How a Degree From UoPeople Can Change Your Life

If you want a fresh start or to advance in your career, here’s how a degree from UoPeople can change your life.

Access and financial ability should not hinder one’s ability to get an education. With University of the People’s model, it no longer will.

The University of the People (UoPeople) was founded as the first non-profit, tuition-free, American accredited online university that is designed to help qualified high school graduates obtain their Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees.

With over 17,000 students from more than 200 countries and territories, the University is revolutionizing education for everyone, including refugees from Syria and Uganda.

UNESCO estimates that by 2025, almost 100 million students will seek seats in universities that don’t exist, which is why online education is so important because it is unconstrained by physical and geographical borders.

Here’s a quick look at how a degree from UoPeople can help change your life.

A Fresh Start

Regardless of your reasoning to opt to earn an online degree, there are no restraints to who can apply.

For students from Nigeria, where there are not enough seats in classrooms, UoPeople is open. After earning his degree in Business Administration and becoming a CEO, Chima Ezisi shares, “I have always felt that accessible education is a panacea for global challenges. I have no doubt in my mind that the world will be a better place with equal access to quality education. University of the People is like a light that shines on equal global education. I will always be proud of my University of the People experience.”

For Syrian and Ugandan refugees with no place to call home, an internet connection is all that’s needed to continue learning. Student Ashraf Al-Kassem from Syria, has this message to share, “Unfortunately, countries around the world do not separate politics from education. For this and because I am Syrian, I have to suffer from various kinds of rejection from universities around the world. But at the UoPeople, the first university of its kind to recognize the equality of people regardless of their national affiliation, I was honored to be a member of her family.”

If you’re a single parent who wants to provide a better future for your family, UoPeople offers a fresh start for career progression or a new life path. Or, if you’re a prospective student from a single-family household whereby financial constraints have limited your previous access to education, look no further. Here’s a quick look at how Kasmani Dollah’s life changed when he found out about University of the People. He shares, “As I come from a lower income family, I was not able to pursue my dreams. My mother is a single parent with 4 children. In Singapore , the cost of living is very high. Thus, I was very happy to know that UoPeople support people like me.”

Maybe you dropped out of college or financial burdens were dissuading you from ever enrolling. UoPeople has a tuition-free model that means very minimized financial obligations are necessary to enroll. The only fees students are expected to pay are the application fee and assessment fees, but there are also scholarships to help cover these expenses.

With the online program, no matter where you are, how old you are, or your reason for studying, the only resources you need to access education is an internet connection. With the exception of tests, everything can even be done on a mobile device.

Along with personal reasons to get a collegiate degree, it’s proven that those with a degree earn more than their counterparts without one, which is yet another incentive to choose a low-cost program.

Not only will you save money getting your education, but you’ll also naturally open up the doors to earn more in your future. The more education you get, the more you earn. Here’s a look at the stats of average salaries by degree level:

• High School Diploma: $35,256
• Associate Degree: $41,496
• Bachelor’s Degree: $59,124
• Master’s Degree: $69,732

While financial mobility is a clear incentive, it’s not the only reason to earn your degree. With completion of the program also comes a sense of accomplishment and invaluable skills that are transferable in life and the job market.

Source: Unsplash

Sense of Accomplishment and Learned Skills

Earning one’s degree requires time, patience, dedication, and perseverance, but it’s totally doable! At University of the People, the courses are set up to be collaborative and even though there is no campus, it still feels as though you are working with your peers because the system is designed to encourage peer-to-peer learning through discussion groups and research-based education. Additionally, every student has their own personal academic advisor who is by their side throughout the entire process to answer any questions.

With the collaborative environment, teamwork is a skill that does not go unnoticed. And, much like in most work environments, the ability to work in a team proves to be useful and important to getting work done efficiently.

Additional skills learned through the online program, regardless of your major, are:

1. Time Management:

Online programs offer the inherent benefit of being flexible because they are completed on your own time. While that’s a pro, it means that the responsibility is on the student to manage their time wisely. Whether you enroll part-time or full-time, it’s imperative to set a schedule to learn as if you were in a classroom so that you don’t fall behind.

2. Problem Solving Mentality:

With a foundation of general education already set, Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s programs have the intention to set you up for the real world. Because there are generally multiple solutions to a single problem, the courses are designed to teach you to look at every situation in an objective manner to be able to come up with the best solution. This is a skill that will prove to be unparalleled in any work environment because problems are inevitable, but solutions come from the sharpest minds who are trained to look at situations from all angles before putting in the work to solve them.

3. Independence and Self-Starter Motivation:

Along with time management, a self-starter attitude will be the main motivation to log on and get work done. A useful tip to stay engaged and continuously feel inspired to learn is to write down your goal and reason for enrolling in the first place in a place where you can constantly remind yourself. Additionally, you can set up small rewards for certain achievements to stay focused.

Network and Corporate Partnerships

Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and as the old saying goes, “your network is your net worth.” Being able to meet people from all over the world can open up countless opportunities that you’d never otherwise have the chance to explore if not for the ability to network through the University of the People.

Along with the diverse pool of students comes the well-known corporate partners who believe so strongly in the University’s mission that they want to be a part of it!

Here’s a short list of some of our corporate partnerships:

• Google
• Facebook
• HP
• Pfizer
• Microsoft

To learn more, click here.

With these partnerships come internships and mentorships that are unique to our program. Our corporate partners are dedicated to helping our students succeed. With their help, students learn real-life experience that helps them navigate their future careers.

Source: Unsplash

Accredited Program Breeds Benefits

When choosing an online university, the most important consideration, other than that of finances, should be accreditation. Being accredited means that a third party has audited the program and approved of its educational quality. University of the People is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which means we have proven that we have “established educational goals, offers services that helps students obtain these goals, and that students and graduates benefit from the learning experiences provided.”

Earning a degree from UoPeople signals to employers that you’re capable of committing yourself to a goal and achieving it. From the online program, you can choose from these various degrees:

• Business Administration – Associate, Bachelor’s, or MBA
• Computer Science – Associate or Bachelor’s
• Health Science – Associate or Bachelor’s
• Education – Master of Education (M.Ed)

With a degree in any of the aforementioned programs, you can apply to jobs in each respective field and, as mentioned above, earn more than you would with just a high school diploma.

Additionally, with the skills learned and education received, you can even choose to freelance or start your own business as a master of your respective trade.

The credibility behind a degree opens doors for clients to be able to trust your knowledge, and then your work can expand to show your capabilities. Any of these degrees allow you the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world since the program is internationally recognized because of its accredited status.

Take the First Step

If you’ve been thinking about earning your degree or it’s a new dream, the first step is filling out an application. There is quite literally nothing to lose. At UoPeople, students report a 95% satisfaction rate with their education, and financial ability never stops a student from getting the education they deserve. With academic partners like NYU and UC Berkeley, and support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Ford Foundation, UoPeople’s reputation is global and continuously growing.

Our vision is to empower people like you to access higher education so you can promote global economic development and world peace. Designed around peer interaction and the usage of technology, there are no barriers to what you can achieve and no limits to how a degree from UoPeople can change your life!