UoPeople Annual Survey 2019

It’s that time of year again where we take a look back at our brilliant students from 2018. We forge forward towards welcoming a whole new group of students from around the world to our institution for another year of academic instruction.

When we look back at the University of the People since its inception in 2009, we can see that our mission to deliver affordable, high quality and accessible education to all continues to make an impact on thousands of students.

In 2018, our measures of success and our students’ academic experiences were held to high standards. It continues to be a focus as we pass through 2019’s academic year and beyond.

With the completion of our student survey that went out to our 17,181 enrolled students from over 200 countries and territories, we have gained deeper insight into what it means to be a student at the University of the People.

As in every year, we are humbled to hear the overwhelmingly positive responses from our amazing student body.

Satisfied Students are Goal-Getters

When it comes to education, a huge measure of success is student satisfaction. We are delighted to hear that 95% of our students reported they were satisfied with their educational experience at the University of the People. Even better, 97% would recommend UoPeople to their friends.

Are you satisfied with your education at UoPeople?

With a peer learning and online environment, happy students make for better learners. This further supports the notion that students from all over can come together to learn with one another, especially with the advent of online education.

Would you recommend UoPeople to a friend?

Our programs’ curriculums are set up to produce graduates who can enter the workforce and feel prepared with both academic knowledge and the life skills they need to succeed. As such, 92% of our students reported that they achieved their personal goals that they had when they began their studies.

Did UoPeople help you achieve your goals?

Where Time, Technology, and Teaching Meet

Along with quality academics and rigorous, yet achievable degree programs, the University of the People believes in combining its top-tier academic leadership with the best technology. This provides students with a quality, robust and accessible learning experience.

Students who attend the University of the People feel supported throughout their endeavors when it comes to all of the services we provide.

Survey respondents rated us 4 stars or more (out of 5 stars) for each of the following:

• Faculty responsiveness to students’ needs
• Overall quality of instruction
• Relevance of instructional materials
• Technical support with Moodle
• Program advisors’ service level

In addition, the programs are designed to not only prepare students for employment, but also to make learning fun and practical.

A majority of survey respondents reported that they:

• were excited by classes
• spent time conducting research that required collecting and analyzing data
• felt intellectually stimulated by the material
• used knowledge or skills from a course in their place of work or daily life

It’s More Than Material

Along with the primary goal of education and practical skills and knowledge for employment, the University of the People thrives on its ability to further shape lifelong learners. This enables transferable skills that help students in both their personal and professional life.

We are delighted to hear our graduates rated UoPeople with 4 stars or more (out of 5) for helping them to achieve the following:

• Ability to learn on their own
• Critical thinking skills
• Exposed gaps in their understanding
• Gained general knowledge
• Gained in-depth knowledge
• Increased personal responsibility
• Can write clearly and effectively

Support at Every Turn

With all student learning taking place online, our students always feel supported at the University of the People. With a dedicated program advisor, each student receives the attention, time and assistance that they may require throughout their studies.

Program Advisors help with more than just course selection. Our students also said they got helpful support for the following:

• achieve their academic goals
• register for classes
• understand career goals

And, importantly, UoPeople program advisors were also commended by our students for their support through both personal and financial difficulties.

Learning Online is Made Accessible for All

The revolutionary educational model of a tuition-free university means that overhead costs at UoPeople continue to remain low, to provide affordable education to everyone. To achieve this, the University of the People runs completely online, without the need for university buildings. With the help of our top-tier academic leadership team that hail from some of the most prestigious universities around the world.

UoPeople students are located around the globe and have different levels of access to devices and the internet. The use of market leading technology makes online learning at UoPeople possible regardless of their technology access.

Our students shared this experience, that they access materials on an array of devices, including: desktop computers, enterprise digital assistants (EDAs), laptops, smartphones, PDAs, and tablets.

A Balancing Act: School + Life

Attending college isn’t always easy. Life always seems to get in the way. Many people struggle with their finances, geographic barriers, academic barriers and more. From having to keep a 9 to 5 job, raise a family, support dependents or more, many people feel they have no option other than to forego their education to take care of other responsibilities.

How many hours do you work a week while studying?

However, the University of the People was designed with flexibility at its heart to allow students, regardless of their background and responsibilities, to be able to still earn their higher education degree and achieve their goals.

We are happy to hear that 98% of our enrolled students are able to work while they study and 75% of them study despite having other responsibilities by having children or parents that depend on them.

UoPeople exists online so that students have the flexibility and freedom to choose when they learn. Students can choose to be enrolled part-time or full-time, and no matter how they learn, they can rest assured in knowing that they have the support and assistance of university staff by their side.

Do you have dependents?

With no tuition fees, our students feel secure in knowing that their only real concern when it comes to attending UoPeople is to learn and follow their dreams.

We at UoPeople are honored to be with our students every step of the way in their educational journeys and beyond — and we can’t wait to see what dreams our students continue to accomplish in the future!