by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at WGU? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 75% students making it past their freshmen year, WGU has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Utah, the average is 75.47%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WGU | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Utah | 75.47% |
How many of the estimated 7,415 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 13% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 51% of the students had graduated and after eight years 54% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of WGU is 51%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at WGU? The standard length of time for most students is 5.10 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6,075 | 42% |
| Six Years | 7,415 | 51% |
| Eight Years | 465 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 6,756 | 46% |
Approximately 6756 students or 46% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 6756 students who did not complete their degree?
5 are still enrolled.
5896 transferred to another institution.
WGU lost contact with the remaining 250 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 0.1% |
| Transferred | 5896 | 87.3% |
| Dropped Out | 250 | 3.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 75% |
| Asian | 41% |
| Black / African-American | 26% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 36% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 30% |
| Unknown | 59% |
| White | 51% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at WGU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Western Governors University represent 1% of the students in the class of 2015, and 0.43% of WGU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time students in the WGU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WGU graduation rate was 24%, and by the eight year mark, 29% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | WGU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 24% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
97 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
86 transferred to another institution.
WGU lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 5.15% |
| Transferred | 86 | 88.66% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 7.22% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on WGU first-time, part-time students.
14500 WGU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 99.07% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 51%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 54%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | WGU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 51% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 54% | 55.07% |
6659 non first-time / part-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
606 are still enrolled.
5810 transferred to another institution.
WGU lost contact with the remaining 243 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 606 | 9.10% |
| Transferred | 5810 | 87.25% |
| Dropped Out | 243 | 3.65% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on WGU returning, part-time students.
