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Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Western Governors University

Students comparing Western Governors University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Salt Lake City, Utah155,088 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Private nonprofitResearch universityForbes ranked

The short answer

Western Governors University: Forbes ranks it #446 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #13 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #842 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 155,088 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 46.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $8,658; aid recipients pay $12,548 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,615.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
Not reportedNot reported by Western Governors University in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Average net price
$12,548

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$60,615

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
46.2%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$11,116

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedWestern Governors University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Western Governors ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#446of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#13of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#842of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Western Governors's position moves 88 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Western Governors

Western Governors University is a private nonprofit institution in Salt Lake City, Utah. Federal data show 64.6% first-year retention and a 42:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,548 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare not reported sticker cost against $12,548 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Western Governors University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$8,658

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
39.4%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
Not reportedNot reported by Western Governors University in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly Not reported a year.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Western Governors's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    42:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    64.6%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    155,088

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Western Governors: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $8,658 and on-campus room and board is not reported, for a published total of not reported before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,548.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is not reported. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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