Student Success and Performance Data

Student success and performance data

Graduate Satisfaction Results

From surveys of new and old WGU graduates, October 2010-November 2011

• 94 percent of graduates reported being Satisfied or Very Satisfied with their WGU Experience.
• 88 percent of graduates were Satisfied or Very Satisfied with the level of Academic Help received at WGU.
• 87 percent of graduates felt that their work at WGU improved their writing skills.
• 78 percent of graduates felt that WGU had helped them gain all necessary competencies for their current or likely future employment.
• 94 percent of graduates would still choose WGU if they could make the choice again.
• 96 percent of graduates would recommend WGU to others.

Work-Related Benefits of Earning a WGU Degree Online:

From surveys of WGU Alumni October 2010 - May2011

• 43 percent of graduates reported having a new position (34% including new graduates)
• 50 percent of graduates reported increased responsibilities at work (34% including new graduates)
• 30 percent of graduates had received a promotion (20% including new graduates)
• 53 percent of graduates had received a salary increase (42% including new graduates)
• 69 percent of graduates had experienced at least one of these benefits (57% including new graduates)

Highlights from the Employer Satisfaction Case Study

Responses from in-depth, comprehensive interviews with 58 managers and supervisors of WGU alumni, September 2011

• 95 percent of employers agreed that WGU graduates meet or exceed their expectations.
• 90 percent of employers felt that they are extremely likely to hire another WGU graduate, and another 7% wouldn’t hesitate to hire another WGU graduate.
• 81 percent of employers rated the job performance of WGU graduates as good or excellent.
• 99 percent of employers rated WGU graduates as equal to or better than graduates of other universities.
• 69 percent consider WGU graduates strongly prepared for their jobs.

Student Performance on National and WGU Assessments

WGU students' results in taking major national exams as compared to national performance measures.

National Business Exams

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification exam:

• National Average: 57%
• WGU Average: 64%

National Teachers Exams

PRAXIS Math Exam

• WGU pass rate: 74%
• Percent of WGU students in top 15% Nationally: 37%

• WGU pass rate: 81%
• Percent of WGU students in top 15% Nationally: 23%

• Not available at this time

* Note: WGU pass rates exceed 80% on 8 of 10 PRAXIS exams.

WGU Competency Exams

Pass rate: 87.6%*

*Note: Individuals who don't pass the assessments are typically able to retake their exams or resubmit their assignments under the guidance of their mentor.

Results of the National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE)

NSSE is a survey of student engagement in the academic and social life at schools nationwide. It examines a variety of characteristics of student activity at a university, focused on the degree to which students are actively participating in the opportunities for engagement provided by their universities. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has a classification system for colleges and universities that is used widely for policy and research purposes (defined as Carnegie Peers). NSSE identifies colleges and universities that meet the same Carnegie profile as WGU and reports comparisons between WGU's results and this group of similar institutions.

In this study, questions were asked of students and graduates. They answered on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest or best answer, and 1 being the lowest or worst. WGU's results are in blue, the Carnegie Peers are in yellow, and the NSSE 2011 average is in red.

Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of advising at your institution?

How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution?

If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?