WGU measures the value of a degree by what it returns to graduates. The Factored Graduate Return (FGR) multiplies the increase in a graduate’s income from graduation to two years later by the number of years remaining until age 65, then divides the result by total tuition cost. Income data are verified by Equifax.
For the FY23 graduating cohort, the FGR is 29: a WGU degree is calculated to deliver 29 times the cost of the investment over a graduate’s remaining career. The median income change from graduation to two years after graduation is $14,671. Earlier cohorts reported similar returns: 30x for FY20 graduates, 37x for FY21, and 36x for FY22 (FY25 annual report).
Graduates also say the investment was worth it. In the 2025 Gallup Alumni Survey, 87% of WGU alumni said their education was worth the cost, compared with 64% nationally. WGU’s low flat-rate tuition, an average of $8,730 per year for undergraduate tuition and fees compared with a national average of $18,241, keeps the cost side of the equation low.