World's First Tuition Free University
UoPeople strives to ensure, in keeping with its mission, that no qualified individual is excluded for financial reasons. To assist students in financial need, UoPeople has dedicated student scholarship funds. Corporate sponsors include Hewlett-Packard’s sponsorship of 100 HP Scholars as part of the UoPeople Women Scholarship Fund; Microsoft's sponsorship of 1,000 African students as part of the 4Afrika initiative; Western Union's sponsorship of students and Intel Foundation’s sponsorship of women students from Haiti.
Integrity
About UoPeople
University of the People (UoPeople) is the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited, online academic institution dedicated to opening access to higher education globally for all qualified individuals, despite financial, geographic or societal constraints.
In February 2014 UoPeople received accreditation from the Distance and Education Training Council, a U.S. Department of Education authorized accrediting agency.
Founded in 2009 by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef, UoPeople is affiliated with the United Nations GAID, the Clinton Global Initiative, and Yale Law School ISP. UoPeople has signed collaborative partnership agreements with New York University (NYU) to accept students; Microsoft for scholarships, internships and mentoring and with Hewlett-Packard (HP), through the Catalyst Initiative, to provide student internship opportunities. UoPeople offers undergraduate programs in Business Administration and Computer Science. To date, more than 2,000 students from over 150 countries have been admitted. Of students polled consecutively each term, 95% would recommend UoPeople to a peer.
With its tuition-free online programs, University of the People is opening access to higher education for all those constrained, as well as building a scalable and replicable model capable of changing the very nature of higher education. The non-profit UoPeople has managed to succeed in cutting down almost the entire cost of higher education, and does not charge for tuition or books/materials. All that is asked is for students to pay a one-time application processing fee ($50) and subsequent modest examination processing fees ($100) levied per course. There are no other fees whatsoever.
UoPeople strives to ensure, in keeping with its mission, that no qualified individual is excluded for financial reasons. To assist students in financial need, UoPeople has dedicated student scholarship funds. Corporate sponsors include Hewlett-Packard’s sponsorship of 100 HP Scholars as part of the UoPeople Women Scholarship Fund; Microsoft's sponsorship of 1,000 African students as part of the 4Afrika initiative; Western Union's sponsorship of students and Intel Foundation’s sponsorship of women students from Haiti.
Partners & Allies
University of the People works with different types of organizations to help further access to higher education and to ensure that a quality online education is accessible to all qualified students around the globe. Learn more about our partnerships below.
UoPeople engages in numerous partnerships with public and private institutions throughout the world in order to extend its global reach. Although UoPeople carefully chooses its partners, this does not in any way suggest or imply that UoPeople approves, supports and/or sponsors these organizations, or the points of view espoused by them. University of the People is committed to its goals of diversity and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status and gender expression), citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or any other class or categorization of human beings.
Vision
The University of the People (UoPeople) believes that access to higher education is a key ingredient in the promotion of world peace and global economic development. It views higher education as a basic right, and believes that it can both transform the lives of individuals and be an important force for societal change. UoPeople believes that education plays a fundamental role in strengthening respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in promoting understanding and tolerance.
Mission
The mission of University of the People is to offer affordable, quality, online, degree-granting educational programs to any qualified student.
Our Goals
To provide the opportunity for higher education to students from diverse backgrounds through:
- Utilizing the internet to provide distance education
- Offering programs at minimal costs
- Providing a wide range of financial assistance options
- Promoting the University's programs in underserved regions of the world
To offer quality programs that:
- Maintain high academic standards
- Include core components to foster critical thinking, communication, and commitment to lifelong learning
- Focus on competencies and skills required for success in the global economy
- Are continually assessed and improved through regular outcome assessment and external reviews
- Promote a culture of shared learning through collaboration, interaction and peer-to-peer teaching and assessment
- Are designed around open educational resources (OER)
To provide students with services that contribute to the achievement of the desired learning outcomes by:
- Engaging in a constant process of continual improvement
- Utilizing technology and automation to improve service and accuracy
To assist students in developing, evaluating, and implementing employment decisions and plans by:
- Helping students develop self-knowledge related to career choice and work preferences
- Providing educational and occupational information to guide students’ career and educational planning and to develop their understanding of the world of work
- Linking students with alumni, employers, and professional organizations that can provide opportunities to integrate academic learning with the work environment and explore future career possibilities
To ensure institutional financial stability and growth through:
- Utilizing volunteers for leadership, academic and administrative work
- Maintaining highly efficient processes
- Developing a community of supporters
Our Values
Opportunity
UoPeople is based on the belief that education at a minimal cost is a basic right for all qualified applicants, not just for a privileged few. The University works to open the gates of higher education to qualified students anywhere in the world by offering its programs through distance learning and by making this opportunity affordable.
Community
UoPeople creates a global community by making its academic programs, educational services, and employment opportunities available to qualified individuals from all over the world, and by providing learning opportunities that engage students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
Integrity
UoPeople grounds its institutional culture in candor, transparency and best professional practices, and expects all students, faculty, staff, and administrators to uphold the highest standards of personal integrity, honesty and responsibility. Additionally, the University expects its students to take responsibility for their education, and to pursue their studies diligently and with seriousness of purpose.
Quality
UoPeople provides a high-quality, online liberal arts education suitable in scope and depth to the challenges of the 21st century. The University assesses and evaluates all aspects of its academic model on an ongoing basis.
Admissions
UoPeople believes that access to Higher Education is a basic right and should be available to all regardless of geographical, social or financial barriers. However, UoPeople does have some requirements to ensure that students are academically ready for Higher Education. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, proficient in English, and able to prove that they have successfully completed High School. (Further details can be found under general requirements). If you meet these criteria you are encouraged to apply to study at UoPeople. A detailed explanation of what applying to UoPeople involves can be found below under 'Admissions Process'.
Overseeing the Admissions Process is the Office of Admissions. As well as processing completed applications, the job of the Office of Admissions is to provide support and assistance to applicants, should they need it, at any time during the admissions process. They are here to serve you and can always be contacted at admissions@uopeople.edu.
Although UoPeople is tuition-free, it is not completely free. All we ask from our students is to pay an application fee which ranges from $10-50 (depending on which country you are applying from) and Exam Processing Fees, which are $100 per exam. For students who are unable to pay this amount, UoPeople has a variety of scholarship programs designed to meet the unique needs of our students.
University of the People offers an educational opportunity that gives students the essential tools to start, change or advance their careers. We don’t simply offer high-level, relevant programs in a flexible online format, but the building blocks to succeed. We empower our students, and we hope to empower you too.