Polyglycolic acid (PGA) is a class of semicrystalline, bioresorbable polymers that have been widely used in a number of applications. No other bioresorbable materials can fully replace PGA in tissue engineering. Understanding degradation mechanisms in PGA is important for improving the efficiency and effectiveness in various fields including implantation. This review begins with a discussion on terminology of polymer degradation and hydrolytic degradation mechanism with a delineative model. This review also focus on previous degradation studies taking advantage of its fast-degrading behavior and the mechanism behind hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) being the sole solvent for PGA. Finally, the merits of PGA are discussed with many potential future applications along with their associated challenges.