HERNDON, VA. and PASADENA, CA, May 2, 2023 — University of the People (UoPeople) today announced a partnership with Sophia Learning, an online, on-demand, self-paced learning platform, to provide UoPeople students with an affordable option to complete online general education courses. UoPeople’s 126,000 students will have immediate access to Sophia’s catalog of courses for $99 per month, and this partnership will help ensure Sophia courses are seamlessly transferred to UoPeople to help students complete an associate or bachelor’s degree.

“With a partnership focused on offering low-cost educational alternatives, Sophia students can continue with their studies at UoPeople and earn their undergraduate degree from a quality, accredited online institution tuition-free,” said UoPeople President Shai Reshef. UoPeople students can take advantage of Sophia’s subscription model of on-demand learning to increase their choices of flexible and affordable learning options. “This innovative pathway to earning a college credential at an affordable cost is the future of higher education.”

UoPeople is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited, online university. Since its founding in 2009, UoPeople has significantly expanded both its academic programs and diverse student body.

Today, the university enrolls more than 126,000 students from over 200 countries and territories. UoPeople was founded on the belief that quality education must be accessible and affordable for all. In particular, the university strives to offer programs to marginalized communities and regions around the world, and more than 16,500 of its students are refugees.

“I am excited to welcome University of the People to Sophia’s growing list of impressive university partners,” said Dr. Shawna Thayer, CEO of Sophia. “Our mission at Sophia is to provide accessible, affordable general education options to all – especially those in need – and to partner with another
organization whose mission is so aligned with ours is inspiring.”

Sophia will offer UoPeople students access to more than 50 high-quality, college-level courses through an affordable monthly subscription that includes learning coaches and integrated course materials. Students can move through courses at their own speed, and Sophia courses are recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education. UoPeople students can take as many Sophia courses in a month as they wish – on their own time – and can be actively enrolled in two courses at a time.

Students interested in learning more about the partnership can visit University of the People/Sophia Learning.

About University of the People

University of the People (UoPeople) is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited online university. Currently there are over 126,000 students from more than 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 MBA, M.Ed. and MSIT programs. Graduates of UoPeople can be found working at such companies as Deloitte, Amazon, Apple, Pfizer, Google, Microsoft and IBM. UoPeople collaborates with Harvard Business School Online, New York University, McGill University, and the University of Edinburgh and has been supported by foundations such as the Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation and Hewlett Foundation. Learn more at www.uopeople.edu.

About Sophia Learning

Sophia is an online learning platform that allows students at any stage of their higher education journey to get started on or continue their education by taking affordable and flexible college-level general education courses that are ACE®-recommended for college credit. Sophia students have completed more than 250,000 courses, earning more than 750,000 credits and saving more than $200 million dollars. For more information about Sophia, visit Sophia.org. Sophia Learning is a subsidiary of Strategic Education, Inc.