Has anyone heard of university of the people?

[Excelsior! Academy]

They claim to be a free, online, accredited university.  Thoughts? Opinions?  Scam?

 

 

https://www.uopeople.edu

Edited October 11, 2021 by Excelsior! Academy

[itsheresomewhere]

That place popped up for me too on a site.  I wondered about them.  

[Dmmetler]

The education program is only going to be useful if you are in a district or private school which counts grad credits from anywhere for pay scale advancement and you’re already state certified, or in a job that doesn’t require such. I don’t see where it would give you a leg up for any other role in education, and I frankly hope that this degree wouldn’t be considered sufficient to teach at a 2 or 4 year college level. I have real problems with ELA OR STEM being a choice of electives at the elementary level since any teacher would need to teach both. 

[Pam in CT]

NPR has done a handful of programs about it over the years (just google "npr" and "university of the people" and they'll come up).  I remember listening to this one when it came out and being very inspired.  At that time (2015) I was unable to find a way to contribute within my geographic area, but I imagine the need only increased since then -- thanks for the reminder.

[Bootsie]

It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Agency.  It is in the application process for accreditation by the Western Asssociation (WSCUC).  Its individual programs, such as business, are not accredited by one of hte business school accrediting agencies.  The term "accredited" can mean a wide range of things.  In this case, its courses would probably not be accepted for transfer credit by most other schools.

[Katy]

It doesn’t appear to be regionally accredited, and that’s the one that matters. 

[ktgrok]

Interesting. I'll keep an eye on them. I would love to finish my Bachelors, but it just isn't practical or financially smart at this point. I have no reason to actually NEED it, but would be nice to be able to say I have it. But I have no interest in computer science, health , education, etc nor do I have credits that would apply. I'd need an interdisciplinary program, English, or Religion. 

[Corraleno]

34 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Interesting. I'll keep an eye on them. I would love to finish my Bachelors, but it just isn't practical or financially smart at this point. I have no reason to actually NEED it, but would be nice to be able to say I have it. But I have no interest in computer science, health , education, etc nor do I have credits that would apply. I'd need an interdisciplinary program, English, or Religion. 

Have you looked into Thomas Edison State University? They take pretty much any transfer credits as well as all CLEPs and DSSTs, and they have their own credit-by-exam program, TECEP, that coordinates with free courses offered by Saylor Foundation. What most people seem to do is study for and pass all the CLEPs and DSSTs that TESU accepts towards a degree, then register once they've almost got enough credits to graduate, and then take any remaining requirements through TESU, so they graduate quickly. It's specifically designed for working adults and it's a fairly cheap, flexible, fully accredited way to finish a degree. There are a few other colleges and universities with programs similar to TESU (Excelsior College, Charter Oak State University, and I think a couple more), but I'm more familiar with TESU because my SIL finished her degree through them and found them really helpful and easy to work with.

The InstantCert forum has tons of information and support for people doing degrees like this, and  that part of the forum is open and free. There is also a paid subscription available for access to targeted advice and study aids for all the CLEPs and DSSTs (I think it was like $20/month when DS used it for CLEP prep). If you're interested, you can poke around on the InstantCert forum, there are whole threads on TESU and the other colleges, as well as general information about the requirements for these degrees, which CLEPs/DSSTs transfer, which TECEPs are easiest, etc.

InstantCert Forum:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/index.php

TESU: https://www.tesu.edu/academics/online-degrees

[cbollin]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

Interesting. I'll keep an eye on them. I would love to finish my Bachelors, but it just isn't practical or financially smart at this point. I have no reason to actually NEED it, but would be nice to be able to say I have it. But I have no interest in computer science, health , education, etc nor do I have credits that would apply. I'd need an interdisciplinary program, English, or Religion. 

wanted to share that one place to check when the time is right is degreeforum.net  I learned a lot on that forum to help my middle daughter get a bachelors in an interdisciplinary approach.   Some people end up finishing out for just a few thousand instead of 10s of thousands and ways to do it in less time than traditional routes.  with that said, U of People does not get a lot of good mention on that forum from experiences shared. Small sample sizes of course and it could be those who don't like it are the vocal minority. 

edit to add:  was typing same time as Corraleno.   Yes, that's where I learned my info.  someone over there should be able to link to the "start here" part of the wiki associated with the forum.  I can't seem to find the right link for that.   (yes, we did TESU with CLEP and other options that were ACE Credit). But you might find it. 

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by cbollin

[ktgrok]

14 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Have you looked into Thomas Edison State University? They take pretty much any transfer credits as well as all CLEPs and DSSTs, and they have their own credit-by-exam program, TECEP, that coordinates with free courses offered by Saylor Foundation. What most people seem to do is study for and pass all the CLEPs and DSSTs that TESU accepts towards a degree, then register once they've almost got enough credits to graduate, and then take any remaining requirements through TESU, so they graduate quickly. It's specifically designed for working adults and it's a fairly cheap, flexible, fully accredited way to finish a degree. There are a few other colleges and universities with programs similar to TESU (Excelsior College, Charter Oak State University, and I think a couple more), but I'm more familiar with TESU because my SIL finished her degree through them and found them really helpful and easy to work with.

The InstantCert forum has tons of information and support for people doing degrees like this, and  that part of the forum is open and free. There is also a paid subscription available for access to targeted advice and study aids for all the CLEPs and DSSTs (I think it was like $20/month when DS used it for CLEP prep). If you're interested, you can poke around on the InstantCert forum, there are whole threads on TESU and the other colleges, as well as general information about the requirements for these degrees, which CLEPs/DSSTs transfer, which TECEPs are easiest, etc.

InstantCert Forum:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/index.php

TESU: https://www.tesu.edu/academics/online-degrees

I have, I looked at TESU, Charter Oak, and WGU, if I remember right. One of them ended up being a better idea, and I'd only need a few courses  - basically their required capstone and seminar courses or something like that. Maybe one other one, I can't remember. I'll have to go back and look at some point!

[Wheres Toto]

Two of my degrees are from TESU.  I had credits from all over the place, took a few more CLEPS and TECEPs, one or two online courses and was done.  It's an in-state state university for me so it was definitely a better price, as well as easier to do as a full time working mom. 

[Laura Corin]

Zombie thread.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Double Zombie.  It must be Halloween time.