WGU is a nonprofit, online university that was founded by 19 U.S. governors. However, WGU is a private university, not a state university. WGU developed out of a vision for the future of higher education that emerged among the governors of the Western Governors Association (hence their name), but WGU operates independently with its own governance structure. This allows WGU to keep their focus on students, following the vision that got them started.
