University of the People

University of the People (UoPeople) is a private not-for-profit, distance education university with its office in Pasadena, California. It was founded by entrepreneur Shai Reshef in 2009.[2]

University of the People
University seal
Latin: Universitas Populi
MottoThe Education Revolution
TypePrivate distance education university
EstablishedJanuary 2009
EndowmentUS$1.3 million (2013)
PresidentShai Reshef
Students31,474 (2020) [1]
Location
Pasadena
,
California
,
United States
CampusOnline
ColorsEggplant     
WebsiteUoPeople.edu
UoPeople President Shai Reshef and UoPeople Provost David Cohen

History

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 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.[6] This work paid off two years later when the university gained accreditation for degree-granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[7]

In March 2016, the university began offering an online MBA, with the course itself beginning in September 2016.[8] The MBA is not accredited by any business school accreditation bodies (e.g. AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS).[9]

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.[10] 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.[11][12]

In January 2019, International Baccalaureate partnered with the University of the People to offer a Master's of Education in Advanced Teaching.[13] In April 2019 it was announced in the World Economic Forum that the University of the People will be also launched in Arabic.[14]

Beginning in January 2020, International Baccalaureate offers scholarships to students who are interested in attending the UoPeople M.Ed. program.[15]

Accreditation

University of the People is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). It is also approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.[16] Currently (2020) it has no regional accreditation.

Rankings

In January 2020, University of the People was ranked 5,868 in the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.[17]

Fees

University of the People charges no tuition fees, but students must pay some administrative fees to cover course assessments.[18] These include processing fees for applications and final exam assessments; however, students who cannot afford the administrative costs may be eligible for scholarships.[11][19][20] Furthermore, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees the University of the People offers scholarships for refugees.[21]

References
  1. "Main page". UoPeople. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  2. Lewin, Tamar (January 25, 2009). "Israeli Entrepreneur Plans a Free Global University That Will Be Online Only". New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  3. "It's Time to Give Back". Inc. April 20, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  4. "An online university - with no fees". theguardian.com. October 6, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  5. "Online University For All Balances Big Goals, Expensive Realities". NPR.org. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. "University of the People". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. January 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017.
  7. Accrediting Commission - Grant of Accreditation, DETC, February 13, 2014
    Report from the Accrediting Commission - Renewal of Accreditation, DEAC, February 27, 2017
  8. "University of the People Launches MBA | AACSB BizEd Magazine". www.bizedmagazine.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. "University of the People is accredited, not just as you might think". March 2, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  10. "Partnership opens doors for students from adverse backgrounds". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  11. "Simone Biles speaks out about Nassar verdict in emotional interview with Hoda Kotb". Today. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  12. "Simone Biles extends helping hand to other U.S. foster kids". Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  13. "University of the People Frequently asked questions" (PDF). International Baccalaureate. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  14. "WEF meeting in Jordan to address 'new platforms of cooperation'". April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  15. "IB scholarships". Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  16. "BPPE - University of The People". Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  17. "University of the People". Webometrics Ranking of World Universities. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  18. "University of the People Online Tuition Free Degrees". Scholarships For Development. November 27, 2017.
  19. Coughlan, Sean (July 19, 2016). "Refugees study at online 'university of anywhere'". BBC News. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  20. Malo, Sebastien. "Between shelling and displacement, Syrian students seek degrees online". U.S. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  21. "Cities #WithRefugees*". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Retrieved August 18, 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.