Democratizing Diplomas

The world's first tuition-free online academic institution is now open for learning, making a university education within reach no matter where you live or what your income -- well to a degree. (Pardon the pun.)

University of the People's inaugural class, which started on September 10, had 178 students from 49 countries. Any students interested can now apply for the third term which begins February 4, 2010.

UoPeople is open for those interested in getting a degree in Business Administration or Computer Science. To enroll, students have to have 12 years of schooling from a recognized institution and demonstrate proficiency in reading and writing in English, as well as access to a computer with Internet connection.

The school definitely makes a university degree more accessible for a good number of people, whether they're in a developing or developed country thanks to the vision of founder and president, Shai Reshef. In 2009, Reshef was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. He's a High-level Adviser of the United Nations’ Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID), working on information and communication technologies (ICT) in education development.

Rashef explained to CNN that materials are made available free of charge from other universities via platforms such as the Open Courseware Consortium, which provides open access to the syllabi, lecture notes, exams and reading lists from 1,800 classes offered at MIT. The university will also use course material from Yale University.

"Basically what we do is we take everything that is out there and bring it together," says Rashef.

Online discussion amongst students, supervised by teachers, is a vital part of the online learning experience at UoPeople.

UoPeople is supported by the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development and a research partner of Yale Law School’s Information Society Project. It has a world-renowned Advisory Committee, comprised of distinguished academic professionals, humanitarians and other visionaries.

Photo courtesy uncultured via Flickr.