UC Berkeley opens doors to transfer students from free online university – Campus Technology

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UC Berkeley opens doors to transfer students from free online university

UC Berkeley opens doors to transfer students from free online university

University of the People (UoPeople) has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley to allow top-performing graduates of UoPeople’s associate’s degree programs to transfer to Berkeley to complete their bachelor’s degree.

UoPeople is an accredited, non-profit, tuition-free American online university. It was established in 2009 with the aim of opening up access to higher education globally. The university offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer science, as well as a master’s degree in business administration.

UC Berkeley partnered with UoPeople because “UoPeople’s mission is closely aligned with Berkeley’s mission, to open the doors of quality higher education to every deserving student,” said Nicholas Dirks, chancellor of UC Berkeley, in a press release. Only qualified and top-performing graduates of UoPeople’s associate degree programs will be eligible to transfer to UC Berkeley, with priority given to California residents.

According to Shai Reshef, President of UoPeople, the partnership between the two universities “is the ultimate recognition of the value of our degrees and provides a great opportunity for our students.”

UoPeople minimizes costs through the use of open source technology, open educational resources (OER), peer-to-peer learning, and help from university volunteers. UoPeople aims “to provide universal access to college education for qualified high school graduates, despite financial, geographic, societal, or personal constraints,” according to a university press release.

In 2011, UoPeople partnered with New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi to allow high achieving students who have completed at least one year of study at UoPeople and who meet admissions standards to be eligible to apply to NYU Abu Dhabi. . UoPeople has also partnered with Yale Law School’s Information Society Project (ISP) for research; Microsoft for scholarships and access to mentorship programs, internships, and job opportunities; and Hewlett-Packard for general support, scholarships for women, and internships.