Master's · Salt Lake City, Utah

Is Education, General at Western Governors University worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $58,383; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $60,856; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $16,220; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $17k (likely $17k – $17k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: −$8k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in UT; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: Not within 20 years in most scenarios; Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$257k (likely −$299k – −$235k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$352k (likely −$405k – −$305k); Today's dollars
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in: not reported / ≤ 10%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.