--- title: "Open University vs Western Governors University: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Open University or Western Governors University more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the University online degrees set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/open-university-vs-western-governors-university" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Open University vs Western Governors University: Which is searched more? Is Open University or Western Governors University more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the University online degrees set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Open University and Western Governors University - **Competitive set**: University online degrees - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Open University Share of Search**: 9.2% - **Western Governors University Share of Search**: 3.4% ## Is Open University or Western Governors University more popular in search? - In September 2026, Open University had more branded searches than Western Governors University among university online degrees worldwide. Open University had about 450,000 branded searches, while Western Governors University had 165,000. Open University made up 9.2% of all university online degree searches we track, and Western Governors University accounted for 3.4%. - Open University was ahead of Western Governors University in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Open University’s share of searches among university online degrees worldwide moved from 7.5% to 9.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 450K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Western Governors University’s share of searches among university online degrees worldwide moved from 2.8% to 3.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 165K. ## Top university online degrees in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Western Governors University appeared in all five answers. Open University did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Western Governors University | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | University of Florida Online | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | SNHU | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Arizona State University Online | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Coursera | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | University of Phoenix | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Open University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | edX | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Udacity | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about university online degrees - Asked ChatGPT "Which university online degree should I join?": 1. Western Governors University, 2. Arizona State University Online, 3. SNHU - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best university online degrees?": 1. University of Florida Online, 2. Arizona State University Online, 3. Western Governors University - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best university online degree for working adults?": 1. Western Governors University, 2. SNHU, 3. University of Florida Online - Searched Google, AI Overview "accredited online degree": 1. University of Florida Online, 2. SNHU, 3. Western Governors University - Searched Google, AI Overview "online bachelor's degree": 1. Western Governors University, 2. Arizona State University Online Not named in any answer: Coursera, University of Phoenix, Open University, edX and Udacity. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for university online degrees worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Open University overtook edX to rank 3rd among university online degrees worldwide, with 9.2% of the searches. - In September 2026, Western Governors University lost share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 4.1% to 3.4%. ## Month by month | Month | Open University estimated searches | Open University Share of Search | Open University rank | Western Governors University estimated searches | Western Governors University Share of Search | Western Governors University rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 450K | 7.5% | 4 | 165K | 2.8% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 450K | 8.8% | 3 | 165K | 3.2% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 301K | 6.2% | 4 | 201K | 4.2% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 450K | 7.5% | 4 | 246K | 4.1% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 368K | 7.4% | 4 | 165K | 3.3% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 368K | 7.1% | 4 | 201K | 3.9% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 368K | 7.4% | 4 | 201K | 4% | 5 | | May 2026 | 368K | 7.4% | 4 | 201K | 4.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 301K | 6.2% | 4 | 165K | 3.4% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 450K | 9.1% | 3 | 165K | 3.3% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 368K | 7.5% | 4 | 201K | 4.1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 450K | 9.2% | 3 | 165K | 3.4% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Open University’s and Western Governors University’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Open University**: Measured on the search term “openuniversity”. - **Western Governors University**: Measured on the search term “western governors university”. - [Open University profile](/demand/global-en/brands/open-university) - [Western Governors University profile](/demand/global-en/brands/western-governors-university) - [All university online degrees worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/university-online-degrees): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Open University or Western Governors University more popular in search? In September 2026, Open University had more branded searches than Western Governors University among university online degrees worldwide. Open University had about 450,000 branded searches, while Western Governors University had 165,000. Open University made up 9.2% of all university online degree searches we track, and Western Governors University accounted for 3.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Open University vs Western Governors University: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/open-university-vs-western-governors-university This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/open-university-vs-western-governors-university. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.