School comparison
At a glance
Last updated
WGU charges a flat rate per six-month term (about $4,000 to $5,100 depending on program, per WGU's published 2026 rates) and clears courses through proctored exams plus written assessments. Purdue Global ExcelTrack charges $2,500 per 10-week term for listed bachelor's programs, or $2,833 for the MBA, MS Cybersecurity, and MS Information Technology, plus a published resource fee of $345 undergraduate or $295 graduate per term, with highly focused 1-credit courses (Purdue Global program pages, re-verified 24 August 2026; fee amounts per the published fee schedule). Standard Purdue Global online is $371 per quarter credit. WGU is nonprofit and NWCCU-accredited. Purdue Global is HLC-accredited. For students who can stack many CUs in one open term, WGU is usually cheaper per month. ExcelTrack can win if you only need a short sprint and already know most of the 1-credit modules.
This is the comparison working adults make when they want a competency-style path that is not SNHU's weekly discussions and not UMPI's eight-week writing sprints. Both schools sell speed. They bill it on different calendars.
Coursework Ninja completes WGU degrees, so read this with that context in mind, the same as our SNHU, UMPI, and Capella pages. Purdue Global figures below come from Purdue Global's own tuition and ExcelTrack pages, re-checked on the live program pages on 24 August 2026. Tuition changes. Verify current rates with each school before you decide.
Every full package includes the written 6-month guarantee: we finish the remaining CUs under the agreed plan, or you do not pay. Packages: Bachelor's $3,000 · Master's $3,500 · both $5,500 · single assessments from $99.
| Factor | WGU | Purdue Global |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition model | Flat rate per 6-month term, unlimited courses inside it | ExcelTrack: flat rate per 10-week term. Standard online: per quarter credit |
| Published tuition | About $4,000-$5,100 per term (2026 rates, varies by program) | ExcelTrack bachelor's $2,500 per term; MBA / MS Cyber / MS IT $2,833; MSN $3,200 (re-verified on the live program pages 24 August 2026) |
| Resource / materials fee | $200 e-books and resources fee per WGU term on published pages | ExcelTrack undergraduate $345 per term, graduate $295 per term, no reductions on ExcelTrack |
| Six-month cost | One term | About two and a half 10-week terms if you stay enrolled year-round |
| Standard (non-ExcelTrack) price | Same flat term for the degree | $371 per quarter credit undergraduate; full-time term about $3,780-$4,500 on the ExcelTrack comparison page |
| Pacing unit | A course ends the day its assessment clears, any day in the 6 months | ExcelTrack: highly focused 1-credit modules. Standard: one or two 4-, 5-, or 6-credit courses per term |
| Assessments | Proctored objective exams plus written performance assessments | ExcelTrack: readiness assessment, then a final assessment. Official page: score a B or higher to complete the course |
| Proctored exams | Yes, on exam-based courses (PingOne plus ProctorU Guardian) | Not the selling point of ExcelTrack. Confirm the current format per course with Purdue Global |
| Military / TA note | WGU publishes separate military tuition pages | ExcelTrack programs are not eligible for VA educational benefits or Federal Tuition Assistance |
| Accreditation | NWCCU; CCNE nursing; ACBSP business | Higher Learning Commission (HLC) |
| Best-known programs | IT, computer science, teaching, RN-to-BSN, MBA | ExcelTrack list: analytics, business, cloud, cybersecurity, health care admin, IT, MBA, MSN |
Price them on the same calendar. One WGU term is about $4,000 to $5,100 and buys six months. Two Purdue Global ExcelTrack terms are 20 weeks at $5,000 in bachelor's tuition plus $690 in undergraduate resource fees, and a third term is another $2,500 plus $345 if you need the rest of the half-year. WGU wins on cost per month for students who can actually clear a long list inside one term. ExcelTrack wins if you only need a short, module-sized remainder and you will finish inside one or two 10-week bills.
Two catches are worth stating plainly. First, the $2,500 figure is ExcelTrack, not standard Purdue Global. Standard online at $371 per quarter credit is a different product and a different bill. Second, ExcelTrack is not eligible for VA educational benefits or Federal Tuition Assistance, which the official tuition page states in the same section as the $2,500 rate. Flat-rate pricing at either school only saves money when courses actually clear. If you choose WGU and want the speed guaranteed instead of hoped for, that is what we do: we complete the OAs, PAs, and remaining CUs on a written 6-month plan, or you do not pay.
Yes. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Purdue Global is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which Purdue Global's accreditation page states is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The difference is billing calendar and assessment mix, not whether the diploma is real.
Per six months, WGU is usually cheaper if you use the whole term: one WGU bill versus more than two ExcelTrack terms. ExcelTrack bachelor's tuition is $2,500 per 10-week term plus a $345 undergraduate resource fee (Purdue Global program pages and published fee schedule, re-checked 24 August 2026). Two terms are $5,000 plus $690 in fees, which already exceeds most WGU bachelor's terms before a third term starts. ExcelTrack can still win if you finish the remainder in one 10-week sprint. Confirm current rates with each school.
No. ExcelTrack is the competency-style, 1-credit, flat-term path at $2,500 (bachelor's) or $2,833 (listed master's) per 10-week term. Standard Purdue Global online is $371 per quarter credit for undergraduate programs, and Purdue Global's own comparison page puts a full-time standard term at $3,780 to $4,500 for the business, health care, and IT bachelor's. Do not mix the two prices.
Purdue Global's academic calendar and student FAQ say programs follow a 10-week term, with three staggered tracks (A, B, and C) through the year. WGU's term is six months. That calendar gap is the whole cost comparison.
Purdue Global's ExcelTrack page and tuition page both state that ExcelTrack programs are not eligible for Veterans Affairs educational benefits or Federal Tuition Assistance, and that military servicemembers, veterans, and spouses are not eligible for military tuition reductions on ExcelTrack. If those benefits are part of how you pay, look at WGU's military pages or Purdue Global's standard (non-ExcelTrack) rates instead.
This comparison is written by Coursework Ninja, an independent WGU completion service. Our done-for-you plans are built around WGU's model: OAs, PAs, proctored environments, and six-month term math. If you are weighing Purdue Global against WGU and want the WGU side priced out, message us your remaining courses.
Coursework Ninja is an independent done-for-you degree completion service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Western Governors University.
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