As of September 2020, Western Governors University (WGU) serves 134,719 students nationwide, with a global network of more than 200,000 graduates. The majority—over 75 percent—of students come from federally recognized underserved groups, including low-income, first-generation college students and those from rural communities. WGU offers the flexibility to earn a degree anytime, anywhere, and move quickly through what you already know—making it the best choice for many students. In 1997, WGU pioneered competency-based education measuring learning rather than time. Competency units correlate to course outcomes without regard for the time it takes a student to master them. Students receive course credit when they have passed the required objective and performance assessments. WGU’s high standard of mastery has been designed to equate to a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. WGU's Teachers College was the first exclusively online university to receive accreditation for its teacher licensure programs from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In 2018, it received accreditation from the Council of the Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP) with no stipulations nor areas for improvement.