February 2, 2021

University of the People Becomes Harvard Business School Online Collaborating College

BOSTON and PASADENA – Feb. 2, 2021 — University of the People (UoPeople) has joined Harvard Business School Online’s (HBS Online’s) Collaborating Colleges program. The relationship offers UoPeople students special access to HBS Online courses, equipping them with valuable business knowledge to help them stand out in a competitive job market.

UoPeople students are now able to enroll in and receive need-based scholarships for HBS Online’s flagship program the Credential of Readiness (CORe), a three-course primer in the fundamentals of business. The three courses are Economics for Managers, Financial Accounting, and Business Analytics. Upon successful completion, participants will receive an HBS Online Credential of Readiness and can earn academic credits toward their UoPeople degree.

“I am excited to welcome University of the People to HBS Online’s family of Collaborating Colleges,” said Senior Associate Dean of HBS Online Debora Spar. “Now, more than ever, we need to provide an equal opportunity to education for all, and this relationship is an important step in Harvard Business School’s broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

UoPeople’s student body is one of the most diverse in the U.S. with over 57,000 students representing more than 200 countries and territories. Some other notable statistics are:

30 percent of UoPeople’s 15,000 U.S. students are black, compared to only
14 percent of all U.S. college students. (Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2017)
60 percent of UoPeople students are first in their generation to enroll in college, compared to 33 percent nationally. (Source: S. Department of Education, 2018)
50 percent of UoPeople students are parents, while only 22 percent of college students nationwide have children. (Source: Institute of Women’s Policy Initiative, 2020)

“With online education at an all-time high, this relationship expands UoPeople’s mission to offer even greater quality, online, accessible, and affordable higher education to qualified students,” said UoPeople President Shai Reshef. “We always look for opportunities to enrich our student experience. We are, therefore, incredibly proud to provide our students with the chance to experience the richness of the acclaimed HBS Online curriculum and receive a valuable credential to help them stand out in the job market.”

UoPeople joins Harvard, Bowdoin, Morehouse, and Williams Colleges, Rhode Island School of Design, Wesleyan University, and many other HBS Online Collaborating Colleges.

About University of the People

University of the People (UoPeople) is the Education Revolution. It is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American accredited online university. Currently there are over 57,000 students from over 200 countries and territories. Designed to open access to higher education globally, UoPeople helps qualified high school graduates overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints keeping them from collegiate studies. The University offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science, as well as an MBA and M.Ed. program. Graduates of UoPeople can be found working at such companies as Deloitte, Amazon, Apple, Pfizer, Microsoft, and Wells Fargo. UoPeople partners with New York University (NYU), University of California (UC) Berkeley, and The University of Edinburgh and is supported by foundations such as The Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Hewlett Foundation. Learn more at uopeople.edu.

About Harvard Business School Online

Wherever you are in your career, Harvard Business School Online offers a unique and highly engaging way to learn vital business concepts. Launched as “HBX” in 2014, our first course, CORe, was designed to help pre-MBA students learn the key concepts and vocabulary of business. Today, Harvard Business School Online delivers rigorous and immersive courses that enable professionals at every level to advance their careers, positively impact their organizations, and appreciate business in powerful new ways. Learn more at online.hbs.edu

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