University of the People is a tuition-free university. The University is a not for profit institution that does not charge students to take classes. Readings and course materials are available online, free of charge for each and every registered student. In the future, University of the People may require that students pay modest fees for application and assessment processing. These fees will be based on the standard of living in the student’s country or place of residence.
Harnessing the power of the web, University of the People is the first among tuition free universities. Determined to change the global mindset on higher education delivery, UoPeople and hopefully other tuition free universities will evolve traditional academic methods of learning and turn to the internet to bring university programs within reach of the majority rather than keeping it in the hands of the minority – irrespective of financial, geographical or social constraints.
Supporting under-served populations, the concept of tuition free universities were created to provide access to structured, degree-level programs in Business Administration and Computer Science. UoPeople accepts any applicant who has graduated from high school, has access to a computer and Internet and has sufficient English skills to complete the English-only courses.
Social networking and helping each other is a big part of the success of tuition free universities online. Peer-to-peer learning forms part of the overall learning and grading system where students are required to fully participate in discussions and answer questions posed by the faculty and other students in their groups and forums.
Underpinning the peer-to-peer methodology is the constant presence of academic faculty – both employed and volunteer – who provide the necessary support, within the learning environment, for students as they progress.
UoPeople is not yet an accredited institution; however its academic leadership and its advisory committee, comprised of senior academics from the likes of Columbia University, NYU, Yale and INSEAD, make sure of its commitment to provide quality academic programs. Although UoPeople is considered part of the innovative idea of tuition free universities and currently applies no fees at all, it will need in the future, to ensure self-sustainability, to charg nominal application and assessment processing fees.
