Western Governors University Reviews of Bachelor's in Business Administration

"I’m 25% done earning my bachelors degree in Business Management and I’m happy with the school so far. You have to remember that this is an online school with an independent learning model, meaning you basically teach yourself. They give you all the resources you need to be successful but it is 100% your responsibility to use them effectively. I have weekly phone calls with my academic advisor who helps keep me on track and lets me know how I’m doing. It is true that trying to get an appointment with your instructor can be difficult and it may not be right away. The other thing that is a little, different let’s say, is the proctored exams. They are online with a company that is based out of India, so the proctors can be difficult to understand, I’ve actually had proctors fall asleep during my exam and sometimes they don’t “show up” so you have to take extra steps to get your test done. Overall I’m happy with my experience so far and I’m actually thinking of going on to get my masters from this school."

"First off, I would like to start by saying that many reviews contain false or dramatized information created by students who could not handle the independent, flexible type of education WGU offers. Most of these people should have considered their own schedule, intelligence, and desires before seeking out an online, flexible university. Secondly, I would like to say that I highly recommend WGU to anyone who is looking to advance their education and is willing to put the time and effort into doing so. I found the flexible nature of WGU’s curriculum to be a breath of fresh air. I learned a great deal and appreciated the ability to go at my own pace. I highly enjoyed my time at WGU, and had a great relationship with my mentor. I will be returning for my MBA and will continue to tout the graces of WGU everywhere I go!"

"I am currently enrolled in WGU in my 2nd term. I am a working professional as a Manager in Healthcare. I have not had a good experience with this school, and I would never recommend it. The classes have simply too much information. There are modules within units, and lessons within modules. It is impossible to learn all the information grossly overdone in each unit. The assessments often do not align with the main points and periodic quizzes. I now feel like I am suck because the pass/ fail grading system does not make credits easy to transfer. I'm sure that's part of the "system" to keep students enrolled once they realize what they have gotten themselves into. Going back to school was supposed to be exciting and inspiring. I'm not afraid of hard work, but these classes and this school simply set you up for failure and discouragement. You are forced to check in with a "mentor" your first year which simply adds to the anxiety. All I feel is pressure to learn as much as possible and take assessments as fast as possible. This leads a person to not retain any of the information. The classes need to be completed reorganized. Half of the filler garbage needs to be removed and about a third of the actual pertinent information should remain. I would actually like to be able to learn something. Unfortunately, the was an expensive mistake for me and I am extraordinarily disappointed with almost every single course that I have taken."

"I began WGU in 2017 after withdrawing from a nursing program at a university in IL. I felt stuck at that point in my life and knew that I needed to go back to school in order to make a living/comfortable wages in the competitive Seattle metro area. I originally began with Business Healthcare Admin, after completing quite a few courses, I wanted to broaden my scope and settled on Business Management. The transition was smooth, my course mentor was able to instruct me with the steps that I needed to take in order to change my degree path. Once in the program, I had to take a few additional courses that were relative to the business management degree, which added about 6 courses in total onto the end of my degree plan. During my time at WGU, financial aid covered a majority of my tuition and it was much more affordable than other 4 year degree programs I could have attended. I chose WGU because I liked the fact that it was all online and I could work at my own pace and attend the online cohorts (lectures) as needed. I never had an issue scheduling an appointment to meet with a course instructor; whether it was 8 am, 12:30 pm, or even 8 pm, they were always extremely helpful, provided supplemental material and helped me focus on my weaknesses to prepare for my test. At one point, I informed my mentor of my "burnout" as I was getting close to the end of my semester and he, as well as my school instructors, consistently reached out to me to make sure that I was staying motivated and getting my class done. I 10/10 recommend this university. I am 3 classes away from graduation and am so thankful for the opportunities that WGU has provided towards my career."

"Modern approach to education that is truly flexible in design and relevant to today's working world. This is what I expect college should be, or will become over the next 20 years. Flexible, independent learning based and rigorous. Maybe less people would coast through a degree if all colleges were setup this way."

"Learn the history of this non-profit university founded by state governors. The WGU Business degrees are both regionally and ACBSP accredited, the course of study is rigorous, and the core exams that comprise the degree can be more difficult than at a traditional college. The mentors are helpful, and most of the course instructors are only an email or call away. Of course there are a few who should not be there, but you can say that about any school. In my opinion, most of the people who complain about this school are unable to cut it and post out of frustration."

"It is really easy to be admitted to WGU. However, the financial aid department is ridiculous. They waste youre time and ask for paperwork other schools dont. They have no idea what the actual FASA requirements are, thus they make their rules more strict to counter their ignorance. Seems like most financial aid advisors dont have a clue! Moreover, it seems they seek to deny or delay financial aid for no apparent reason. This was my experience as well as my wifes. When my wife complained about this in writing, financial aid responded by dropping her financial aid application the following day! My advice is to not waste a semester trying to get financial aid when any other reputable university will happily assist you. After all, its youre money and your purchasing a service. WGU is just unorganized as a whole and have a poor business model."

"WGU gets it! It was designed for working adults who are serious about obtaining a college degree. The program is set up so that you can focus on learning and advancing through the courses. Everyone is assigned a mentor to assist throughout your program. The ease of having one person who can answer questions and help you through any problems saves a lot of frustration. The courses are well structured and you have numerous tools available to best suit your learning needs. They have text books, labs, practice tests, videos, course mentors and a variety of resources to assist you in learning the material. Courses last as long as it takes you to learn the material. Some, I had sufficient knowledge and experience that I was able to review and pass the class in a day. Some took several weeks, but was mostly dependent on my efforts. WGU is focused on knowing the course material, not on how long you sit in a classroom. It is a school that has embraced the 21st century and is not stuck in how things have been done in the past. They understand that not everyone wanting a degree is 18 years old, with no experience or other responsibilities. The flexibility and the student support makes it a great school for working adults. I would recommend for anyone who is serious about obtaining a degree and willing to work for it."

"Do not, under any circumstances, change your major when going to this school. I started out as an Elementary Education major and spent four semesters working towards it. During the middle of the fourth year, I started to like working in a bank and decided to switch my major from Education to Business. This is where my mistake started. I work through the first year, no problem. This current year is when I am told that I can no longer receive financial aid due to me reaching their maximum time limit for graduation. What made this happen was I transferred from one college to this one and they added the combined total requires from the Teaching degree and the Business degree into one high college degree plan. This added 80 credits from the business to the 50 remaining from the Teaching, and then they added the 35 from the other school. They only allow you up to 150 credits total before they take away all financial aid and consider you at risk to graduate. Here's the problem; no one told me this when I switched majors. I called financial aid and asked why this is happening since these two majors were completely different and all they told me was that I had reached my maximum limit and that it's SAP requirements. When I told my student mentor this, she informed me that that wasn't a real answer at all. So I made an appeal that went no where, so now I'm looking into Avila. TL;DR: This school is a joke, the pre-tests are NOTHING like the actual test, the course work doesn't go much into detail or cover much of the questions that come up during the actual test, and if you fail the test twice then you have to pay $60 for each retake and deal with a course mentor and wait to get permission from the teacher and their bosses before they consider letting you take the 3rd attempt on up."

"First of all, I did not graduate from WGU. I began their program to earn a Bachelor's in Business Administration but ended up dropping out after one successful term. I was very excited and motivated to finish a BA degree (I have an AA in General Studies, almost all of my credits transferred) at my own pace-- which was NOT an aggressive one. My employer reimburses employees up to a certain dollar amount a year for educational purposes. Meaning I would pay WGU's fees up front and be reimbursed 100% after the term ends, assuming I passed the classes. Knowing this, I was very transparent with my plans to take one term a year with WGU in order to not rack up debt. They were absolutely not okay with this. I don't understand why, because the school would have end up profiting from my extended school plan. They treated me like a clueless fresh-out-of-high school teenager, trying to argue points that weren't valid to my situation. Their biggest argument was that I could have my BA degree in 2 years instead of 5. Yes, I could have a BA in 2 years and have unnecessary debt because I didn't take advantage of my employer's educational reimbursement program, or take 5 years and not owe a single dime. It didn't help that my mentor was obnoxious, insisting on weekly phone calls to check on my progress like I was a child."

"WGU is a great school so long as you are a self-starter, motivated and can learn without an instructor spelling out every topic for you. You are required to have weekly meetings with a course mentor (academic advisor) but these normally take 10-20 minutes and are at the same set time every week. Each course you take has mentors that are specific to that course that will assist you if you need it. The school has countless webinars and cohorts to assist you through each course. Some of these are live with the ability to ask questions and some are recorded from previous live sessions. For each course you are given the course material for you to learn and when you finish you either take an exam or submit a written assessment. There are no other assignments, so your final assessment is what decides if you pass/fail. As with any school there are rules you have to abide by. Since this in online they are a bit different than most are accustomed to. You have to maintain 12 credit hours a semester (this is tough but I managed it with two jobs and a family), you have to keep in contact with your student mentor and you have a limited number of attempts on your course assessments. If you can follow pretty simple rules and not make excuses for failing to follow them the experience is pleasant. Overall if you can learn mostly on your own and can follow some simple rules then this school is awesome. The cost is reasonable and the education is good. Don't get swayed away by the negative reviews of disgruntled students."

"As a working professional, this course of study fit well into my work/life schedule. The course material is broad and, like anything, you will get out of it whatever you put into it. That being said, the courses are well structured and offer a good deal of insight into business. Though I had a wealth of business experience prior to participating in this degree program, this program offered knowledge beyond what I experienced as a working professional. I love this school and highly recommend the degree programs."

"Awesome. Learn way more than at a traditional university school. I have been to both. Learning approach is a lot more focused on what I will carry into my professional career. Flexible and affordable. Thankful to have come across this college. Will continue to go for my masters here."

"This is a great school for mature people that have good communication and computer skills. The competency-based model saved me countless hours of classroom time. If you are the type of person that doesn't require someone to force you to do your work, and you want to learn content vs. just getting a diploma, this is a great school for you. I have already applied much of the content I learned to real-world situations."

"Horrible school. Rude staff. IT idiots. Computer systems never work. Save yourself the time and money and stick with a regular school. The admissions is a joke, with no follow up and nothing but excuses. You would think with all the competition they would care more."