10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$152,998at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · ONLINE-ONLY COLLEGE
Western Governors University
Administrative location: Salt Lake City, UT · 32 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 31 · Federal debt reported for 14
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$152,998 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
6.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+66%Estimated return after 10 years
$83,319Observed earnings · year 5
$50,798Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $38,250 per year below this threshold.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $8,100 housing and food allowance plus $1,000 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$203,190
$13,000Current college-wide context+$151,190
$14,000Annual price+$147,190
$28,000Annual price+$91,190
$42,000Annual price+$35,190
$56,000Annual price−$20,810
$70,000Annual price−$76,810
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Attendance format is not fully reported.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Online-only institution
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Utah run 1% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$12,548Average net price / year
$16,728Cost of attendance
$11,116Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$118/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$83,319Median earnings · year 5 after completion
46.2%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
155,088Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Western Governors University
What does Western Governors University cost?
Western Governors University reports an average annual net price of $12,548 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Western Governors University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $83,319 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Western Governors University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $11,116. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Western Governors University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 32 field-and-degree records for Western Governors University; 31 report year-4 earnings and 14 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
313,774Students enrolled at any point
225,309Undergraduate students
88,465Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
41% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
74 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
53% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$47,707Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$64,669Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$90,492Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income42%
Middle income56%
Higher income72%
Undergraduate student composition
White50%
Black14%
Hispanic16%
Asian4%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$95,552Year 1
$121,146Year 5
$138,652Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$94,573Year 1
$109,858Year 5
$129,186Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$90,568Year 1
$101,554Year 5
$116,621Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$72,337Year 1
$90,394Year 5
$101,234Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$106,597Year 1
$116,527Year 5
$98,592Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$68,044Year 1
$72,109Year 5
$81,657Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$47,281Year 1
$55,926Year 5
$61,837Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$74,978Year 1
$87,445Year 4
$83,319Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management · Master's Degree$144,2052Computer Software and Media Applications · Bachelor's Degree$131,1983Computer Software and Media Applications · Master's Degree$129,7374Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management · Bachelor's Degree$129,3035Management Information Systems and Services · Master's Degree$125,9446Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$111,6887Health and Medical Administrative Services · Master's Degree$111,6438Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$108,836Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Computer Software and Media ApplicationsBachelor's Degree · $131,198 reported+123%vs same-degree national median$23,287federal debt2Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementBachelor's Degree · $129,303 reported+52%vs same-degree national median$16,194federal debt3General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsBachelor's Degree · $107,585 reported+43%vs same-degree national median$24,272federal debt4Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's Degree · $82,644 reported+41%vs same-degree national median$27,864federal debt5Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageNon-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) · $75,099 reported+29%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree · $111,643 reported+24%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable online colleges nationwide
Currently operating online-only private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Administrative location is not treated as the student market.
Addison, TX
Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online
- Annual net price
- $23,698
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $56,363
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -59%
Bryant & Stratton College-Online
- Annual net price
- $15,187
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,402
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -123%
Johnson & Wales University-Online
- Annual net price
- $20,252
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,296
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -103%
Evangel University-College of Online Learning
- Annual net price
- $22,503
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,610
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -101%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 32 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Master's Degree | $144,205 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $131,198 | $23,287 | Not reported |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Master's Degree | $129,737 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $129,303 | $16,194 | Not reported |
| Management Information Systems and Services | Master's Degree | $125,944 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $111,688 | Not available | 25 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's Degree | $111,643 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $108,836 | $23,167 | Not reported |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $107,585 | $24,272 | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $99,453 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $98,950 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $97,114 | $22,660 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $92,442 | Not available | Not reported |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | Bachelor's Degree | $89,625 | $31,740 | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $84,521 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $83,654 | $22,087 | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Bachelor's Degree | $82,644 | $27,864 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $75,767 | $22,489 | Not reported |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $75,099 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Master's Degree | $72,564 | Not available | Not reported |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | $71,469 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $71,431 | $21,232 | Not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $69,935 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $65,801 | Not available | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $63,218 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $59,093 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $56,657 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $53,424 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | $52,284 | $25,145 | 0 |
| Special Education and Teaching | Bachelor's Degree | $52,090 | $25,158 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,646 | $22,784 | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $17,796 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.