Who we are
Driving equitable, evidence-based change
The biggest challenges in education need effective and scalable solutions. From removing barriers, to access for students from under-resourced communities, to streamlining the team-work-learn cycle, stakeholders in higher education and workforce development need ways to redesign the current learning experience. The challenges are complex, sometimes contradictory, and ever-evolving.
Our Mission
For the past 25 years, WGU has redefined what it means to deliver high-quality, affordable, and accessible higher education. Now, through WGU Labs, we’re expanding that innovation beyond our own institution—working to reimagine the entire postsecondary system to better serve all learners.
We exist to expand access, quality, and outcomes in postsecondary education and career pathways for Stranded and Rising Talent — individuals with the skills, experience, and potential to succeed, but who face barriers that limit their educational and career advancement. These learners need targeted support to reconnect with opportunities that enable meaningful, upward mobility.
WGU Labs develops practical, scalable solutions to unlock that potential and support through rigorous research, human-centered design, and field implementation.
Let’s design better education experiences
How We Do It
WGU Labs bridges research, innovation, and action to advance equity and student success across the postsecondary and workforce landscape.
Examine
We conduct research and policy analysis to identify what works, and why, across learning and workforce systems.
Build
We design and test learning tools, programs, and models grounded in evidence and learning science.
Connect
We collaborate with higher education institutions, workforce partners, and EdTech innovators to pilot and scale what works.
Grow
We invest in early-stage ventures aligned with equity, access, and measurable impact.
These four pillars form our end-to-end innovation model—one that moves ideas from concept to proven, scalable solutions. By focusing intentionally on early-stage innovation, WGU Labs identifies promising approaches, tests them in real-world contexts, and refines them into strategies that drive systemic change.
Innovation in Action
WGU Labs has supported over 50 early-stage companies, co-developed scalable tools to improve student success, and incubated WGU Academy, which has helped thousands of returning learners re-engage with higher education.
Removing barriers to access
Entry points to higher education unnecessarily limit access for individuals who do not match the historic student profile. We remove barriers to access for students who are furthest from opportunity and increase cost transparency to alleviate financial burdens.
Redesigning the current learning experience
High-quality education is not well-defined, varies widely, and fails to harness what is known about the science of learning. We redesign the current learning experience to better diversify instruction and adopt updated learning principles.
Strengthening the learn-to-work cycle
The transition from learning to work is often opaque to students and employers. We build systems of lifelong learning that support successful careers.