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University of the People

Coordinates: 34°08′31″N 118°08′01″W / 34.142°N 118.1337°W / 34.142; -118.1337
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University of the People
TypePrivate online university
EstablishedFebruary 2009; 15 years ago (February 2009)
AccreditationDEAC[1][2]
PresidentShai Reshef
Administrative staff
57[3]
Students152,933[4]
Location
Pasadena
,
California
,
United States
Websiteuopeople.edu
upright=.7[citation needed]  

The University of the People (UoPeople) is a private online university, in the United States, based in California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. Most of its students study business administration.

History

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University of the People President Shai Reshef and Provost Emeritus David Cohen

University of the People was started by Shai Reshef in January 2009.[5] The university has no campus due to its online distance learning nature; it uses a shared office in Pasadena, California as an office of admission.[6][7]

The first UoPeople students began classes in September 2009, studying for associate and bachelor's degrees in business administration and computer science.[citation needed]

In 2016, the university began offering an online MBA.[8]

In 2017, the University of Edinburgh partnered with the school so that Health Science graduates of the University of the People could complete a bachelor's at UE.[9]

In 2018, the university announced the new online Master of Education in Advanced Teaching in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate.[10] This new program started taking in students in 2019. IB started to offer 80 scholarships for eligible M.Ed. students in 2020.[11]

UoPeople in Arabic, announced in the World Economic Forum[12] in April 2019, launched in September 2020 with its own website in Arabic; it uses a different website in Arabic and does not require proof of English knowledge.[13][14]

In 2020, the UNESCO launched the "Global Education Coalition" in response to the Covid 19 pandemic.[15] The University became a member of this coalition.[16]

Accreditation

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Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)

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In February 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the University of the People a grant of $613,282 for the purpose of helping the university earn national accreditation.[17] Two years later, the university was accredited for degree-granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[1][2]

WASC Senior College and University Commission attempt

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University of the People received "candidate" status in June 2021 with WASC Senior College and University Commission.[18]

According to WASC, "Candidacy indicates that the institution meets all or nearly all the Standards at a minimum level. Candidacy is not accreditation and does not ensure eventual accreditation".[19]

In its March 2023 report on their November 2022 - February 2023 accreditation review (their second) of University of the People, the WASC commission assessed that the university again met most accreditation criteria, sufficient to be listed as a "candidate" for accreditation (with no promise of eventual accreditation).[20][21]

But the commission assessed that the university had inadequacies in setting and monitoring defined curriculum outcomes; inappropriate grading (including allowing "peer evaluations and grading" to somewhat substitute for faculty grading of students); and inadequate analysis of long-term education outcomes. Other areas of shortfall, cited by the commission, included extensive concerns about data record-keeping and analysis (including student progress and outcomes); lumping all students together, rather than individualized approaches "to support inclusive student success"; inappropriately conflating "co-curricular programs" with "student support services"; inadequate long-term budgeting and planning; and a lack of "clear and consistent... metrics across departments".[20][21]

Facilities

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The "main campus" of the university is a facility in Pasadena, California.[22]

University of the People Education Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary[23] which provides support services to the institution.[24] The subsidiary is registered with the Israeli Corporations Authority[25] and maintains an office in Tel Aviv, Israel.[26]

Fees

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According to the University of the People, the university charges no tuition fees but students must pay some administrative fees to cover course assessments, ranging from $2,460 for an associate's degree (two years) to $4,860 for a bachelor's degree (four years).[27] These include processing fees for applications.

The university does not participate in federal financial aid programs,[28] but it does offer scholarships to eligible students.[29][30][31]

References

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  1. ^ a b Accrediting Commission - Grant of Accreditation, DETC, February 13, 2014; Report from the Accrediting Commission - Renewal of Accreditation Archived September 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, DEAC, February 27, 2017,
  2. ^ a b "Directory of Accredited Institutions".
  3. ^ "University of the People's Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, 2019" (PDF). IRS.gov (Form 990). July 23, 2021. p. 1 (PDF page: 27). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "University of the People".
  5. ^ "It's Time to Give Back". Inc. April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Online University For All Balances Big Goals, Expensive Realities". NPR.org. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "University of the People," WASC Senior College and Univeristy Commission, retrieved December 9, 2024
  8. ^ "Here's how you can score a tuition-free MBA". make it. CNBC. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023. The university later introduced a health science track and then a graduate business degree in 2016.
  9. ^ "Partnership opens doors for students from adverse backgrounds". University of Edinburgh. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  10. ^ "University of the People and the IB partner to announce tuition-free Master of Education program". October 4, 2018.
  11. ^ "University of the People M.Ed. In Advanced Teaching". March 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "WEF meeting in Jordan to address 'new platforms of cooperation'". April 5, 2019. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  13. ^ "هل تريد أن تصبح طالباً؟" [Do you want to be a student?]. ar.uopeople.edu (in Arabic). Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "In Brief". UoPeople. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "UNESCO's Global Education Coalition".
  16. ^ "UoPeople Response". UNESCO. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "University of the People". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. January 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "June 2021 Commission Actions". wscuc.org. July 13, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "WSCUC Glossary | WASC Senior College and University Commission". Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  20. ^ a b letter, November 29 – December 2, 2022, WASC Senior College and University Commission, retrieved December 9, 2024
  21. ^ a b REPORT OF THE WSCUC VISITING TEAM SEEKING ACCREDITATION VISIT 2 for Institutions Seeking Initial Accreditation: The University of the People, November 29 – December 2, 2022, WASC Senior College and University Commission, retrieved December 9, 2024
  22. ^ "University of the People,", locations directory, WASC Senior College and University Commission, retrieved December 9, 2024
  23. ^ "University of the People's Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, 2018" (PDF). IRS.gov (Form 990, Schedule F, Part IV). July 17, 2020. p. 2 (PDF page: 38). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "University of the People's Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, 2018" (PDF). IRS.gov (Form 990, Part I). July 17, 2020. p. 1 (PDF page: 37). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  25. ^ "University of the People Education Ltd (CC) - 514228139". Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  26. ^ "University of the People's Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, 2018" (PDF). IRS.gov (Form 990, Schedule R, Part IV). July 17, 2020. p. 2 (PDF page: 38). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  27. ^ "Our fees". uopeople.edu. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  28. ^ "University of the People". WSCUC. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Report of the WSCUC Visiting Team: Seeking Accreditation Visit 1". WSCUC. Retrieved November 20, 2021. While the UoPeople does not provide federal financial aid, it does provide scholarships to support as many students experiencing financial difficulty as funds allow.
  30. ^ Coughlan, Sean (July 19, 2016). "Refugees study at online 'university of anywhere'". BBC News. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  31. ^ Malo, Sebastien. "Between shelling and displacement, Syrian students seek degrees online". U.S. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
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