University of the People

University of the People (UoPeople) is a non-profit, online academic institution that provides a tuition-free education to anyone around the world. UoPeople’s mission strives to provide access to undergraduate degree programs for qualified individuals, despite financial, geographic or societal constraints. Currently, UoPeople offers Associate (2-year) and Bachelor (4-year) degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science. Students must demonstrate English proficiency in order to apply, but introductory English language courses are offered to qualified applicants who do not meet this requirement. Applicants are required to submit an one-time application of $10-$50, based on the student’s native country and economic background. Administrative fees to cover exam processing are covered by a $100 fee per each course. Applicants in need may apply for scholarships.

In line with other online education platforms, UoPeople operates on a limited budget, employs collaborative and open-source e-learning tools, and hosts online study communities where students share resources and discuss weekly topics. However, UoPeople is distinct in that it offers specific degrees to a selected class. The inaugural class, which began courses in 2009, consisted of 177 students from 49 countries. A community of educators comprised of active and retired professors, librarians, master-level students and other professionals participate in the educational activity and oversee the assessment process of this tuition-free online education model. Former presidents of New York University, the University of Oxford, and the Indian Institute of Technology sit on UoPeople’s President’s Council, a team that works closely with UoPeople’s founder to bring together decades of experience and advance the mission of UoPeople. Successful UoPeople graduates have gone on to programs at world-renowned institutions such as New York University-Abu Dhabi, demonstrating the strength and integrity of UoPeople’s educational partnerships.

University of the People was founded in 2009 by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef. As of 2012, UoPeople has partnered with Yale University for research, New York University to accept students from its degree programs, and Hewlett-Packard, in conjunction with the Catalyst Initiative, for student internships. To date, students from more than 130 countries have been accepted to UoPeople. Reshef himself has 20 years of experience in the international education market. From 1989 to 2005, he served as Chairman of the Kidum Group, a for-profit educational services company. Between 2001 and 2004, Reshef also chaired KIT eLearning, the online learning partner of the University of Liverpool and the first online university outside of the United States. In just the past three years, UoPeople has gained numerous distinctions that are recognized worldwide. In 2009, Reshef was listed among the100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company and has been awarded an Ashoka fellowship. Press giants such as Business Week, NPR, and the Huffington Post have all touted UoPeople’s success. The most recent undertaking at UoPeople is the introduction of a Women’s Scholarship Fund, a $200,000 initiative pledged by Hewlett-Packard to educate 100 women.

Publicly available: yes
Countries where available: Worldwide
Price range (USD): Free
Available online: yes