Student review [#103775] for BS Computer Science
at University of the People - UoPeople

I’ll be honest — I almost didn’t apply because “tuition-free online university” sounded too good to be true. Two years later, I’m sitting here with a nearly-finished degree and genuinely don’t know where I’d be without this school.
What I liked:
The flexibility completely changed my life. I’m a single parent, and there was no way I could commit to a rigid class schedule. UoPeople let me do coursework at 2 a.m. after my kids were asleep, and nobody blinked. The no-tuition model (you only pay small assessment fees per course) meant I could actually finish a degree without drowning in debt — something that felt impossible for years.
What surprised me most, though, was the community. Every course had a discussion forum where you had to engage with classmates from literally all over the world — I had study partners in Kenya, India, and Canada in the same term. It sounds small, but debating assignments with people from completely different backgrounds made me think differently about everything, not just the coursework.
What I’d like to see change:
The self-paced structure is a blessing and a curse. There’s very little live interaction — most feedback comes through written forum posts, not real conversations — so if you’re someone who needs a professor’s energy to stay motivated, it’s an adjustment. I also think academic advising could be more personalized. A lot of the guidance felt generic, like it was written for “the average student” rather than for me specifically.
Bottom line:
This school isn’t going to hold your hand. It’s going to hand you the tools, get out of your way, and trust you to build something with them. For me, that trust was exactly what I needed. I came in doubting whether a “real” degree could come from an online, tuition-free school — I’m leaving knowing it absolutely can, as long as you bring the discipline to match the opportunity.