a great college WGU is.

If you are OR are planning to go to WGU for a teacher degree, make SURE you check the requirements for the state teacher certification. In Texas(where I plan to be a teacher), the "Texas Education Agency" has certification requirements and one of those requirements is to have a bachelor's degree with a  GPA of 2.5 or higher(they ask for proof of transcript). WGU has no GPA shown on the graduate transcript, SO the teacher degree through WGU is useless to get certified as teacher. You can have all the degrees in the world to become a teacher, but you can't get a teaching job in Texas until one gets certified.

I'm thinking about enrolling in this school. I'm a busy nurse who works two jobs. The pressure is on for all nurses in NJ to get BSN. This angers me since it took 2 full time years of college and a summer and 2 full time years in nursing school to become an RN. I took the same nursing test as BSN's, the NCLEX. So I don't care if its a good education I want the cheapest and fastest. All I hear from other nurses I graduated with is its all a money making thing and all you do is write papers. So why should I pay top tuition for Drexel, or Rutgers ect. We aren't being taught anything that we don't already know. So WGU seems cheap and fast, I know other RNS who did it and others who are getting ready to start. A Bachelor's is a Bachelor's.

I also went to USC, where I received my Bachelor's degree.  I am currently attending WGU as a graduate student getting my MBA.

As many people have posted, the accreditation for WGU is perfectly acceptable, and the school actually does have a very good reputation.

For Chris - next time work with USC.  If you were on your last semester - you could have taken some classes elsewhere - gotten them pre-approved - and graduated from USC (I did this myself - I KNOW its possible).  I can promise you that USC wanted you to graduate from there, and not transfer.  If you haven't finished school yet - call USC - work with them - They will absolutely work with you on transferring credits in - and you don't have to pay USC tuition costs.

I had my share of financial aid hurdles at USC, including all aid being pulled my final year, almost making me transfer. 

Anyone having problems with their school - CALL THEM.  Almost every school out there has a group called the Graduation Retention Committee, or something similar.  Call them, call student services to find that kind of group - they will help you figure out how to finish with your chosen school - brick and mortar or online.

WGU has lived up to every expectation I have from it - I have seen no gimmicks, no trickery, and no subterfuge. 

Don't bash any organization without doing all of your homework - especially a school.

I am speaking only as an IT student at WGU because I do not know enough about the other programs available to make a correct statement. It is true that WGU has a 'different' learning style than other traditional universities. This was the main reason I chose WGU over all of the other schools I researched. I have attended, spent thousands of dollars, received two degrees from traditional colleges and was unable to gain employment in my chosen career because the colleges I chose to attend did not provide certifications.

They provided a paper with my name and a degree on them. In the Information Technology field employers really are not interested in this piece of paper, they want to know that you have the necessary knowledge; you show this by your certifications either from Microsoft or Cisco. WGU provides both of these; in my chosen field of study I will graduate with 13 certifications by both Microsoft and Cisco.

I also find this university to be the least expensive of all of the universities out there, and since I already have gained a substantial amount of debt in my educational journey, I am all for getting the knowledge I need at an affordable price. If it is a piece of paper with your name and a degree title on it you want I encourage you to go to a tradional college, but if it is the necessary knowledge you need to obtain employment then I recommend WGU. I am extremely happy with the educational structure at WGU and I am also extremely excited to actually be gaining the knowledge needed to succeed in my career choice.

You sound like you have an issue with the size of your incredibly small manhood rather than this fine institution. Sucks that you think so poorly of this school when it's done nothing but benefit others. You're probably poor and lonely. And even If you're as rich as you claim to be, you still have a small p**is.

Oh, I see Omar! You probably went to a public school in Europe. I went to a private school, which costs my parents $40,000 Euros per year.You're parents are not worth more than 2 billion dollars, so don't tell me that I didn't write 30-60 page papers. I WAS THERE, SO I WOULD KNOW. I've accomplished more than you ever will. I completed my Doctor of Naturopathy and I have my MBA. I'm now studying environmental science. I'm not even 30 years old yet. It would take too long to list all of my accomplishments. There are those people who commend my accomplishments and those that don't. You're one of those people that knows you're jealous, so you try to discredit my accomplishments, so you can feel better about yourself. I'm not phony. I'm very materialistic and I enjoy showing off all that I have. I live the high life and you don't. You're pathetic. You attack my character, because I made a comment about WGU??? You act like I made a personal attack at you personally or degraded you. I give you a challenge. You meet me somewhere and I'll pull up in a Bentley and show you what you'll never have. Poor people always hate the rich, but I'm used to it.  Get a life, because you obviously don't have one. I have the right to my own opinion and you do too, but to attack my personal character and label me phony is crossing the line. Just because someone brags about what you'll never have doesn't make them a phony; it just makes them better than you. Quit feeling sorry for yourself, because you have to work for a living and live paycheck-to-paycheck.

...and you walked 5 miles barefoot in the snow

...and you did homework by the light of a single candle

You sound suspiciously, oh...what's word?  phony

I am familiar with schooling in Eastern Europe.  No 30-60 page papers.  None.  Nada.

Sorry but the courses do have credits, you wouldn't get funding without credits (many loans/grants require being full time student, which is determined by credit hours), they're just not graded. It's pass/fail, usually based off an assessment, but for some classes you have to complete a project.

Not even easy pass/fail. For the enterprise operating systems class for the IT curriculum, it's a Microsoft certification, I failed twice, you have to have 80% to pass, and it's a really difficult certification from Microsoft.

I just passed a database class last week by taking the certification, you had to have 74% to pass on that one, and it's not a WGU test at all. The classes range from 3, 4, and 6 credits each. The harder certifications are usually worth 6 credit hours.

As a current student of WGU, I am having issues that have been ongoing with their financial aid office.  I am a single mom of 5.  I have a son who is disabled, and I really need to get my teaching credentials if I want to earn a livable wage.  I decided on the k-12 special education program.  It is a five year program, but is mastery based so you can learn and work at your own pace.  This is an awesome concept, and was for three terms, (eighteen months, 75 credits later) I am having major problems with the lack of foresight by the financial aid department, and am experiencing frusteration of my own that they have not addressed.  My term began on July 1.  I received my billing reminder on June 16, and my financial aid award on June 18. 

It showed the maximum amount of sub. and unsub. loans as well as the pell, and listed it as expected disbursements.  This is not "big money" where I live (cost of everything is through the roof), and only helps to cover expenses of bills, and rent as well as any computer issues I may experienceand perhaps even the costs of fingerprinting, and PRAXIS II exams.  I am still rallying to get daycare expenses together for field experience, and demonstration teaching.  So, I don't think anything of it especially since I was awarded the same the term before, and have had no problems.  Three days after my term began, I receive a notice that I needed to accept my award before it can be disbersed. 

IT IS A GOOD THING I PAID ATTENTION BEFORE ACCEPTING IT.  The unsub. loans "offered" were less than half that shown in my award letter.  I was puzzled because even my expected disbursements showed the amount in the award letter would be released to WGU.  After calling I found out that apparently somewhere in between June 18, and July 1 the director of financial aid miraculously decided to change the cost of attendance.  This was even more puzzling, because I don't know about anyone else out there, but my cost of living is only getting higher, and that translates to higher cost of attendance-not lower. 

I will update this as this situation unfolds, but I am in dire straits, and feel completely blind-sided.  When I called fin aid, they told me there was nothing I could do about it.  Either accept the amount offered or withdraw.  I hung up fully intending to withdraw, and fuming to a friend who attends a regular University.  She is the one-not financial aid-that told me I could appeal.  Only after calling back and specifically requesting an appeal they told me to contact someone else, and it could take up to 10 weeks for them to "decide" whether or not to release the loans I need-(that I am responsible to pay back mind you)-instead of giving them to me when I actually need them, and avoiding the headache, and possible financial catastrophe as well as the clear result of me having to quit in order to find alternative ways to pay for my expenses. 

It says on the award that they can change the offer based on new information from my fafsa, but NONE OF MY INFORMATION CHANGED, AND MY LIVING EXPENSES HAVE ONLY GONE UP IN THE LAST YEAR.  I was so gung h*o about this university until now, but we'll see if they actually fix it before I am kicked out of my apartment, and have to quit school I've worked my behind off in for the last year and a half in hopes of getting my credentials.

Sketchy at best.... It sounds like you may have just had a horrible mentor. I did not go to the sister college and transfered just fine. I am in the teaching college and in my last semester. I have had no problems with any aspect of WGU. I did all my research before enrolling and everything has worked out great. Perhaps you should have asked all these questions before enrolling.

To the person talking about this school in relation to other countries. No matter what country your in you have to meet the standard of the country you intend to get a job in. Americans sort of joke about the health care system in Mexico.... because America has higher standards. My point would be no doctor in America would go to school in Mexico and expect to be taken seriously. It is all about where you intend to be. I intend to teach in the US, therefore I go to a college in the US and make sure I meet my state's requirements for certification. My state would not just take a degree from Oxford and let me start teaching, I have to get my certification here where they monitor the standards. This is not to say that Oxford would not provide me a quality education or that WGU would not provide a quality education, it is that they are not on the radar of your potential employers.

I am a former Univeresity of Michigan student. I moved my junior year. I am completely satisfied with the education I am recieving at WGU. Trust me, as a teacher there is a lot of information that will not actually be useful. WGU just sort of trims the fat. I have had to write research papers that are very much the same as the papers I wrote at U of M. By saying WGU is not difficult enough, I would say that no university in the US would be challenging enough.

Also take into consideration the length of the program. For a student in a US college to in a BA it will typically take 4 years. I have a friend in Romania who easily completed a BA in two years. Sure you may write a 30 page paper for one class. We are expected to write 5-10 page papers for almost every class.

Western Governors University is not the challenge I expected. I stayed in the US for two years and decided to do something productive with my time, so I enrolled in the MBA program.

High school, in Romania, we had to take the complete series of biology, and chemistry. We had to write 30-60 page essays, not double spaced. We had to learn to write and speak two other languages fluently, before we can graduate. We had to learn physics, informatics, physiology, psychology, European history, geometry, thermodynamics, metaphysics, philosophy, economics and others. Along with this workload, we had to endure extreme discipline by our professors. 

For a university, this is not difficult, if I can complete the MBA in 16 months as a high school student. My enrollment counselor said I was the first student to ever complete an MBA as a high school level graduate. When I enrolled, I only had my high school Baccalaureates. 

The university claims that the curriculum is very challenging, but it's not. Also, my degree wasn't accepted when I enrolled at Oxford, the next year. This is not a good school for Europeans, because universities will not accept their degrees, because an online degree is not recognized. Also, if a US citizen wants something that's accepted worldwide or accepted at most universities in the US, then choose another institution. Furthermore, this institution has a limited choice of degree programs. Too many students are graduating with degrees, but there's not nearly enough jobs in the US market. Trends magazine says 1 in 3 working age Americans are unemployed. The US government says the unemployment rate is about 8%, but that's only including those who collect unemployment insurance. The real number is 30%. The US has lost 25,000 manufacturing facilities to Europe since 2001 and the government is trying to make it more easier for companies to ship jobs overseas. This institution needs to make some serious changes, including offering more degree programs as well as offering worldwide recognized degrees. I stay in contact with most of my former classmates from WGU and it's no surprise that most of them are unable to find jobs with an MBA!!!! I enrolled in WGU for different reasons than most, but most people need to think about long term goals, such as whether there will be a job waiting for you on the other side. 

You get what you pay for. 

I appreciated the lively discussion here on Western Governors University.  The Original Report brings to light some valid questions for potential students to ask and problems to avoid.

For the record, I am considering WGU's nursing program in Texas. I am currently undecided. I specifically looked for complaints about WGU after reading its marketing materials. I learned that lesson the hard way.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14, 2012 WGU is regionally accredited.
http://chronicle.com/article/Western-Governors-U-Wins-Key/23857/
  
Open your eyes to see. Don't be blinded by the hype. Get all information in writing.

The Big Question:  

Will employers in your specific field in your specific area of the country look favorably upon a WGU degree? The only way to know is to ask the question to employers. Don't go by what others say, go by what you find out for your own situation and area of the country. Do not go by what WGU says-- ask the specific employer. Does the school you want to transfer to accept WGU credits that you will take?  Get it in writing. 

Everyone says to research before choosing a school but how do we know where to begin?

 I start with putting in the name of the school and then "problems" or "complaints." I want to know the issues I may face so I can do some "work-arounds" before committing myself.

I have helped other adults locate distance learning universities appropriate for them using this method.

There are more questions to ask as the original report implies but the big one is:

 "Does the current or future employer respect a degree from this university?"

The second question is:
Will other colleges and universities accept credits earned at this university towards the program I want to pursue?

The third question is:
How much is the total cost?

The fourth question is:
If I cannot complete the course and have to start repaying student loans in six months, can I repay student loans?

I appreciated the lively discussion here on Western Governors University.  The Original Report brings to light some valid questions for potential students to ask and problems to avoid.

For the record, I am considering WGU's nursing program in Texas. I am currently undecided. I specifically looked for complaints about WGU after reading its marketing materials. I learned that lesson the hard way.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14, 2012 WGU is regionally accredited.
http://chronicle.com/article/Western-Governors-U-Wins-Key/23857/

 A teacher in another city near Austin, Texas can't figure out why even with a WGU master degree a job nearer to Austin cannot be found. I know exactly why. At this time WGU has no weight in my area of the country. In my area of the country, more networking is required.  This area has tons of college graduates working below their level of education.  

The big question is:
Will the job or whatever field you want to work in for sure respect the university where you are earning your degree?  

For example Western Governors University brags on TV commercials using student dollars to fund those commercials that it is a Texas university created for Texans. WGU is a Utah based university. I believe WGU is trying to compete with the University of Phoenix by bragging that WGU is for Texans by Texans. Well-- its not. If a school markets aggressively, I become very suspicious. I learned that from UOP. Whose money are they using to buy those slots on TV? Answer: The current students' and profits from past students.  For those just learning the game: Non profits cannot operate at this level without funding. I do not know of one Free university in the USA offering regionally accredited courses free to the school and free to the students. Education is not free in the USA. There is a cost.

 To operate in Texas, WGU must accommodate Texas' requirements as do all adult education programs in Texas that charge for services rendered.

Open your eyes to see. Don't be blinded by the hype. Get all information in writing.

The Big Question:  

Will employers in your specific field in your specific area of the country look favorably upon a WGU degree? The only way to know is to ask the question to employers. Don't go by what others say, go by what you find out for your own situation and area of the country. Do not go by what WGU says-- ask the specific employer. Does the school you want to transfer to accept WGU credits that you will take?  Get it in writing. 

Everyone says to research before choosing a school but how do we know where to begin? I start with putting in the name of the school and then "problems" or "complaints." I want to know the issues I may face so I can do some "work-arounds" before committing myself. I have helped other adults locate distance learning universities using this method. There are more questions to ask as the original report implies but the big one is "Does the current or future employer respect a degree from this university?"

I appreciated the lively discussion here on Western Governors University.  The Original Report brings to light some valid questions for potential students to ask and problems to avoid.

For the record, I am considering WGU's nursing program in Texas. I am currently undecided. I specifically looked for complaints about WGU after reading its marketing materials. I learned that lesson the hard way.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14, 2012 WGU is regionally accredited.
http://chronicle.com/article/Western-Governors-U-Wins-Key/23857/

 A teacher in another city near Austin, Texas can't figure out why even with a WGU master degree a job nearer to Austin cannot be found. I know exactly why. At this time WGU has no weight in my area of the country. In my area of the country, more networking is required.  This area has tons of college graduates working below their level of education.  

The big question is:
Will the job or whatever field you want to work in for sure respect the university where you are earning your degree?  

For example Western Governors University brags on TV commercials using student dollars to fund those commercials that it is a Texas university created for Texans. WGU is a Utah based university. I believe WGU is trying to compete with the University of Phoenix by bragging that WGU is for Texans by Texans. Well-- its not. If a school markets aggressively, I become very suspicious. I learned that from UOP. Whose money are they using to buy those slots on TV? Answer: The current students' and profits from past students.  

 To operate in Texas, WGU must accommodate Texas' requirements as do all adult education programs in Texas that charge for services rendered.

Open your eyes to see. Don't be blinded by the hype. Get all information in writing.

The Big Question:  

Will employers in your specific field in your specific area of the country look favorably upon a WGU degree? The only way to know is to ask the question to employers. Don't go by what others say, go by what you find out for your own situation and area of the country. Do not go by what WGU says-- ask the specific employer. Does the school you want to transfer to accept WGU credits that you will take?  Get it in writing. 

Everyone says to research before choosing a school but how do we know where to begin? I start with putting in the name of the school and then "problems" or "complaints." I want to know the issues I may face so I can do some "work-arounds" before committing myself. I have helped other adults locate distance learning universities using this method. There are more questions to ask as the original report implies but the big one is "Does the current or future employer respect a degree from this university?"

I looked at WGU last year for a Bachelor's degree.  It did not say ANYWHERE on their website (nor does it now) that you must have transfer credits. Yet when an adviser called me, I was told just that.  I have over 15 years experience in the field I was going to school for (and another 5 years work experience in another field), yet I was told I still needed at least 30 credits to go to WGU.  The adviser then told me that said credits needed to be from Straighterline.  I have since found out that Straighterline is considered a sister school to WGU.  Straighterline does not take any kind of financial aid- you must pay cash for classes.  When I told my adviser that the WGU site didn't say anything about having to have previous college, he asked "why haven't you went to school before now"? He said I apparently wasn't serious about my education. That's a terrible thing to say to a mom of two now grown children, who worked AND raised her kids.  I think the 19 governors would be ashamed if they knew what was going on at this school.   

I can say the IT program at WGU is far more comprehensive than the comparable classes I've taken at community college.

I'd taken networking 101 at my community college before WGU, and didn't get transfer credit for the "intro to networking" through WGU because the community colleges version wasn't nearly as comprehensive.

Similarly, none of the classes at the community college required any certification, so 10 years later the fact I got a B+ in "advanced visual c++" is completely worthless now because I never took any benchmark measurements. Even an expired certification shows you at one point had the knowledge, I'm sure a reasonable potential employer would assume you could re-certify with less effort than someone who never was certified to begin with.

At WGU, all the "core" IT classes require passing an industry standard 3rd party certification (through companies unaffiliated with WGU), in order to get "credit" through the school. That includes a Microsoft Operating Systems Certification. No sane person would deny Microsoft Certifications are toucher than most college exams....

The sooner you can pass the certification the faster you can move on. You don't have to sit in a classroom with some teacher's pet asking questions every 5 minutes to hear themselves talk. I find physical classes only move as fast as the slowest idiot can grasp the concepts.

Oh well, I have 7 Comptia certifications, a Microsoft certification, and examples of games, applications, and websites I've written in my portfolio.  You only get out what you put into any education. I have 2 semesters left and it's definitely been a good value.

I researched many nursing schools in Texas before deciding on application to WGU. I can say that I have been very impressed with every step of the way. During the application process, I spoke with the same counselor one time per week. She explained everything thoroughly and required that I look at every aspect of their policies so that we could discuss them the next week. I found the process, and the counselor especially, to be fair and consistent.

This is a not-for-profit school so there was no hard sales approach. My counselor was 100% honest 100% of the time, even if the answer she gave me was disappointing. She worked on my behalf and tried her best to ensure I had the very best experience as a potential student.

Regarding financial aid, they asked for a form, I gave them the form. They asked for info, i gave them the info. I was accepted to the school of nursing and the day after the term start I received my financial aid award. I accepted the award and it was immediately dispersed. Having had some HORRIBLE experiences with schools that are better known, this was such a relief!!!

Even if I had decided to go with another school, I would still have recommended WGU to other people. They never once have lied to me or deceived me in any way.

Academic wise, I feel challenged. At other schools, I really feel as if I "bought" some of my "A"s. This is a competency based school. Who doesn't want a teacher, nurse, accountant or IT person who has been educated based upon competency???? Any monkey can be a great test taker and get A's. Not even the smartest people can demonstrate competency and mastery of a subject without some really hard work and critical thinking skills.

Online school is not for everyone...that is for certain. But it works for disciplined students who want to be challenged and judged as more than competent. I could've gone to a nursing school that gave me great grades but left me feeling less than confident about my abilities. I chose WGU so I can be a great nurse. From my due dilligence (doctors and other nurses), people should be very happy to be receiving care from nurses that are educated and trained through WGU. I imagine the same would apply to other professions.

My opinion is that some people hear what they want to hear and then complain when magical thinking doesn't come true.

WGU is an excellent choice!

To the last poster - #11 - you need to do your own research lest you look foolish.....WGU is accredited both nationally (DETC)  and regionally (Northwest Commission).  

I really do want to thank every one of you who have posted on WGU, both positively and negatively.

I am currently mobilizing to go back to school to obtain my Master's Degree and WGU has repeatedly popped up as a potential good match for me.

So, I have begun researching WGU and every other institution on my list.  I have to say that, even though I have yet to enroll at WGU, the criticisms seem fairly baseless and very individualized.

I honestly cannot find much negativity from professional organizations and academic reviews in regards to WGU.

Due to the comfortable learning environment, relative flexibility, and, of course, affordability, WGU is quite possibly at the top of my list right now.

I am seriously contemplating going to GWU for a post graduate certificate.  I thought I would do some research regarding the University.
You sound like a very bitter person. I am so sorry that you did not have the fore thought to make certain that everything was in place prior to starting. You are an adult and as an adult you must take  responsibility for your actions or lack of them.
To say that the majority of ripoffs come from Utah sounds very prejudice to me. Since most Mormans live in Utah, I have to ask "Are you referring that Mormons are dishonest? "  To me, your comment is like saying everyone for Italy is a theif, or that everyone that is not white is stupid and can't make anything of themselves. Before making a statement such as the one you made, you need to think twice about what you may be inferring.
As for GWU, everyone I know that has attended or is attending this school, has great things to say about the education, the help they have recieved and all of the people they have dealt with. I have taken on-line classes from St. Leo's University, UMUC and other big name schools. My husband, my 4 children have all college degrees and have ran into problems.  They have done the leg work and the problem has been resolved. Perhaps you need to do get off your bottom, do some leg work and quit blaming everyone for your lack of initiative to properly investigate and follow through.  

Western Governor's University is competency-based meaning that it is not about the number of classes, credit hours or class room hours. The point of the degree is to confirm that the student is competent in the various areas that make up the degree program. In this sense, a WGU degree is more along the lines of a professional certification - the person has demonstrated knowledge of the particular subject matter. As such, credit hours from other universities may or may not transfer. If a course was taken that does not directly related to the competencies for a degree, it will most likely not count. This may not seem fair, but again the educational model is not about credit hours but whether or not the student has demonstrated a proficiency in the subject matter. My undergrad degree is in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida. That particular degree program required 12 elective hours outside of the department. If WGU offered a Communication Arts degree, those 12 hours most likely wouldn't have transferred simply because they probably wouldn't have matched up with the competencies of the WGU program. How exactly do courses in Industrial Psychology, Organizational Behavior, Social Psychology and Sociology of the Family pertain to a degree in CommArts that has an emphasis in Radio, TV and Film Production? They do not. So to say that WGU is unfair or a ripoff because they didn't accept the credit hours from your prior institution is to fail to understand the model. Yes, if you had gone to another University that is based on the traditional hours most of the classes would have transferred, but most likely there would have been some that would not have been counted. The divide is more prominent with WGU because you're dealing with degrees based on two completely different educational models.

All of that being said, yes maybe only a few credit hours transferred and it might have taken you 3 years to obtain a degree from WGU, however because the degree is *competency-based* if you did in fact learn the material at the other university that would have enabled you to quickly proceed through the courses by doing the object assessments (tests) or performance assessments (papers) with very little time spent learning the material. For my MBA, I actually took the object assessment for one particular class two weeks into a term and passed it - without ever looking at any of the material. My prior real-world experience along with previous classes was a sufficient basis for me to demonstrate proficiency. In all likelihood, you too could have passed several classes with very little effort.

Yes, WGU is structured in six-month terms starting on the first of the month and with a flat fee.  Yes, this is completley different from traditional universities, but it allows the student to go at the speed and pace that best suits the student. It also allows that student to accelerate through the program since there are maximum limits on the number of courses that can be completed in a semester. If you start out with 3 and finish 3, that's exactly what you do. However, if you start out with 3 and finish 6 (which is entirely possible), you finish 6. The result in the later case being that the cost of the individual classes is reduced allowing you to get a bigger bang for the buck.

I would suggest that your unhappiness with WGU has at its root a failure to understand the educational model that it operates under. Keep in mind that the traditional model of post-secondary education has been around for at least 60 years (probably longer) whereas the competency based approach is much newer and thus not familiar to everyone.

The document at this URL does a good job at discussion CBE http://www.scribd.com/doc/19778435/Definition-of-Competency-Based-Education

Dawn,

Before I respond to your issues with WGU , I think it's only fair to fully disclose who I am. I'm currently a student in my 3rd year at WGU. I've completed the BSIT program and I'm currently working toward my MS in information security and assurance. Prior to WGU, I attended a local community college, along with several other universities during my time in the military. I've had my fair share of good and bad experiences with *every* school I've attended. Almost all of the bad experiences were attributable to complications involving financial aid and credit transferrability. 

Like most seasoned students, I quickly learned through experience that, if you want to avoid those headaches, you've got to do your own research, followup, and other leg-work to make sure that those types of issues don't happen to you. Yeah, it's a real bummer, but we're all adults here. Nobody's going to wave a magic wand or hold hands with us to the end of our educational pursuits.

Having that that, let me address a few of the issues you mentioned in your ripoff report:

Before you enrolled with WGU, you knew that you were maxed out on your student loans. Ultimately, WGU couldn't convince your lender to give you more money, and you seem to fault WGU for your situation.

Speaking from experience, this is a situation that you would have needed to resolve with your loan provider--not your school. No school in this country (online or local) can force a loan-provider to hand out more money for you. Much as they can try, it's ultimately your lender's decision. If they were able to lend more money to you for another school, then it's pretty clear that the problem wasn't you or WGU--it was your loan provider. I can say this with a bit of confidence, as I'd previously experienced an almost identical situation when I was taking classes in the military.

You seem pretty upset that WGU could not transfer your 115 credits into a wholly unrelated degree program. Your courses were from a biology major at USC, who uses completely different accreditation standards. You enrolled with WGU, so surely you realized that the program you enrolled into didn't have many equivalent classes with which your prior courses could be transferred, right? If your new program didn't have classes similar to the ones you completed elsewhere, how did you expect that they would transfer? They make it absolutely clear on their website that they can only transfer credits that are relevant to the degree program (http://www.wgu.edu/admissions/transferring_credits_faq). More importantly, you've got to realize that any legititmate school in this country is going to base their decision on similar guidelines, and they're going to have a hard time transferring credits if the courses are certified under a completely different regional accreditation. It doesn't matter if you're moving to WGU, UCF, or Harvard for that matter--that's just how it works. 

You also have some criticisms regarding WGU's "introduction" class, so let's talk about that.

The course is called EWB (Education Without Boundaries), and it's meant to make sure that you know how to actually complete your classes, set up financial aid, and so on. It's basically a school orientation that lets you know what you're getting into before you start your degree program. Sure, any smart 8th grader can complete EWB--but the whole point of the course is not to be challenging. Rather, it's meant to make sure that you understand what's going on before you start. Of course, you wouldn't know that by "cutting and pasting" your way through the course, as you made it clear that you did. You're not going to learn anything that way, and WGU's "real" courses are certainly designed in such a way that a cut-and-paste study habit is sure to fail. That's sort of the whole point of the orientation. You see, WGU's not meant for people who want to "cut and paste" and "busy work" their way through to a degree.  EWB serves two purposes--it makes you familiar with how your financial aid, your teachers, and the school in its entirety works.  Like any school, you're not going to get very far if you don't actively try to understand those things. Your poor experience with them seems to be adequite proof of that.


You were disappointed that WGU couldn't accelerate your program to a level that was faster than completing your local college degree. That's primarily because WGU is not a diploma mill. They cannot "accelerate" your path just because you have a bunch of unrelated credits from a completely different degree program. You're absolutely right in believing that your community college would be a better choice for you in your situation, but how exactly is that the fault of WGU? Why on earth would you transfer to another school if you only have a few classes left to complete at your other college? Unless the problem is a student's sincere lapse of judgement, I would hope there were a significant reason for leaving your prior school with only a few classes remaining. (Unfortunately, I, too, had to learn that the hard way when transferring from my community college in Florida to one based in Texas.)

Finally, you're upset that you didn't know that WGU works with 6-month semesters, and that they bill a flat tuition rate. To be frank, it wouldn't have taken but 5 seconds of research about WGU to discover this. Yeah, seriously. Five seconds.
Look: http://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/tuition

It's not like they're conspiring to hide this information from anyone. They make it very clear to students several times before (and after) you're allowed to enroll, and several more times before you finish the EWB orientation. For students who are serious about getting a degree, the flat tuition is acutally a huge benefit. If you're getting a degree within a field you've already got experience with, then you can knock out 20 credit hours in a semester instead of twelve without having to worry about extra tuition and fees. Unfortunately, this isn't designed well for students who decide to enroll and immediately drop out. In my opinion, however, I think there's much to be appreciated about a school who designs a schedule that caters to the former type of student, rather than the latter.

In summary, it sounds like you found yourself in a very unfortunate situation, but it sounds like a situation that could have easily been avoided with a little bit of research and forethought. I can sympathetize with you about a number of those headaches, but it sounds like your frustration with WGU really chalks up to a few poor decisions on your part--and not to something worthy of posting in a rip-off report thread. Finally, your opinion about the quality of WGU's curriculum seems worthy of questioning, especially since you dropped out before experiencing anything much beyond the orientation.

As a fellow Rip-Off Report user and advocate, I hope that my response doesn't seem too stern. As a fellow student of WGU, however, I feel that there's a very clear distinction between a faulty school and an unprepared student.

WGU is not at all a rip off or scam. Sure, it's not like traditional colleges, but they still provide a quality education. What the previous comment says is completely off base. I have read almost all of the negative comments, most are people who did not research their university before choosing to attend. This brings me to the first point that there is a lot of negativity, which is has no base. Most of the complaints I have read were from students whose credits didn't transfer. Having transfer twice before I transferred to WGU, I knew that with any transfer you cannot expect all the credits to transfer. WGU gives students the opportunity to test out of classes which they may already have the background knowledge for, with out having to do the class work. Even though many of my credits did not transfer, I still made it through my program faster than if I had only went to college because I tested out of the "easy" classes. The other complaints seem to be that the work is to easy. Well I am in my final semester and I can tell you the work does get much harder and program specific. The final complaint I have heard was difficulty with financial aid. I cannot say one way or the other because I worked all through college and payed for everything myself with $0 debt.

    What the other comment says about not having credit hours is not entirely true. They use credit units, which many well known colleges have used. Michigan Tech used the credit unit system for many years before going to credit hours. For those of you who do not know the difference 1 credit unit equals about 2/3 a credit hour. 

The next point I'd like to make is that the previous comment claims that WGU does not require English or Math classes. They do, just like any other college. I tested out of some and had some transfer, but I still had to take 2 math classes and 3 english classes. 

The final point I'd like to make is that, when I entered my school district the head of the human resources department asked me what college I was attending. When I said WGU, he said great, it's a great school and they are easy to work with. Since I now live on an island with only this school district, it's great to hear that the person who will be reviewing my application for a teaching position likes my college.

I am a current student, and I agree that Chris has gotten it wrong. Please see my rebuttal to find links to articles written by reputable news outlets. Also, you may read my remarks as a student who attends and not merely a bystander making assumptions.

I am a current student at Western Governors University. I have attended WGU for the past year and have been completely satisfied with the education. The original poster seems to be very bitter in her oppositions to the school.  Some folks have suggested that WGU is a scam which is completely and utterly false. 

All of you whinners and nay sayers live off of each others negativity.  It's really sad and pathetic that adults, grown Men and Women whine and complain about things they no absolutley nothing about. Go the the SOURCE to get your answers and ask the hard questions. 

EVERY school has issues, including Financial Aid, transfer credits and so on. You should never ever expect ANY college to transfer 100% of your transcripts. You have the right to wait to see your transcript evaluation including at WGU. You get the opportunity to see the evaluation before committing to school.  Use your brain!! Think before you act!

For financial aid...come on. get serious. No matter what, EVERY school has tuition and it is YOU who pays for it. So don't you think you have a say?? No one can twist your arm to start. again use your brain!  WGU is a FAFSA school. They have to by law and policy adhere to the SAME rules and regulations as any title IV funding school.

WGU's TERMS start when YOU want to start. They make it easy for us come on people! Every month is a new term. It is YOUR term which are 6 months. Who cares about traditional colleges of semester or quarter starts or waiting for a "break" in between. Lazy people.  Oh and by the way WGU is fully accredited both nationally and regionally.  Just like Harvard, USC, Stanford and everyone other college that is not a  tech school or similar. 

Do your research, think before you act. Be Adults and make it YOUR decsion. For me, It's the BEST choice of many I could have had.  WGU is not for profit, it works for me and it's affordable.  By the way WGU has way more accreditaions than you might think! look it up if you don't beleive.

Please do your research before you blast a college.  You claim WGU is only nationally accredited like a mechanic or air conditioning school.  WGU is regionally accredited.  Website for reference http://www.nwccu.org/

Don't be mad because you spent thousands of dollars on a B&M school and realized you to could have a "regionally accredited" degree for a third of the price.

Do you know what the art major says to a business major?  Would you like frys with that?

TO: Chris9317 and Other that don't read the LARGE print,

Please don't type when you're angry and then post it here as an argument to a fairly biased comment from another poster.  The school is legit and is Regionally Accredited (do your research).  Some students are just "looser students", no matter where they go they b***h about everything, however, some are good students and go out to help others. It's all the same, on-line or in a building personal life dynamics are what they are. The good, bad and ugly cover all bases of society... same with the hybrid schools, like City University (and others); they have good and honorable students and they have those that are difficult at best.

I don't think you and the original poster are looser students, however you should both study the facts more clearly and under different attitudes. You attitude determines your desired outcome!

I was a student at WGU and dropped out for this year to relocate and regroup. I knew what to EXPECT, I read the clearly written docs over and over before and after I signed on with them.

BTW... I am school HATER, hard core school hater and have been for over 40 years, actually almost 50 years now and have hated school ever since Kindergarten! Nothing about it impresses me at all, nothing.. NADA!  I have learned everything on my own and have at times done very well for myself.  The only reason I'm going back to school now that I'm turning gray is to get my little piece of paper to get a government contract that says "you must have a BS degree", nothing less and no alternative.

I make $60.00 - to $120 an hour as a self taught IT Project manager and have finally hit the wall. My life long synopsis is this: You MUST have a quality education nowadays and a quality degree or you will most likely fail badly in life or whatever venture you seek.

FACT- I can't get what I want with a H.S. diploma, 30 years experience (including current experience) and 15 certs. Therefore I must get what the industry requires for me to be competitive in any venture I seek to undertake.

FACT- If I could find a way to blast these folks I would be the first.  However, they post openly so you can do your own unbiased, no pressure research before and after you decide to sign-on, so... this is no place to b***h because you all don't read the "small print" that's clearly written and in plain sight.

Joe, KM

From the U.S. Department of Education's website:

"The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. The U.S. Secretary of Education also recognizes State agencies for the approval of public postsecondary vocational education and nurse education.

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency. 

For more information on accreditation in the United States, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs is compiled entirely from publicly available information reported to the U.S. Department of Education by recognized accrediting agencies and state approval agencies that have been asked to provide information for each institution and/or program accredited by that agency. This reported information is not audited. The database is updated to reflect additional information as it is received from recognized accrediting agencies and state approval agencies but the Department makes no guarantee that the database will be updated immediately upon receipt of such information. The U.S. Department of Education cannot, therefore, guarantee that the information contained in the database is accurate, current, or complete." 



The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs:
Search for: Western Governors University

Institution: 
Western Governors University

General Information:
4001 South 700 East, Suite 700
Salt Lake City, UT  84107
Phone: 801-274-3280 / 336

Institutional Accreditation

Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission 
Accredited
06/02/2001

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Accredited
02/13/2003

Specialized Accreditation

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education:

Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
Accredited
04/25/2009

Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
Accredited
04/25/2009



From Distance and Education Training Council's Website:

Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission 
Active 
1959/2006/Fall 2011 

Scope of recognition: the accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the United States that offer degree programs primarily by the distance education method up to and including the professional doctoral degree, and are specifically certified by the agency as accredited for Title IV purposes; and for the accreditation of postsecondary institutions in the United States not participating in Title IV that offer programs primarily by the distance education method up through the professional doctoral degrees. Title IV Note: Only accredited institutions that are certified by the agency as accredited for Title IV purposes may use accreditation by this agency to establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.

Lala:

Seems to be sketchy info around WGU accreditation. Let's at least get the facts on this topic.

WGU Claims:
http://www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/accreditation

Copy and Paste from Link:
"Nationally and Regionally Accredited
Western Governors University is nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU is also regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, one of the major accrediting commissions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Regional accreditation is considered the highest form of accreditation given to institutions. The Northwest Commission is also responsible for the accreditation of other major institutions such as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, University of Utah, University of Idaho, and Brigham Young University, to name just a few."


Is not the DETC national accredtitation?

Just wanted to say that WGU is NOT a nationaly but Regionally accredited...do your homework before making remarks that you cant back up!

Western Governors University (UT) College State: Utah College Website URL: http://www.wgu.edu

Distance Learning Accreditation Status This online college IS ACCREDITED by an agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation or the US Department of Education. This college has: REGIONAL ACCREDITATION (the highest form of college accreditation in the USA). What does REGIONAL ACCREDITATION mean? When employers ask if you have an "accredited" online degree they commonly mean a "regionally accredited" degree. Regionally accredited college degrees enjoy wide acceptance for employment purposes and for transfer credit purposes nationwide in the USA. Most state colleges and name brand universities, such as Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan State University are REGIONALLY ACCREDITED. The majority of distance learning schools are regionally accredited.

http://www.geteducated.com/diploma-mill-police/degree-mills-list/western-governors-university-accreditation

As a full-time working adult, I was seeking an online college that would be both affordable and sensitive to the challenges of a non-traditional student's work/life balance.  Western Governors University (WGU) fit the bill! The fact that the tuition is one flat rate per 6 month period makes attending very affordable.   

The fact that the number of classes that can be taken in any given 6 month period are determined solely  by the student's work ethic, provides an incentive to working through each class at a steady, and efficient pace. Another positive attribute of WGU is that their staff is VERY knowledgeable about the cirriculum as well as all aspects of financial aid policies. 

I am currently attending WGU as a returning student enrolled in the B.S. Accounting program.  I began my education at WGU in 2008 but had to withdraw from the school due to work commitments and family medical issues.  I received federal loans to help with the cost of my education so, upon withdrawal I was informed by the university that my award would be adjusted and that there was a possiblity that money may be owed back to the school.  This is standard practice for ANY college or university.

It is the student's responsibility to educate themselves on the rules of using and paying federal education loans - which is spelled out completely on the FAFSA website. It is unfair for the writer of the original complaint to blame the school for her ignorance.  It is also unfair to describe the introductory class (EWB) as "busy work." 

EWB (Education Without Boundaries) is a very informative class designed to fully explain how the online program works, provide specific links and instructions on how to use the school's online resources, and outline what is expected of each student in completing assignments.

I too attended college prior to WGU and ALL of my credits transferred over.  I'm a little confused as to why any intelligent adult would pay ANY tuition costs prior to determining which of their classes would transfer. 

WGU is a regionally accredited school where competence - not credit hours - determines whether or not a student has sufficiently mastered any particular subject matter.  You can always have your transcript reevaluated if there are questions concerning trasferable credits.  Furthermore, WGU offers adult students the option of "testing out" of several classes. If Dawn felt she knew the subject matter why didn't she simply  take advantage of this option?

Obviously I do not agree with the complaintants overall assessment that WGU is a "diploma mill that makes you homeschool yourself and then gives you a piece of paper." The classes are both challenging and informative and the mentors and graders are advanced-degreed professionals. WGU is the a fine example of an online degree  program that works. 

I felt inclined to write this rebuttal because I don't want potential students to be turned off by the writer's unfair assessment due to her lack of understanding or failure to take advantage of all that the school has to offer.

As you can see from all the rebuttals, WGU is a well respected and outstanding undergraduate and graduate institution. I am sorry that Dawn had such a poor experience. I respect all the extra challenges she faces with relocation and parenting. However, I believe that WGU is truly a national treasure and doing it right for the right reasons. We are lucky to have such a wonderful alternative to brick and mortar institutions and high priced online true rip-offs like UoP. My wife recently moved on from UoP after two years of teeth gnashing with them. She has been with WGU now for a few months and is very pleased with the whole experience. She is a seasoned online undergraduate student and I trust her opinion. I  will start my BSIT program in a couple days and I too am very pleased with the high quality of service of every aspect of the process so far. WGU has been around for 12 years, they are non-profit and provide a priceless service (at a fair price) for their students NOT profits for stock holders. We should all consider ourselves very fortunate to have this unique higher education alternative. It's rare to see something like this done so right for the right reasons in a world where our leaders, organizations and institutions are failing to justly serve their communities on a daily basis.

First off, I just want to say I HAVE gone to a "for-profit" college for about a month and it was horrid. They fit into Chris's claims. But this college is not in any waya for-profit college. They are non profit. All of Chris's claims are absurdly incorrect so do not take their words to heart before doing your own research. And getting "laughed" at with a degree from WGU? My sister just got a permanent teaching position, straight out of college, at a school district ranked #3 in the state and graduated in full from WGU. And yeah, there's complaints about WGU in a Google search but there's complaints about ALL colleges EVERYWHERE in a Google search. Heck even my local comm. college has complaints on the internet about their online program and campus program being a "scam" and a "rip-off" and they're partnered with state universities and it's not at all true. Just because a few people have had supposed bad experiences doesn't mean anything at all about the reputation of the school. Second to the OP; if you started at USC, you should have contacted them to see how they advised transferring into another school and then talked to schools they recommended. Most if not all colleges know how their credits transfer elsewhere. Don't blame WGU for lack of research. My guess is you waited until the last second to get re-enrolled in college and your student loans starting showing up with due dates. To anyone reading this supposed "rip off report"...do your own research.

I am a WGU student who just recently started classes with them, and I must respectfully disagree with Dawn. After two years as a student (and as an adminstrative student worker) with my other local community college, I felt that it might be worth mentioning that most of the situations described by Dawn can fairly easily be avoided, as many of these circumstances are a common series of issues that a student might inevitably face with many post-secondary institutions--online or not.

1) When dealing with student loans, you might be required to do a little foot-work to get the lender on the same page with the institution. From personal experience, I had at least two different instances where my local community college wasn't speaking the same language as student loan's bank. In situations like that, the best way to resolve the uncertainty is to have the school give you a memo or something official & in writing, then take that to your lender (face-to-face with someone, if possible). Then, when speaking with the lender, insist that you spend some of their time by calling your school from their office (or even from your cell phone). In most cases, this will fix the miscommunication issue on the spot.

2) Regarding this reporter's complaint about WGU's credit transferability to another institution, this sounds like an extremely unfortunate problem that I hope I'll never face. But in all fairness, WGU has just about hammered the credit transfer issue into every student's head during the enrollment and orientation processes. Additionally,  Dawn would have likely experienced the same credit-transfer problems when transferring to most out-of-state schools with differing local & regional accreditation. This is not a fault with WGU; it is a fault with the complex, heavily fragmented accreditation systems that all legitimate schools must conform to. Proper planning can help all students (not just WGU students) avoid this type of problem. By looking up your school's accreditation and comparing it with other schools you might later attend, you'll get a much better idea at how likely your credits will (or won't) transfer.

I thought it would be also be worth pointing out that WGU discloses their billing cycle *before* you start your classes--not simply when there is a billing issue, as Dawn alluded. It's thoroughly explained during the orientations, as well as in several of the documents and booklets that they send to you. This information includes their tuition rate per academic unit (which is only used when a student does not complete a full-time term). For this circumstance, prospective WGU students can avoid this pitfall by taking 5-10 minutes to read the booklets they send to you. They're not all fluff with pretty pictures after all! =)

Regarding Dawn's final comment, that WGU comes off as a "diploma mill that makes you homeschool yourself," once again, this is something that WGU puts out there before you start classes--you even have to take a short, silly interview that quizes your understanding of their learning structure, which is this: You must be a self motivated learner. They give you the texts, the assignments, and the mentors to assist, but you are responsible for reading your book, connecting the dots, doing your work, or planning your financial aid. No one will hold your hand for you (although the counselors will call you every other week to check in on you, and the department staff is very helpful when you have questions).

WGU is a very different school. But a school doesn't get Title IV (FAFSA/Pell) status by being a diploma mill. In summary, WGU might not be for everybody (as Dawn would agree), but if you are serious enough about your education to do your own research, then you've probably got the self-motivation that's required to attend WGU without these types of unfortunate problems.

1) Pretty much the only time credits will transfer as-is is between schools in a State University System. Most, if not all, have agreements to accept work at their sister schools. Most professionals in higher education would agree that the onus rests on the student to confirm in advance how the gaining institution will handle any transferred credits. Furthermore, this can be done in plenty of time before classes begin.

2) WGU is a 'competency' based institution. In other words, its about whether or not the student demonstrates competency in the particular area of study. In this regard, it can be compared to professional organizations that require certification such a the Bar Exam or a state's certification exam for Physicians before issuing them a license. Traditional eduction is very heavy on the 'theoretical' aspect of the subject and is geared toward developing analytical skills as opposed to subject matter knowledge. A course focusing on the ramifications of key developments in science doesn't necessary assist a person in being able to conduct a scientific experiment. Furthermore, what is the likelihood that the discovery of penicillin will come up in everyday conversation? There is a GREAT deal of information that is disseminated during the course of a degree that will never be used in the real world. In terms of facts and figures, if the information IS needed, its a matter of looking it up. For example, a pharmacist can't possibly remember all of various interactions between different CLASSES of drugs. Nor will a physician remember the numerous diseases out there. The CONSTANTLY utilize reference material. WGU's approach is to focus on the SKILL component of education.

3) Lifelong learning is about learning on your own. There have been countless subjects that I've had to research on my own in order to understand the underlying issues. (I've been out of school since '91). Furthermore, in the real world you are on your own when something develops at work. What if you're a CPA and need to understand the ramifications of Sarbines-Oxley for mid-sized publicly traded companies? Or what if you're a CPA interested in introducing the measures provided in SOX to privately held companies? In either case, the information isn't going to be just handed to you on a platter. You're going to have research it and form your own informed opinion.

4) The terms can start once a month because its not about group learning. Its you and yourself only. In that regard WGU is in line with professional certification courses such as CPA exams, A+ and the various Microsoft certifications that are out there.

1) Pretty much the only time credits will transfer as-is is between schools in a State University System. Most, if not all, have agreements to accept work at their sister schools. Most professionals in higher education would agree that the onus rests on the student to confirm in advance how the gaining institution will handle any transferred credits. Furthermore, this can be done in plenty of time before classes begin.

2) WGU is a 'competency' based institution. In other words, its about whether or not the student demonstrates competency in the particular area of study. In this regard, it can be compared to professional organizations that require certification such a the Bar Exam or a state's certification exam for Physicians before issuing them a license. Traditional eduction is very heavy on the 'theoretical' aspect of the subject and is geared toward developing analytical skills as opposed to subject matter knowledge. A course focusing on the ramifications of key developments in science doesn't necessary assist a person in being able to conduct a scientific experiment. Furthermore, what is the likelihood that the discovery of penicillin will come up in everyday conversation? There is a GREAT deal of information that is disseminated during the course of a degree that will never be used in the real world. In terms of facts and figures, if the information IS needed, its a matter of looking it up. For example, a pharmacist can't possibly remember all of various interactions between different CLASSES of drugs. Nor will a physician remember the numerous diseases out there. The CONSTANTLY utilize reference material. WGU's approach is to focus on the SKILL component of education.

I'm writing this to refute other posters here who are completely wrong on their facts.

Chris9317 is completely wrong about nearly everything he posted. For example he wrote,

"What kind of serious school starts classes at the beginning of every month? Use some common sense here. Second, this isn't the only response or complaint on this school. Do a search and you will find dozens and dozens, which is pretty bad for a school that has only been nationally accr for a few years. Yes, nationally accr, similiar to those of career colleges and trade schools. you want to repair air conditioners, you go to a nat accr school because its cheaper and they don't make you do the foundation courses, like algebra or english."


He makes wild unsupported claims here. WGU is Nationally accredited. WGU is also regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The same accrediting body that recognizes all the other northwestern state universities. Everything he said in this last paragraph is completly inaccurate. Feel free to research WGU accreditation status yourself, simply go to http://www.chea.org/ and then look for WGU.

He then goes on to say

"Look at you major schools. USC, UCLA, Florida State, Pitt, Penn State, these are all regionally accr schools. "

Which if you do the research, so is WGU. Afterwords he makes this claim.

"These 'online schools' are all the same. They are nothing but high pressured sales where admission reps are nothing more than a bunch of people in a call center hoping to talk you into why their crappy school is better than another crappy school. They will call and call and call until you finally answer the phone, act all buddy buddy with you, to sweet talk you into something. Its a numbers game. Their salary is based of how many people enroll. Let me explain, they won't get a bonus for enrolling you, that's illegal. If your institution receives Title VI funding or Financial Aid, you can't give out bonues. So what they do is put you on a 'matrix' that says based on the number of students that started classes and how well/poorly you did your job, here is your new salary. Oh yeah, and you can have two salary increases per year. UoPO got fined roughly $10 million for the same thing."

He makes lots of assumptions here, and attempts to back up his assumptions by pointing out that one school was fined by the Department of Education. I am not a student or an employee of WGU. However I recently have called the Enrollment department to ask several questions. Throughout four different calls I have never been asked for any personal information, or hassled in any way to enroll in the university.

In fact having been both an employee and a student of the University of phoenix, what he describes in thsi paragraph is the standard operating procedures for UoP. It seems that he must have attended or worked there and now is allowing his emotions to cloud his objectivism towards other online universities.

Chris9317 wants you to believe that because the university of phoenix uses deceptive and unethical business practices that all universities must. However, if that were true wouldn't the Department of education have fined all of them by now? He then goes on to make this accurate but misleading statement

"In addition, look at your transcripts from this school. You won't have credits. PERIOD. So, for a teaching job, you will need to supply your transcripts to your employer. When they see you have ZERO credits, you wil be laughed at and blown all that money. If you work with a school that doesn't work off a credit system, IT IS A SCAM. Every school in the country works off of credits. You should get 3 or 4 credits per class. If not, it's like it never happened.

Don't go to this school. Haven;t you noticed that most scam companies come from Utah. I have additional information on them as well. Please let me know if you have any questions."

The format of WGU is not a traditional 3 credit per class format. None here are arguing that. However, It's very disengenious to claim that it will count for nothing. Many university will accept the coursework from here as part of a transfer, but it will be accept as Pass/Fail. Texas a&m for example will accept any courses completed at WGU as being passed in the 80th percentile.

There are many schools that don't utilize the traditional credit system, chris merely shows his ignorance by claiming otherwise. If you look a little further into his claims that teachers will get blown off you'll find that he is completely wrong. In fact WGU is Highly regarded as the best online teaching degree program.

I'm sure he will post back here screaming and making his unsubstantiated points again. Don't be fooled, do your own research, he is wrong.

I'm writing this to refute other posters here who are completely wrong on their facts.

Chris9317 is completely wrong about nearly everything he posted. For example he wrote,

"What kind of serious school starts classes at the beginning of every month? Use some common sense here. Second, this isn't the only response or complaint on this school. Do a search and you will find dozens and dozens, which is pretty bad for a school that has only been nationally accr for a few years. Yes, nationally accr, similiar to those of career colleges and trade schools. you want to repair air conditioners, you go to a nat accr school because its cheaper and they don't make you do the foundation courses, like algebra or english."


He makes wild unsupported claims here. WGU is Nationally accredited. WGU is also regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The same accrediting body that recognizes all the other northwestern state universities. Everything he said in this last paragraph is completly inaccurate. Feel free to research WGU accreditation status yourself, simply go to http://www.chea.org/ and then look for WGU.

He then goes on to say

"Look at you major schools. USC, UCLA, Florida State, Pitt, Penn State, these are all regionally accr schools. "

Which if you do the research, so is WGU. Afterwords he makes this claim.

"These 'online schools' are all the same. They are nothing but high pressured sales where admission reps are nothing more than a bunch of people in a call center hoping to talk you into why their crappy school is better than another crappy school. They will call and call and call until you finally answer the phone, act all buddy buddy with you, to sweet talk you into something. Its a numbers game. Their salary is based of how many people enroll. Let me explain, they won't get a bonus for enrolling you, that's illegal. If your institution receives Title VI funding or Financial Aid, you can't give out bonues. So what they do is put you on a 'matrix' that says based on the number of students that started classes and how well/poorly you did your job, here is your new salary. Oh yeah, and you can have two salary increases per year. UoPO got fined roughly $10 million for the same thing."

He makes lots of assumptions here, and attempts to back up his assumptions by pointing out that one school was fined by the Department of Education. I am not a student or an employee of WGU. However I recently have called the Enrollment department to ask several questions. Throughout four different calls I have never been asked for any personal information, or hassled in any way to enroll in the university.

In fact having been both an employee and a student of the University of phoenix, what he describes in thsi paragraph is the standard operating procedures for UoP. It seems that he must have attended or worked there and now is allowing his emotions to cloud his objectivism towards other online universities.

Chris9317 wants you to believe that because the university of phoenix uses deceptive and unethical business practices that all universities must. However, if that were true wouldn't the Department of education have fined all of them by now? He then goes on to make this accurate but misleading statement

"In addition, look at your transcripts from this school. You won't have credits. PERIOD. So, for a teaching job, you will need to supply your transcripts to your employer. When they see you have ZERO credits, you wil be laughed at and blown all that money. If you work with a school that doesn't work off a credit system, IT IS A SCAM. Every school in the country works off of credits. You should get 3 or 4 credits per class. If not, it's like it never happened.

Don't go to this school. Haven;t you noticed that most scam companies come from Utah. I have additional information on them as well. Please let me know if you have any questions."

The format of WGU is not a traditional 3 credit per class format. None here are arguing that. However, It's very disengenious to claim that it will count for nothing. Many university will accept the coursework from here as part of a transfer, but it will be accept as Pass/Fail. Texas a&m for example will accept any courses completed at WGU as being passed in the 80th percentile.

There are many schools that don't utilize the traditional credit system, chris merely shows his ignorance by claiming otherwise. If you look a little further into his claims that teachers will get blown off you'll find that he is completely wrong. In fact WGU is Highly regarded as the best online teaching degree program.

I'm sure he will post back here screaming and making his unsubstantiated points again. Don't be fooled, do your own research, he is wrong.

What kind of serious school starts classes at the beginning of every month? Use some common sense here. Second, this isn't the only response or complaint on this school. Do a search and you will find dozens and dozens, which is pretty bad for a school that has only been nationally accr for a few years. Yes, nationally accr, similiar to those of career colleges and trade schools. you want to repair air conditioners, you go to a nat accr school because its cheaper and they don't make you do the foundation courses, like algebra or english.

Look at you major schools. USC, UCLA, Florida State, Pitt, Penn State, these are all regionally accr schools.

These "online schools" are all the same. They are nothing but high pressured sales where admission reps are nothing more than a bunch of people in a call center hoping to talk you into why their crappy school is better than another crappy school. They will call and call and call until you finally answer the phone, act all buddy buddy with you, to sweet talk you into something. Its a numbers game. Their salary is based of how many people enroll. Let me explain, they won't get a bonus for enrolling you, that's illegal. If your institution receives Title VI funding or Financial Aid, you can't give out bonues. So what they do is put you on a "matrix" that says based on the number of students that started classes and how well/poorly you did your job, here is your new salary. Oh yeah, and you can have two salary increases per year. UoPO got fined roughly $10 million for the same thing.

In addition, look at your transcripts from this school. You won't have credits. PERIOD. So, for a teaching job, you will need to supply your transcripts to your employer. When they see you have ZERO credits, you wil be laughed at and blown all that money. If you work with a school that doesn't work off a credit system, IT IS A SCAM. Every school in the country works off of credits. You should get 3 or 4 credits per class. If not, it's like it never happened.

Don't go to this school. Haven;t you noticed that most scam companies come from Utah. I have additional information on them as well. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I want to respond to the previous poster about Western Governor University. First, I am sorry that you had to relocate in your senior year of Biology, but, I do think it is unfair of you to come to this website and blast the school because you did not do your research before enrolling into the school. I don't care if it is an online or brick and mortar school a person should always do their research and ask questions before committing to anything.
Having said that, I am a student at Western Governor's University and so far I am very pleased with the education I am getting. I went to their website and read all of the information beforehand so I knew the semesters were 6 months in length. I knew that I had the option of completing just the minimum required coursed to receive financial aid or I could work more aggressively to complete more courses and my tuition would still be the same regardless(I think it is a benefit and bonus.)
I was also concerned about how many credits would transfer from my previous school. I was given the option to transfer without the credits so I could start on my agreed upon date, or I could wait until my transcripts was evaluated and start the following month. By the way new enrollments start the first of each month at WGU.
For these reasons I have to disagree with your complaints. You could have simply told your enrollment counselor that you would wait until your transcripts was evaluated before starting at WGU. It is common knowledge and on their website how the semesters are divided up. The only complaint you really may and should have is with financial aid. I have had issues with them too but I also had problems with financial aid at a local brick and mortar school.
WGU is highly accreditated and affordable. It is highly recommended by the Department of Education, National Teachers Association, and founded by 19 western Governor's. Please work out the details of your financial aid dilemma privately with the school and stop posting negative and misleading information about the school. It deters others who are seeking affordable education who otherwise may not be able to do so at a local brick and mortar school.
I truly hope that you succeed in getting your financial aid issue rectified and that you are able to graduate soon. Best of luck to you!

Care to join forces to make them pay attention? I could use some advice. Maybe band together for a lawsuit if need be?