Hundreds of Syrian refugees to get free university education

LONDON – Doğan News Agency

The University of the People (UoPeople), a non-profit, accredited, online academic institution, is opening its doors to at least 500 Syrian refugees mainly living in Turkey, offering a free higher education.

“The University of the People has decided to take 500 Syrian refugees to teach them for free. A majority of these students are coming from Turkey because the country hosts so many refugees,” said Shai Reshef, the founder and president of the university.

“The idea is to take the refugees who speak English, because our programs are in English, and teach them computer science and business administration, full degree, accredited American education for free. We believe education is the best way to help them to have a better future. An educated person can help themselves, as well as their family. If they ever go back to Syria, they can rebuild Syria too,” Reshef also said.

The institution has already accepted 100 Syrian students from Turkey and it aims to accept 250 more students by the end of the next month, he added, saying anyone who has a high school diploma and good enough English can apply.

“We are going to apply a different procedure for Syrian refugees. They cannot prove that they had a high school education, but as long as they speak good enough English and say they have a high school diploma, they will be able to study with us,” he said. 

Since its establishment in 2009, UoPeople has received donations and grants from a number of sponsors, including the Bill Gates Foundation. It currently has 4,000 volunteers and students from 180 different countries, including 30 from Turkey.