This article is about the tuition-free online universities for international students, all the online universities listed here are tuition-free and are fully accredited, they are also available for students from any country of the world.
Many of these universities have criteria and requirements students must pass or comply with to qualify to study tuition-free in these online universities. These universities offer fully certified courses and give their students quality education worth as much as they can get in other universities.
Table of Contents
Are There Free Online Universities in The US?
Yes, there are currently two tuition-free online universities in the United States (US): IICSE University and University of The People, these two universities accept students from all countries of the world.
Are There Any Tuition-free Online Universities?
Yes, there are currently 3 tuition-free online universities for international students known to us:
- IICSE University, US (accreditation status unconfirmed)
- University of The People, US
- The Open University, UK
Are Online Degrees Worth It?
The answer to this question is yes and also no, there are many factors involved when you consider the value of online degrees, these factors include the country of students, the course or program studied, employers’ preferences, and the institution from which the degree was obtained.
Some countries do not are known for the undervaluation of online degrees and certificates, while other countries embrace them. Also in some countries, students are required to have field experience before they can get a degree in certain courses, while others do not require such.
For some courses, students must get practical or field experience; if a student should study a computer-based course, such as programming, web development, blogging, web designing, etc in an online university, such a degree will be valued and accepted by all.
On the other hand, students who study offline-based practical courses like painting, nursing, computer hardware engineering, etc will have their degree devalued by employers because it was issued by an online university.
Different employees have different preferences as to the type of qualifications they need their employees to have, this is majorly affected by the category of company or industry, industries are less like to employ people with online degrees, while companies do.
The degree-issuing institution also plays a role in determining the value or relevance of online degrees, many tuition-free online universities for international students are not accredited and obtaining a degree from these universities or taking courses on their websites is worthless.
We also talked about this situation in our article about the advantages and disadvantages of online education.
How Can I Get A Free Online Degree
The only way you can get a free degree online is by studying with a scholarship or enrolling in one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, the universities are relatively free to study.
All 3 Tuition-free Online Universities for International Students
In the list below are all tuition-free online universities for international students, that accept students from all countries of the words, except specially excluded countries:
- University of The People
- IICSE University
- Open University, UK
University of The People
University of The People also called UoPeople is one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, it is the first-ever accredited online university in the United States. University of People is also a non-profit and tuition-free university that aims at making higher education accessible and affordable for every person in the world.
University of The People was founded in 2009 and was licensed to issue degrees on the 14th of February, 2014, currently, the University of The people has over 117,000 students studying for a degree, these students are learning from over 200 plus countries of the world, this makes UoPeople the biggest of all tuition-free online universities for international students.
The main objective of the University of The People is to create an option for secondary or high school graduates who can’t get into universities because of their financial status, location, beliefs, etc. University of People believes that a university education is a fundamental right of every high school graduate.
The university strives to include all students of the world, despite their language, however, the university fully supports only 2 languages at the moment. A great percentage of the staff at UoPeople, are volunteers.
Like most tuition-free online universities for international students, the University of The People depends on donations from individuals and charitable foundations to cover its expenses, though students still have to pay some fees to complete their courses, even though most of these fees have been eliminated.
Students studying at the University of The People can transfer credits from other courses to hasten up their studies.
Vision and Mission of University of The People
The vision of the university is to create a world where every qualified secondary or high school graduate will have access to university education, despite their economic, political, and religious backgrounds, belief, and location.
The mission of UoPeople is to provide high-quality and accessible university education to all qualified secondary school graduates through cheap, and flexible online education, and give them a new hope of fulfilling their career dreams. These make Uopeople one of the best tuition-free online universities for international students.
Application Fee at UoPeople
Students who wish to study at the University of The People are required to pay a 60 US dollars fee as part of the application process, this fee is non-refundable.
Course Fees at UoPeople
Course fees at the University of The People are paid at the end of each course as assessment fees, the amount varies with the type of degree, however, if a student guarantees that he or she can’t afford the expense, the payment will be waived, below are the course assessment fees:
Undergraduate Courses: At the end of each undergraduate course, the students are required to pay 120 US dollars each.
Master of Business Administration (MBA): At the end of each MBA course, students are required to pay a 240 US dollars fee each.
Master of Education (M.ED): The course fee for an M.Ed is 240 US dollars per course.
Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT): After each course in MSIT degree, students will be required to pay 300 US dollars each.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Degree At the University of The People?
As one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, it costs less to get a degree at UoPeople than in other universities, the amount it costs varies with the type of degree, the costs are as follows:
- Associate Degree: $2,460
- Bachelor’s Degree: $4,860
- Masters in Business Administration (MBA): $2,940
- Master of Education (M.Ed): $3,180
- Master of Science in Information Technology: $3,660
Scholarships and Grants at the University of The People
UoPeople partners with corporations, organizations, and individuals to provide scholarships for students who can’t afford to pay the fees, currently, there are about 20 different scholarship programs available to existing and prospective students of the university.
Like most tuition-free online universities for international students, The university has unique scholarships available to special groups of people, including but not restricted to refugees, Afghan women, Africans, Haitian women, Myanmar citizens, etc.
List of Degrees Offered at the University of People
Currently, there are only nine available degrees at the university of the people:
- Associate Degree in Business Administration
- Associate Degree in Computer Science
- Associate Degree in Health Science
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
- Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science
- Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT)
- Master of Education (M.Ed)
University of The People Admission Requirement for Graduate and Postgraduate Programs
As one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, UoPeople has these simple admission requirements:
- Proof of proficiency in English or Arabic
- Proof of a university degree (postgraduate applicants only)
- Basic identification information
- Proof of high school graduation (undergraduate applicants only)
- Payment of a non-refundable application fee
IICSE University
IICSE University is also one of the tuition-free online universities for international students located in the United States, there are controversies on the actual accreditation status of this university; some say they are not accredited, others say they are accredited only by unrecognized bodies, while few people say that they are fully accredited.
To be on the safe side, subscribe to our telegram channel and keep updated on the accreditation of IICSE, You may visit them at this address and give us feedback: One Commerce Center, 1201 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19899, U.S.A. It is good to note that UoPeople itself started classes in 2009 and got accredited in 2014 (5 years later), so in the case of IICSE there is nothing odd, currently, you can get a degree from them for the sake of knowledge.
Vision and Mission of IICSE University
Being one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, the vision of IICSE is to become an outstanding tuition-free online university training students who will turn out to become a new generation of leaders. Its mission is to produce men and women who will have productive lives of leadership and service to the people.
Application Fees at IICSE University
As part of the application process, students who want to study at IICSE University will have to pay $45.
Course Fees at IICSE University
At IICSE University, course fees are paid during exams, the exams hold at the end of each course, students are required to pay $50 irrespective of the degree are studying for, this places the university among the cheapest tuition-free online universities for international students.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Degree At IICSE University?
The cost of studying in the university in the university varies with the program or degree of study, below is the cost list:
- Certificate programs: $545
- Diploma programs: $845
- Associate degree: $1,445
- Bachelor’s degree: $2,045
- Bachelor’s degree programs: $1,445 US
- Bachelor’s degree top-up: $885
- Postgraduate diploma: $1,145
- Master’s degree: $1,445
- Doctoral degree: $2,045
IICSE University Admission Requirement for Graduate and Postgraduate Programs
Being one of the cheapest tuition-free online universities for international students, the university has these admission requirements:
- Proof of proficiency in English
- Proof of a university degree (postgraduate applicants only)
- Basic identification information.
- Proof of high school graduation (undergraduate applicants only)
- Payment of a non-refundable application fee
Open University, UK
Open University is one of the tuition-free online universities for international students, it is located in the UK was created in 1969, it was founded by the labor government through the idea of Michael Young, during the leadership of prime minister Harold Wilson.
The Open University (OU) is the first distance/online learning university in the world, in 2012, Open University teamed up with some partners and co-founder Seek Ltd. to create Futurelearn; an online learning platform. There are currently 33 postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Open University.
Open University, UK has over 4,000 tutors and is the largest university in the UK by the number of students. OU also conducts intensive and extensive research, it is popularly known for its Planetary and Space Research Institute which has recorded massive success in the space industry.
On January 5, 2005, Cassini-Huygen became the first known man-made object to land on Titan (Saturn’s moon), this made it the farthest landed object from earth. 15 people from OU Planetary and Space Research institute were in the team, this confirms the Open University to be among the leading tuition-free online universities for international students in research.
Vision and Mission of Open University
The vision of Open University is to reach more students with life-changing higher education that serves the needs of the students and enhances society. Its mission is to make higher education accessible to all students.
Application Fee at Open University
Information on the application fee of Open University is not available right now.
Course Fees at Open University
Course fees at Open University are paid yearly after each 60-credit module, the fees vary by mode of study, the fees are as follows:
Part-time study: 3,168 British pounds.
Full-time study: 6,336 British pounds.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Degree At Open University?
In Open University, the cost of getting a degree at Open University depends on the length of the degree program and type, the cost is as follows:
Certificate of Higher Education: 6,336 British pounds.
Diploma of Higher Education: 12,672 British pounds.
Honors Degree: 19,008 British pounds.
Scholarships and Grants at Open University
Open University partners with individuals, charitable organizations, and government agencies to provide funds and scholarships to students in the University, they also have special scholarships and grants for specific groups of people, like disabled veterans, Malawi teachers, Ugandan citizens, British soldiers posted abroad, etc.
List of Degrees Offered at Open University
The Open University offer a long list of courses, for this reason, we shall make a list of the course offered at the university in categories:
- Masters degrees
- Postgraduate diplomas
- Postgraduate certificates
- micro-credentials
- Single modules
- Research degrees.
Open University Admission Requirement for Graduate and Postgraduate Programs
The name “Open” implies that there are no requirements to get admission into Open University, despite being the best of all tuition-free online universities for international students. We will give you this simple list of requirements:
- Proficiency in the use of English.
- Basic knowledge of mathematics.
Conclusion
The universities mentioned on this list aren’t arranged in order of relevance, age, or quality, rather they are arranged in geographical order. To get admission into any of these tuition-free online universities for international students, there are some general requirements: access to a stable internet connection, and a computer (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc).
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