WGU's 3-Year Student Loan Default Rate Drops to 4.6%, Less than Half the National Rate of 11.5%

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While the national student loan default rates ticked up again this year, Western Governors University's official default rate for the FY 2014 cohort dropped again, to 4.6 percent. The U.S. Department of Education released official cohort default rates for all Title IV-eligible institutions this week, and online, nonprofit WGU bucked the trend again, reducing its rate from 4.8 percent last year to 4.6 percent.

"At WGU, we focus on encouraging our students to borrow responsibly by providing them with the information they need to make smart, informed decisions about their student loans," said WGU's Vice President of Financial Aid, Bob Collins. "WGU's affordable, flat-rate tuition of about $6,000 per year makes it possible for students to borrow less, and our degree programs produce graduates who find career success and increase their incomes."

In 2013, WGU implemented its Responsible Borrowing Initiatives, a student education program aimed at ensuring that students borrow only what they need. Since then, the average borrowing per student per year has decreased by 41 percent—the average debt at graduation (for undergraduates who borrow) is about $16,000, less than half the national average. In addition, in a 2016 survey of graduates by Harris Poll Online, WGU graduates reported an average increase in salary of $19,100 within 4 years of graduation, compared to an average of $6,700 nationally.

About WGU
Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves 84,000 students and 92,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation's leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 20 years, the university has become a leading force in changing lives of through education. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu.

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SOURCE Western Governors University

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