The University of the People’s model for low cost, online higher education could be a game-changer for high school graduates throughout the developing world, as well as for financially strapped students in wealthier nations. Students who enroll at this university don’t acquire useless humanities degrees in leftist studies; they study one of two things, business administration or computer science.
(That said, the university “is based on the [false] belief that education at a minimum cost is a basic right for all suitable applicants”—there is no “right” to other people’s resources—and I wouldn’t be surprised if students have to sit through some politically charged material despite the classes’ practical orientation.)
“To date, more than 2,000 students from over 140 countries have been admitted,” the school reports. I first heard of the university today, when Ted released the video of a talk by Shai Reshef (shown in the photo), the institution’s founder.
Americans had better get real about education: Students with worthless degrees, huge student loans, and an entitlement mentality may soon face considerably stiffer competition. Over the coming decades we could witness some spectacular advances in various regions of the world, wherever people can establish governments stable enough to protect property rights and not pillage what people earn.
In related news, Michael A. LaFerrara discusses Lumni, a program that pays for students to attend traditional colleges when those students agree to repay the program a set portion of their income for a set period.