Western Governors University (WGU) is committed to ensuring your privacy as a visitor to this website, as an interested party in one of WGU's degree programs, and as a student in our university. Any personally identifiable information collected about you on this website is used by Western Governors University to contact you about the university’s programs, administer your application to the university, and provide additional information as needed, potentially including contact via phone or email; however, at any time you have the option under the CAN-SPAM laws to request that WGU discontinue further email contact. WGU will not release, sell, rent, or trade your personal information gathered here to any third party for the promotion of other services or products.
WGU does not collect any personal information about you other than what you voluntarily provide. WGU does, however, collect anonymous non-personally identifiable data about your website visit through pixel tags, sometimes known as cookies, that help us track information about your visit and that are used to deliver banner advertisements to you on the Internet.
If you apply or enroll as a WGU student, WGU uses passwords to protect the privacy of applicants and students who use personalized areas of its sites. The highest level of security is used for storing information (SSL encryption). WGU staff monitor the sites for technical reliability.
WGU complies with the protections established under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). FERPA is a Federal law designed to protect the privacy of student education records. FERPA governs the release of education records and access to education records.
The FERPA policy is intended to ensure students have the right to inspect and review their education records; the right to amend their education records as appropriate; and the right to control access to their education records. Students have the right to: (1) inspect and review their education records, (2) request amendment to their education records, (3) consent to disclosures of non-directory information, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent, and (4) file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by WGU to comply with FERPA requirements. Students have the right to request that their records be amended if they believe the content is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights.
For details about WGU's policy on the use of student information and the procedures WGU has established in accordance with FERPA, please see the WGU Student Handbook.
As a WGU student, your personal information may be shared with third-party learning resources, assessment sites, and other external vendors who support the academic programs. These vendors are obligated through their agreements with WGU to maintain the privacy of WGU students. Student directory information may be shared with outside institutions and corporations.
