OUR STORY
Learning at WGU: Different by Design
What is Competency-Based Education?
Competency-based education offers a radically more effective and efficient way to earn a degree. By allowing students to progress by demonstrating skills instead of time spent in a classroom, WGU offers education that’s more personalized, relevant, and affordable. Rather than advancing only when the semester or term ends, students finish courses as soon as they’ve proven competence by passing the necessary assessments.
WGU pioneered this career-relevant, competency-based education model and remains the only institution offering competency-based degrees at scale. As higher education continues to evolve, more institutions are striving to offer these competency-based pathways.
For Institutions and Policymakers
Learn to implement a competency-based education program of your own.
Joel Bianci
Graduate in teaching
"Half of what I learned from my master’s at WGU is a model for my classroom: tailoring curriculum for each student, checking in with them while giving them freedom, reducing structure, and giving room for kids to learn how they learn best.”
Lisa Turnbull
Graduate in IT
"The WGU model allowed me to thrive. I needed a competency-based program that allowed me to use my experience. I needed flexibility to allow me to be a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a Girl Scout leader. I needed affordability because I had a family and could not add another bill.”
Bradley Hall
Graduate in business
"There are a few things that WGU offers that other programs don't, and one is the competency-based format—the mastery, to make sure that you learn the skills before you move on to something else. Traditional schools don't offer that. You simply go to class and you get what they're working on that week and if you don't get it, too bad, we're all moving on. Many key concepts are lost with that."
Education is attainable.
WGU is the top choice for busy, value-focused adults who need a degree to reach their career goals.
The WGU Experience
Discover how WGU makes higher education accessible and personalized with a focus on each individual learner.
