University of the people is abbreviated as UoPeople. It is a first non-profit private, American-accredited, distance education university. University of People is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is identified by US Department of Education. The DEAC is also identified by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Although, University is approved by California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, a regulatory body for protection of student and customer operating in the state of California. Moreover, UoPeople has been identified as a candidate through WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) for Accreditation. In this article, we discussed brief history, University of the People Rankings, Programs, Programs Requirements and Tuition Fees in detail.
1 Brief History of University of the People
- In January 2009, University of People was established by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef. However, the university has no campus due to its online distance education.
- The first University of People students start classes in September 2009 for studying associate and bachelor’s degrees in computer science and business administration. But that time, university had no accreditation.
- University of the People awarded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in February 2012 and grants $613,282 for assisting university to earn national accreditation. After two years later, university was accredited for degree granting programs by Distance Education Accrediting Commission. University starts offering an online Master of Business Administration program in 2016 which is not accredited by AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS.
- University became a member of UNESCO in 2020 and in June 2021, University of People acquired candidate status with WASC Senior College and University Commission which is a regional accrediting body.
2 University of the People Rankings
- Ranked 4245 of 14,160 in the world.
- Ranked 1165 of 2,624 in North America.
- Ranked 1091 of 2,523 in the United States.
- Ranked 93 of 251 in California.
- Ranked 4 of 7 in Pasadena.
3 University of the People Accreditation Programs
University of People is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and is partnered with top universities globally. The University of People provides degree programs in Education, Computer Science, Health Science and Business Administration as well.
4 University of the People Accreditation Programs Requirements
University of the People has a number of program requirements for applicants like
- An applicant must be 16 years old or older.
- An applicant must have proficiency in English language.
- An applicant must be able to demonstrate high school completion.
If you want to apply for admissions to University of the People, applicants must need to complete an application form and pay a non-refundable application fee of $60.
4.1 Non-Native English Speakers
Moreover, applicants who have not completed high school yet or those who are non-native English speakers will need to successfully complete University of the People English course before proceeding to University of the People foundations.
4.2 Entrance Exams
Entrance Exams are not required if you want to take admission to the online degree program at University of the People.
4.3 Foundation Courses
If you want to enroll in Undergraduate degree program, applicants must have successfully completed the University of the People foundation courses. Once you have passed the foundation courses and sent their proof of high school completion certificate, then you may continue as degree students in their desired undergraduate degree program at University of People.
Submit proof of high school completion certificate at University of the People through mail id or you can submit online too.
5 University of the People Tuition Fees
University of the People doesn’t charge students to enroll, pay for textbooks or other course materials. The mission of university is to offer affordable, online tuition-free higher education accessible to everyone, anytime and anywhere but students do have to pay administrative fees ranging from $2,460 for an associate’s degree of two years to $ 4,860 for a bachelor’s degree of four years. Students can apply for scholarships also who cannot afford the administrative fee.
To summarize the above work, we can conclude that University of the People is an accredited university in the United States. Several UoPeople graduates holding UoPeople degrees have a great success in future because American degree is identified globally due to the fact that American higher education is considered to be the golden standard of higher education.
