The higher education system is failing millions of potential students.

For various reasons, higher education stopped being accessible for many students. Universities are expensive and cost-prohibitive for many individuals. Additionally, cultural barriers in many parts of the world prevent potential students from accessing higher education. Equally problematic, are the limitations of traditional Universities themselves. UNESCO stated that in 2025, 100 million students will be deprived from higher education simply because there will not be enough seats to meet the demand. Students will qualify for admittance, and will be able to pay, but there will not be places available to them. 

In this TED Talk, Shai Reshef discusses why he founded University of the People, a non-profit, tuition free, college degree granting university. He wanted to give an alternative to people that would be affordable and would open the gates for every qualified student. He set out to build a model that would entirely cut the cost of higher education using the power of online education. By using open educational resources, he made education free and accessible. 

Shai Reshef hopes that higher education is changing “from being a privilege for the few to a basic right, affordable and accessible for all.”‘