Western Governors University was the school that ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity named most often. Western Governors University appeared in 142 of 288 answers (49.3%) measured on October 28, 2026. Arizona State University Online came next at 119 of 288 (41.3%). The two confidence intervals overlap, so the data cannot confirm that Western Governors University is ahead. Western Governors University was named first more often than any other school, in 63 of 288 answers. Google AI Overviews appeared on 69 of 70 searches (98.6%).
RESEARCH · Published June 15, 2026 · Updated November 11, 2026
Online Universities Index 2.0: WGU and ASU Online Lead
288
AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
49.3%
of answers named Western Governors University, the most-named (142 of 288)
24
tracked schools named at least once (of 25)
98.6%
of Google searches showed an AI Overview (69 of 70)
Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published June 15, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.
What the data shows
01
142/288 (49.3%)
Western Governors University appeared in 142 of 288 four-engine answers (CI 43.6–55.1%). Arizona State University Online appeared in 119 of 288 (41.3%, CI 35.8–47.1%). The intervals overlap, so the two cannot be separated.
02
63/288 (21.9%)
Western Governors University was the first school named in 63 of 288 answers, more than any other tracked school. Average first position: 2.5.
03
45/72 (62.5%)
Gemini named Western Governors University in 45 of 72 answers. The other engines did so in 31 to 35 of 72.
04
69/70 (98.6%)
Google AI Overviews appeared on 69 of 70 searches (CI 92.3–99.7%). On the other search, no overview was shown.
05
38/69 (55.1%)
Western Governors University was the school named most often in AI Overviews, at 38 of 69, followed by Southern New Hampshire University at 27 of 69 (39.1%). In the four-engine set, Western Governors University was named in 142 of 288 answers (49.3%).
06
75/288 (26%)
onlineu.com was cited in 75 of 288 grounded four-engine answers, with 84 of 2,371 citations (3.5%). learn.org came second with 73 citations in 61 answers (21.2%).
07
0/12 (0%)
For 'What is the best online master's in nursing for nurse practitioners?', none of the tracked schools was named in any of 12 four-engine answers.
08
56/288 (19.4%)
Western Governors University's own domains were cited in 56 of 288 grounded answers (19.4%), more than any other tracked name. Arizona State University Online followed at 30 of 288. In Google AI Overviews, Western Governors University's site was cited in 5 of 69 overviews. 3 tracked names had no own-site citation.
Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.
Which schools AI engines name
Western Governors University
49.3%
Arizona State University Online
41.3%
University of Florida Online
34.4%
Southern New Hampshire University
31.6%
University of Maryland Global Campus
25.7%
Purdue Global
24.0%
Penn State World Campus
19.4%
Liberty University Online
15.3%
University of the People
12.8%
University of Phoenix
12.5%
Oregon State University Ecampus
11.8%
Excelsior University
10.4%
Capella University
10.1%
American Public University System
9.0%
Grand Canyon University
8.3%
| # | Name | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | 142/288 | 49.3% | 43.6–55.1% |
| 2 | Arizona State University Online | 119/288 | 41.3% | 35.8–47.1% |
| 3 | University of Florida Online | 99/288 | 34.4% | 29.1–40.0% |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | 91/288 | 31.6% | 26.5–37.2% |
| 5 | University of Maryland Global Campus | 74/288 | 25.7% | 21.0–31.0% |
| 6 | Purdue Global | 69/288 | 24.0% | 19.4–29.2% |
| 7 | Penn State World Campus | 56/288 | 19.4% | 15.3–24.4% |
| 8 | Liberty University Online | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% |
| 9 | University of the People | 37/288 | 12.8% | 9.5–17.2% |
| 10 | University of Phoenix | 36/288 | 12.5% | 9.2–16.8% |
| 11 | Oregon State University Ecampus | 34/288 | 11.8% | 8.6–16.0% |
| 12 | Excelsior University | 30/288 | 10.4% | 7.4–14.5% |
| 13 | Capella University | 29/288 | 10.1% | 7.1–14.1% |
| 14 | American Public University System | 26/288 | 9.0% | 6.2–12.9% |
| 15 | Grand Canyon University | 24/288 | 8.3% | 5.7–12.1% |
The full list
Own-domain citation is the share of 288 grounded answers that cited the official domains of each name (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,371 citations.
| # | School | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | 142/288 | 49.3% | 43.6–55.1% | 2.5 | 19.4% (56/288) | 2.7% |
| 2 | Arizona State University Online | 119/288 | 41.3% | 35.8–47.1% | 2.8 | 10.4% (30/288) | 1.3% |
| 3 | University of Florida Online | 99/288 | 34.4% | 29.1–40% | 2.4 | 2.8% (8/288) | 0.3% |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | 91/288 | 31.6% | 26.5–37.2% | 3.2 | 9% (26/288) | 1.2% |
| 5 | University of Maryland Global Campus | 74/288 | 25.7% | 21–31% | 3.4 | 5.9% (17/288) | 0.7% |
| 6 | Purdue Global | 69/288 | 24% | 19.4–29.2% | 4 | 7.3% (21/288) | 1.1% |
| 7 | Penn State World Campus | 56/288 | 19.4% | 15.3–24.4% | 3.6 | 2.8% (8/288) | 0.3% |
| 8 | Liberty University Online | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% | 4.2 | 6.9% (20/288) | 0.8% |
| 9 | University of the People | 37/288 | 12.8% | 9.5–17.2% | 1.9 | 10.4% (30/288) | 2.1% |
| 10 | University of Phoenix | 36/288 | 12.5% | 9.2–16.8% | 3.1 | 5.2% (15/288) | 0.6% |
| 11 | Oregon State University Ecampus | 34/288 | 11.8% | 8.6–16% | 3.4 | 1.4% (4/288) | 0.2% |
| 12 | Excelsior University | 30/288 | 10.4% | 7.4–14.5% | 3.6 | 2.4% (7/288) | 0.3% |
| 13 | Capella University | 29/288 | 10.1% | 7.1–14.1% | 2.8 | 1.4% (4/288) | 0.2% |
| 14 | American Public University System | 26/288 | 9% | 6.2–12.9% | 4.5 | 3.5% (10/288) | 0.4% |
| 15 | Grand Canyon University | 24/288 | 8.3% | 5.7–12.1% | 3.8 | 1% (3/288) | 0.2% |
| 16 | Walden University | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 4.2 | 2.4% (7/288) | 0.3% |
| 17 | National University | 20/288 | 6.9% | 4.5–10.5% | 3.9 | 4.9% (14/288) | 0.8% |
| 18 | Colorado State University Global | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% | 4.3 | 2.1% (6/288) | 0.3% |
| 19 | Charter Oak State College | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 4.4 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 20 | University of Illinois Chicago | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 2.5 | 3.1% (9/288) | 0.4% |
| 21 | University of Massachusetts Global | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 6 | 1.4% (4/288) | 0.2% |
| 22 | Strayer University | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 5.1 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 23 | DeVry University | 5/288 | 1.7% | 0.7–4% | 3.6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 24 | Colorado Technical University | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 3 | 1% (3/288) | 0.1% |
The top eight, side by side
| # | Name | Appearance rate | Answers and interval | Other measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | 49.3% | 142/288 answers · 95% CI 43.6–55.1% | first-mention position: 2.5; owned-domain citation (56/288): 19.4%; citation share: 2.7% |
| 2 | Arizona State University Online | 41.3% | 119/288 answers · 95% CI 35.8–47.1% | first-mention position: 2.8; owned-domain citation (30/288): 10.4%; citation share: 1.3% |
| 3 | University of Florida Online | 34.4% | 99/288 answers · 95% CI 29.1–40% | first-mention position: 2.4; owned-domain citation (8/288): 2.8%; citation share: 0.3% |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | 31.6% | 91/288 answers · 95% CI 26.5–37.2% | first-mention position: 3.2; owned-domain citation (26/288): 9%; citation share: 1.2% |
| 5 | University of Maryland Global Campus | 25.7% | 74/288 answers · 95% CI 21–31% | first-mention position: 3.4; owned-domain citation (17/288): 5.9%; citation share: 0.7% |
| 6 | Purdue Global | 24.0% | 69/288 answers · 95% CI 19.4–29.2% | first-mention position: 4; owned-domain citation (21/288): 7.3%; citation share: 1.1% |
| 7 | Penn State World Campus | 19.4% | 56/288 answers · 95% CI 15.3–24.4% | first-mention position: 3.6; owned-domain citation (8/288): 2.8%; citation share: 0.3% |
| 8 | Liberty University Online | 15.3% | 44/288 answers · 95% CI 11.6–19.9% | first-mention position: 4.2; owned-domain citation (20/288): 6.9%; citation share: 0.8% |
Gemini named Western Governors University in 45 of 72 answers. The other engines did so in 31 to 35 of 72.
ChatGPT
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Same questions, different answers
Western Governors University
48.6%
Arizona State University Online
34.7%
Southern New Hampshire University
29.2%
University of Maryland Global Campus
26.4%
Purdue Global
23.6%
University of Florida Online
19.4%
Claude
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Arizona State University Online
50.0%
University of Florida Online
44.4%
Western Governors University
43.1%
Southern New Hampshire University
27.8%
University of Maryland Global Campus
25.0%
Penn State World Campus
22.2%
Gemini
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Western Governors University
62.5%
Arizona State University Online
38.9%
University of Florida Online
36.1%
Southern New Hampshire University
36.1%
Purdue Global
31.9%
University of Maryland Global Campus
27.8%
Perplexity
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Western Governors University
43.1%
Arizona State University Online
41.7%
University of Florida Online
37.5%
Southern New Hampshire University
33.3%
University of Maryland Global Campus
23.6%
Purdue Global
23.6%
Google AI Overviews were captured through 70 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 69 = 357 answers.
The fifth engine
99%
Trigger rate: 69 of 70 searches
Google AI Overviews appeared on 69 of 70 searches (98.6%, CI 92.3–99.7%). The other search showed no overview. Within the 69 overviews, Western Governors University was named in 38 (55.1%), Southern New Hampshire University was named in 27 (39.1%), Purdue Global was named in 26 (37.7%), American Public University System was named in 18 (26.1%). reddit.com was the most-cited source, with 34 citations and an appearance in 32 of 69 overviews.
| Five-engine rank | Name | Five-engine rate | Four-engine rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | 50.4% | 1 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Online | 37.3% | 2 |
| 3 | Southern New Hampshire University | 33.1% | 4 |
| 4 | University of Florida Online | 32.2% | 3 |
| 5 | Purdue Global | 26.6% | 6 |
| 6 | University of Maryland Global Campus | 25.5% | 5 |
| 7 | Penn State World Campus | 18.2% | 7 |
| 8 | Liberty University Online | 16.0% | 8 |
| 9 | University of the People | 13.4% | 9 |
| 10 | American Public University System | 12.3% | 14 |
Who each question surfaces first
Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.
| Question | Leader | Next | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q01 · 12 answers | Arizona State University Online 100.0% | Western Governors University 91.7%; Southern New Hampshire University 91.7% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q02 · 12 answers | University of Florida Online 58.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches | |
| Q03 · 12 answers | University of Florida Online 50.0% | Arizona State University Online 25.0%; Western Governors University 25.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q04 · 12 answers | University of the People 100.0% | Western Governors University 66.7%; University of Florida Online 50.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q05 · 12 answers | Western Governors University 83.3% | University of Illinois Chicago 66.7%; University of Florida Online 58.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q07 · 12 answers | Oregon State University Ecampus 91.7% | Western Governors University 75.0%; University of Florida Online 50.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
The four engines produced 2,371 citations in total. onlineu.com was cited most often, with 84 citations (3.5%) across 75 answers. Next came learn.org (73), wgu.edu (64), research.com (58), forbes.com (56), usnews.com (56).
Four AI engines · share of 288 grounded answers
Most-cited domains
onlineu.com
26.0%
learn.org
21.2%
wgu.edu
19.4%
forbes.com
16.3%
research.com
14.2%
usnews.com
13.2%
collegetransitions.com
13.2%
uopeople.edu
10.4%
asuonline.asu.edu
10.4%
nexford.edu
9.7%
Google AI Overviews · share of 69 overviews
reddit.com
46.4%
youtube.com
29.0%
usnews.com
14.5%
wgu.edu
7.2%
newlane.edu
7.2%
research.com
5.8%
purdueglobal.edu
5.8%
amberton.edu
4.3%
bestcolleges.com
4.3%
cybersecurityguide.org
4.3%
Citation share by source type
Share of all citations by the type of site cited. Source types were reclassified on October 29, 2026. 'Company / brand sites' now covers only the official sites of companies, brands and schools; publishers, directories, trade bodies and other sites have their own types, and sites that could not be placed are 'Other / unclassified'.
| Source type | Four AI engines (of 2,371 citations) | Google AI Overviews (of 206 citations) |
|---|---|---|
| Company / brand sites | 1,208 (50.9%) | 70 (34%) |
| Directories / rankings | 528 (22.3%) | 33 (16%) |
| Review / comparison publishers | 272 (11.5%) | 13 (6.3%) |
| General news / business press | 88 (3.7%) | 6 (2.9%) |
| Institutions / trade bodies | 80 (3.4%) | 4 (1.9%) |
| Trade / specialist press | 66 (2.8%) | 4 (1.9%) |
| Community / social | 40 (1.7%) | 65 (31.6%) |
| Reference | 35 (1.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Official / government | 29 (1.2%) | 11 (5.3%) |
| Research / data providers | 13 (0.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Other / unclassified | 9 (0.4%) | 0 (0%) |
| General news / sports media | 3 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) |
What AI answers
Which school do AI engines name most often?
Western Governors University, named in 142 of 288 four-engine answers (49.3%, CI 43.6–55.1%). Arizona State University Online was second at 119 of 288 (41.3%). The intervals overlap, so the two cannot be separated statistically.
Which school is named first most often?
Western Governors University was the first school named in 63 of 288 answers, with an average first position of 2.5.
How often do Google AI Overviews appear for these questions?
An overview appeared on 69 of 70 searches (98.6%, CI 92.3–99.7%). Within those 69 overviews, Western Governors University was named most often, in 38 (55.1%).
Which sources do the engines cite?
Across 2,371 four-engine citations, onlineu.com was cited most (84 citations, in 75 of 288 grounded answers), followed by learn.org (73 citations).
Do the four engines agree?
Only in part. Gemini named Western Governors University in 45 of 72 answers, against 31 to 35 of 72 on the other engines. Claude named Grand Canyon University in 12 of 72 answers, against 3 to 5 of 72 on the other engines.
How this study was measured
24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 70 Google searches · 69 AI Overviews
24 questions, each asked 3 times on each engine, measured October 28, 2026. Market: United States, English. The destination site was not mentioned to any engine. Gemini answers were produced by gemini-3.6-flash; every Gemini answer in this report used that one model. All 72 Gemini answers had search sources. Schools count as named when they appear in the answer text; products and name variants roll up to the tracked name. Longer names take precedence over shorter overlapping ones, and common words count only in context. Unicode apostrophes and dashes are normalized.
| Engine | Model IDs called | Asked | Returned | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-mini | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Claude | claude-sonnet-5-5 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Gemini | gemini-3.6-flash | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Perplexity | sonar-pro | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Google AI Overviews | DataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced) | 70 | 69 shown | 69 |
Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.
Definitions
- Appearance rate: answers naming the school ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
- First mention: average order in which the school first appears (1 = first).
- Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the school's domains ÷ grounded answers.
- Citation share: citations to the school's domains ÷ all citations.
Limits
- Measured on one day, October 28, 2026. Each engine answered 24 questions 3 times. Answers came from each engine's API (model IDs above); the consumer apps can answer differently.
- Only 25 tracked schools were scored. Untracked names that appeared often were not scored, including Georgia Institute of Technology (33), Thomas Edison State University (25), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (24), Pennsylvania State University (17).
- AI Overview figures are based on only 69 overviews, so estimates for individual schools are less precise than the four-engine figures.
- 2 Google searches could not be fetched by DataForSEO after three tries. They are excluded from the AI Overview figures, so the trigger rate uses 70 searches.
- Reports describe what the engines said, attributed to the engines. They make no judgement about the people or organizations named and are not legal or financial advice.
- Some answers were asked again on October 28, 2026 after a storage error. The earlier texts are kept in the evidence archive and are not used in the counts.
- Intervals treat each answer as independent, so they understate uncertainty for the 24 repeated questions.
- Corrected October 29, 2026: own-domain citation now uses each name's official domains (subdomains included), listed in the evidence file entity_rollups.csv. Names without a resolvable official site count zero.
Appendix: The 24 questions
Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.
| # | Question | Group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What are the best online colleges for working adults? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 02 | What is the best online MBA? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 03 | What is the best online MBA without the GMAT? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 04 | What is the cheapest accredited online bachelor's degree? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 05 | What is the best online RN to BSN program? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 06 | What is the best online master's in nursing for nurse practitioners? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 07 | What is the best online computer science degree? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 08 | What is the best online cybersecurity degree? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 09 | What is the best online master's in education? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 10 | What are the best online colleges for military and veterans? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 11 | What is the most affordable accredited online college per credit hour? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 12 | Are online degrees from for-profit universities respected by employers? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Core question |
| 13 | Which accredited online universities offer competency-based degree programs? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 14 | Which online MBA programs hold AACSB accreditation? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 15 | Which online bachelor's programs accept transfer credits from community colleges? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 16 | Which online universities publish total program costs including fees? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 17 | Which online nursing programs disclose state authorization and clinical placement requirements? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 18 | Which online computer science programs offer asynchronous classes? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 19 | Which online cybersecurity programs are designated by the National Centers of Academic Excellence? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 20 | Which online education programs lead to teacher licensure? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 21 | Which online universities participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 22 | Which online colleges offer credit for military training and prior learning? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 23 | Which online universities offer part-time master's programs for working adults? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
| 24 | Which public universities offer fully online bachelor's degrees nationwide? | Online Universities AI Visibility Index 2026 | Added question |
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