University of the People

Or did you mean University of Portsmouth (UoP) in the UK?

The University of the People (UoP) is a new, tuition-free university which promises to open the gates of higher education to anyone in the world interested in attending college. Opened in 2009, it believes that education at a very minimal cost is a basic right for all suitable applicants, not just for a privileged few.

The University of the People is:

based on the premise that education is crucial to the advancement of individuals and of society at large. There are millions of people around the world, especially in third world countries, who are excluded from higher education for various reasons: some live far away from academic institutions, others cannot afford the admission fee and tuition for the local university.

UoP received 2000 applications for 2009, and 178 students will begin their degrees in September 2009, according to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The inaugural pupils range in age from 16 to 61, and come from 49 countries, led by the United States, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brazil.

Its mail office is located in Pasadena, USA

The University of the People web site is at http://www.uopeople.com/

More details

UoP is the world’s first tuition-free, online academic institution and opened its virtual doors in April 2009. Founder and President Shai Reshef established UoP to combat the discrepancy between unprecedented access to the Internet, dropping technology costs and rising tuitions worldwide. UoP promises to revolutionize higher education by providing universal access to college studies-even in the poorest parts of the world.

UoP states that it can change the tuition-free feature in springtime 2010.

What is the learning model for UoP and who are the students?

Comprised of students from around the world, the student body learns through peer-to-peer teaching with the curriculum and support of respected scholars. Within the online study communities, students share resources, exchange ideas, discuss weekly topics, submit assignments and take exams. A community of educators, comprised of active and retired professors, master level students and other professionals, participate and oversee the assessment process. They will also develop ongoing procedures for curriculum evaluation and development.

Reports

Seb Schmoller comments in his blog:

Shai Reshef, the founder, is a serial entrepreneur with a very strong track record in making this kind of thing work. For example, a Netherlands-based for-profit company Reshef chaired, and which was subsequently sold to Laureate Inc., was the delivery partner for a range of Liverpool University online masters courses.

See also the launch press release:

• UN announces launch of world’s first tuition-free, online university, 19 May 2009, at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30848&Cr=ict&Cr1

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