Featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams in their "What Works" segment, WGU is the recipient of the USDLA 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning for 2011, awarded in recognition of their success in expanding access to higher education.

Online degrees based on your skills and knowledge

At Western Governors University-a private, nonprofit, online university—your competence is the ultimate focus of every degree program. By emphasizing mastery of essential skills and knowledge as opposed to accumulating credit hours or seat time, WGU's innovative approach to online learning rewards focused, hard-working adult learners. Progress toward your degree is based on passing rigorous assessments (such as tests, projects, assignments, etc.) which measure your skills and knowledge in your field of study. We call it competency-based learning.

WGU offers over 50 degree programs in teacher education, business, information technology, and healthcare (including nursing). These programs are best suited for individuals with at least one year of college experience.

Note: In Indiana, Texas, and Washington, through partnerships with these states, WGU operates as WGU Indiana, WGU Texas, and WGU Washington respectively. Students who live in these states will receive information from and ultimately enroll in these state universities.

WGU's rigorous yet flexible learning model gives the university a unique advantage over other online programs. Here's what the WGU advantage means to you:

• Flexibility and Affordability. Our competency-based approach to learning allows for extensive personalization of your degree program. With assessments determining your success instead of credit hours or seat time, you'll enjoy an education that can fit into your schedule. In most cases, you will access course material or study independently at the time and place you choose. Also, if you come into your program with years of knowledge and experience, you may be able to complete your assessments faster. Since you pay for tuition at a flat rate per six-month term, you're paying for the time you need to complete your assessments. The faster you finish your assessments, the more money you can save.
• Credibility through Accreditation. WGU is regionally and nationally accredited. The Teachers College at WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission for the Accreditation of Teacher Accreditation (NCATE)—the first exclusively online teacher education institution to achieve this distinction. WGU's nursing programs are also accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington DC 20036, 202-867-6791).
• Commitment and Support. As a WGU student, you'll have the support of a team of mentors committed to your success. You will work with a dedicated student mentor as well as course mentors who will support you every step of the way through your degree program. You'll also interact with an online learning community of students in your same program, so you're never alone.

If you're an organized, independent learner willing to devote at least 20 hours a week to your studies, but require flexibility in time and place to complete your education, WGU could be the smart choice. As a nonprofit institution, WGU does not rely on state or federal funding and is not subject to review from funding agencies.

Western Governors University is the only university to have received simultaneous accreditation by four regional accrediting commissions. Currently, WGU's "home" accrediting commission is the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the same organization that accredits such leading institutions as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and other public and private colleges. WGU is also nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU is the first online university to receive NCATE accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). WGU's Health Informatics program is now accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). WGU's Nursing programs are CCNE accredited.