
Tuition-Free University Gains a Following - blhack
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2010/bs20100121_194827.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
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petercooper
I have a duty to my namesake to bring this up :-) Peter Cooper (the 19th
century industrialist and Presidential candidate - not me) pioneered the
tuition-free education concept in the United States with the Cooper Union,
which is still running today: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_Union> \-
online universities are cool, but the Cooper Union is a full-on bricks and
mortar college.

~~~
pg
There is also Olin College, outside Boston. In fact that's what I thought this
article was going to be about. It's only a few years old but it has a good
reputation already.

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sachinag
Sadly, Olin's endowment took a rather major hit and is no longer tuition-free.
It's actually almost $39,000: <http://olin.edu/admission/costs.asp>

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rms
That's quite pricy... The tuition-free thing served its main point though,
which was to attract students before accreditation.

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m_eiman
_that would be free to students all over the world, one of just a handful of
tuition-free universities._

One of a handful? All higher education in Sweden is tuition free for all
students regardless of where they come from.

Maybe he means "one of a handful in the US", but the "students all over the
world" part suggests he's talking worldwide?

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waterlesscloud
Swedish schools won't be free for foreign students starting next year.

<http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/12821/a/140013>

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m_eiman
Hm, I wonder what the opposition thinks about this. Currently it looks like
they'll win the election this fall, and might reverse this (in my opionion)
bad decision.

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glen
This is a great concept and Shai is to be applauded for his efforts here. It
is a bit of a bummer that they need 5 MM in funding to keep it going. Anyway,
even here in the states, you can cut the cost of education significantly by
testing out of courses. Through the College Level Examination Program you can
test out of most of your freshman and sophomore year courses for $75/per test.
Most private colleges are now b/n 30-50k/year, so saving can be pretty
significant. If you go to a state school saving can be really considerable as
well. e.g., 1200 vs. 8k. +++ you don't have to take 15 weeks of a course to
test out of it. More info can be found here:
<http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html>. Education
inflation is insane. We see this as one way to keep educational costs down.

~~~
dustingetz
My private college would have made me pay for the credits even if i tested
out.

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Jim72
It's a great idea. However, until they become accredited here in the US, the
education is pointless. I talked with the head of transfers at my university,
and was told they wouldn't even accept these classes for credit. Also, I don't
know how many establish companies would take you seriously if your resume
education listed a Bachelors from The University of the People.

Might be fine outside the US, but it has some BIG hurdles to jump here!

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derefr
Why do education and accredidation have to go together? I'd much rather learn
on my own (through these online courses), then take a one-month intensive
series of accredited projects and tests (a bit like a Google interview) to get
a diploma.

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ambiate
I decided to go through the application process. I'm currently a student
enrolled in a community college transferring to Baylor this Fall.

The question that really poked out to me was: "5 Please finish this statement:
“When I think of Online Education I think…”. "

Well, of course, I think infancy. The internet as a whole is probably still in
an infancy stage with nothing set in stone. I started thinking about it from a
philosophy POV too. My Phil101 class consisted of 70% natural texans, 10% out
of state, and 20% international students. There was an obvious amount of
disgust from the natural texans not only to the international students but to
the out of state students. I realized a major problem with discrimination and
fear had to do with just plain lack of familiarity. I had always got along
with the African transfer students because our stories were similar in a way.
We were both just looking for a place to fit in where we were basically
regarded as foreigners. The texans would criticize, laugh, and just be pure
cruel to the transfer students. I would get questions and express my
agnostic/absurdist opinion and get the same exact vibes. It wasn't because we
were picked on that we could get along though. It was because we had
experienced more than just what "texas" is. An online environment can not only
teach students subjects but can teach students about one another if it is made
interactive in some way. My countless hours spent on IRC in various networks
has already contributed to my ability to be able to put myself in another's
point of view.

Anyways, back to the point! Online education could pull off some things that a
traditional college fails at achieving. "Its who you know and what you want to
make!" Well... I haven't met anyone in my traditional college other than
professors. I have the need to create, but there's really no intermediate for
creating or place to talk to others who might be interested. An online
community not only has the chance to create great contacts (how much easier is
it when student A just gives you his email address?) but also allow for hubs
of creation to spawn on sort a viral scale. Creation is limited in traditional
environments that I've been a part of! If online institutions decide to stray
from what we call tradition, maybe, just maybe, they will create what should
be called higher education. Because, baby, this ain't it.

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seltzered
I think the biggest problem with any online university is letting the students
network with each other. I took a grad-level class at UC Boulder last fall,
and probably would've flunked it if it wasn't for my coworkers available for
me to ask questions. That said, I've gotta look into UotP's social network
thing.

Fun thought, it'd be interesting to teach/mentor techical knowledge (i.e.
programming) in exchange for a business education. It'd let you organize the
skills you've learned, learn how others approach technical skills through
teaching, and learn formal business skills all at once.

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tarkin2
The social/communal aspect of this looks interesting, especially as one of the
questions is "what can you bring to your fellow student". A good study group
is worth its weight in gold.

The selective admission process should also help: your social surroundings
should be fairly fixed and you can be sure they're fairly motivated.

Part of me would like everyone to be included, but the aforementioned, and
that the students will require time/effort from the teachers, means it's more
or less required.

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hkuo
A great Mixergy interview with Shai Reshef not just but two weeks ago.

<http://mixergy.com/shai-reshef/>

