University of the People

University of the People was launched by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef in January 2009.[3] Although the university has no campus[4] due to its online distance learning nature, it uses a shared office in California as an office of admission.[5]

The first UoPeople students began classes in September 2009, studying for associate and bachelor's degrees in business administration and computer science. At that time, the school had no accreditation and did not charge any fees or tuition.[4] In 2009 Information Society Project (ISP) of Yale University started a digital education research partnership.[6]

In February 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the University of the People a grant of $613,282 for the purposes of helping the university earn national accreditation.[7] Two years later the university was accredited for degree-granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[8]

In March 2016, the university began offering an online MBA, with the course itself beginning in September 2016.[9] The MBA is not accredited by any business school accreditation bodies (e.g. AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS).[10]

In 2017, the University of Edinburgh partnered with the school so that graduates of the University of the People could complete a bachelor's or postgraduate degree at the University;[11] That same year, Olympian Simone Biles became a student and a spokeswoman for the school, and in 2018 she set up a scholarship fund to help financially struggling students.[12][13]

In January 2019, International Baccalaureate partnered with the University of the People to offer a Master's of Education in Advanced Teaching,[14] and a year later in January 2020 began offering scholarships for this M.Ed. program.[15]

UoPeople in Arabic, announced in the World Economic Forum[16] in April 2019, launched in September 2020 with its own website in Arabic.[17] [18]

In 2020 the University became a member of UNESCO global education coalition [19] [20] and a member of the United Nations Academic Impact.[21] In February 2021, the University and Harvard Business School Online announced a collaboration that allows UoPeople students to study various Harvard University courses. [22] [23]

University of the People is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[24] It is also approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.[25]

In July 2020, University of the People was ranked 5,822 in the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, which ranks institutions based on the volume, visibility, and impact of their web presences.[26][27]

University of the People charges no tuition fees, but students must pay some administrative fees to cover course assessments.[28] These include processing fees for applications and final exam assessments. According to UNHCR scholarships are available to refugees. [29] Scholarships are also available to other students.[12] The approximate cost of Associate Degree is $2,460 and of Bachelor’s Degree is $4,860. [30]

• Official website

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