by our College Data Analytics TeamAs someone with prior military experience, it’s a good idea to check how well the school services veterans before signing those admission papers. We’ve assembled this report on Western Governors University veteran students to support your research.
For GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon information, head to: Western Governors University GI Bill® Information
Inside This Veterans Report on WGU:
A sizable veteran community on campus is often a sign that a school knows how to support students with a military background. According to the VA, there are 21,270 GI Bill® students at WGU. With a total enrollment of 135,822, around 15.7% of those enrolled are using the GI Bill® to help pay for their education. By comparison, the Student Veterans of America reports that three to four percent of college students nationwide are veterans.
This count covers every chapter of the GI Bill® — Post-9/11, Montgomery, Reserve Education Assistance, and Veteran Readiness and Employment. It excludes active-duty military personnel attending through Tuition Assistance, so the true military population may be larger. Veterans make up 2.1% of all students at WGU, based on College Scorecard data.
Western Governors University participates in the following veteran programs and offers the services below.
| Federal Program | Participation |
|---|---|
| Principles of Excellence | Yes |
| DOD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) | Yes |
| Yellow Ribbon Program | Yes |
| Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) | Yes |
What does this mean to me? Here are the specific commitments the school has made through each program it participates in.
| Career and Vocational Support |
|---|
| Accommodate Military Service Members and Reservists absent due to service requirements. |
| Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs. |
| Regionally or Nationally Accredited - view all accreditations |
| Provide information that increases accountability and transparency. |
| Participate in the Military Voluntary Education Review (MVER) |
**Western Governors University offers a student veterans group.**The school has a dedicated point of contact for veteran and military students. Veteran services.
WGU may consider your military experience and award college credit. Check with an admissions counselor for details. Credit for prior learning can shorten your time to a degree, so it’s worth asking about. Check with WGU about credit for life experience, CLEP and similar exams, or other prior learning beyond military training.
WGU does not offer Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs.
Our data shows 2 complaints filed with the VA about WGU. The reasons for these complaints are summarized in the table below. Note that the numbers for the classification of complaints may not add up to the number of total complaints since a single complaint may be for multiple reasons.
| Complaint Type | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Financial Issues | 1 |
| Quality of Education | 0 |
| Refund Issues | 0 |
| Recruiting/Marketing Practices | 0 |
| Accreditation | 0 |
| Change in Degree Requirements | 0 |
| Student Loans | 0 |
| Grade Policy | 0 |
| Credit Transfers | 0 |
| Post-Graduation Job Opportunities | 0 |
| Release of Transcripts | 0 |
| Other | 1 |
Notes and References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.