University of the People
Measuring the Global Value of Accessible, Tuition-Free Education
The Challenge
University of the People (UoPeople), the world’s first nonprofit, tuition-free, American-accredited online university, is redefining access to higher education. With more than 137,000 students from over 200 countries and territories, its mission is to eliminate financial, geographic, and political barriers to learning. To quantify the institution’s growing impact, UoPeople sought to demonstrate how its graduates contribute to the U.S. economy and illustrate the unparalleled return on investment of its accessible education model.
How We Helped
UoPeople engaged Tripp Umbach to conduct a national economic impact analysis measuring the economic and social contributions of its graduates. Using university-provided data, Tripp Umbach modeled the projected enrollment, graduation trends, and resulting workforce and economic effects within the United States.
The analysis revealed a remarkable return on investment (ROI) for UoPeople graduates—$250 in economic value for every $1 invested in their education, compared to an average $8.20 ROI for traditional bachelor’s degrees in the U.S. In 2023, the average cost of earning a bachelor’s degree nationally was $146,000, while a comparable degree from UoPeople cost approximately $4,800—a difference that makes UoPeople’s ROI nearly 30 times higher than the national average. These findings underscore UoPeople’s transformative role in expanding opportunity and advancing economic mobility through equitable, high-quality education.