WGU Newsroom

WGU was conceived in 1995 at a meeting of the governors of Western Governors Association. The governors recognized the potential to expand higher education through distance education technologies to adults who needed to improve their skills and knowledge. The following year, 1996, Western Governors University was chartered. Over the following three years, much work went into developing a new university, essentially from scratch, that would also incorporate a "competency-based" approach into all its degree programs. The university was incorporated as an independent nonprofit university in 1997 and enrolled its first students in 1999.

Yes, WGU has formal graduation ceremonies, held twice a year. If you'd like to watch highlights of a recent WGU commencement, click here.

WGU is growing quickly but not so quickly that we lose sight of the importance of each student. Our approach remains highly personalized.

If you represent the press, you can contact:

Joan Mitchell
Director of Public Relations
jmitchell@wgu.edu
801-274-3280, ext. 5463