Microsoft provides 1,000 UoPeople scholarships!
 
Part of the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative program, will offer university-level education, mentorship, training and employment opportunities to aspiring African youth.
 
In recognition of International Youth Day, University of the People today announced a collaboration with Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, through which 1,000 promising African students will receive scholarships to University of the People (UoPeople). These scholarships, a part of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Scholarship program, will provide university-level education, mentorship, training and employment opportunities for aspiring African youth.

Microsoft selected UoPeople, the world's first tuition-free, non-profit, degree-granting online institution to be a higher education partner institution in the scholarship program. At UoPeople, the 4Afrika Scholarships will be provided to 1,000 youth to pursue associate degrees in computer science and business administration. To help redress gender disparity in higher education in Africa, UoPeople and Microsoft are actively encouraging women to apply.
 
The students will receive more than just tuition-free higher education. Those accepted to the program, will also benefit from mentorship by Microsoft employees from around the world and, will receive, while studying with UoPeople, leadership and technical training by Microsoft. Not only that, the graduates of the program, will be eligible for employment opportunities within Microsoft and its' over 10,000 partners across Africa.
 
“University of the People's mission is to open the gates to higher education for everyone, believing that higher education is a basic human right. Through the 4Afrika Scholarship program, Microsoft is helping us extend that possibility in Africa even farther” said Shai Reshef, president, University of the People. “We are proud to be working with Microsoft to achieve our mutual mission and to help create amazing opportunities and open new doors for Africa’s youth. The collaboration with Microsoft attests to the company’s belief in our mission and recognition of the potential of our successful tuition-free online education model.”
 
“Together with participating education institutions, Microsoft’s goal with the 4Afrika Scholarship program is to level the playing field for talented young African minds who might not otherwise have the resources, enabling them to get the education and skills they need to thrive in technology-related fields,” said Patrick Onwumere, director of youth enablement, Microsoft 4Afrika. “The 4Afrika Initiative was designed to help ensure that Africa can become globally competitive, and investing in our highly motivated youth with strong collaborators like UoPeople is a critical step toward making that a reality.”
 
Applications for 4Afrika Scholarships to University of the People can be submitted on the following site: www.uopeople.org/4afrika. The first 4Afrika Scholarship students will begin classes in November 2013. Further information about the 4Afrika Scholarship program is available at www.youth4afrika.com and www.uopeople.org/4afrika.
 
About UoPeople:
 
University of the People (UoPeople; www.UoPeople.org) is the world's first non-profit, tuition-free, degree-granting online academic institution dedicated to opening access to higher education globally. UoPeople is designed to provide access to college studies for qualified high school graduates, despite financial, geographic, societal, or personal constraints. The institution offers Associate and Bachelor degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science. Founded in 2009 by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef, UoPeople has partnered with Yale University Law School ISP for research, New York University to accept students and Hewlett-Packard, for internships, mentorship and general support. To date, more than 1500 students from over 137 countries have been admitted. The organization has gained the widespread support of leading academics including Oxford Vice-Chancellor Sir Colin Lucas, New York University President John Sexton (Chairman of the UoPeople Presidents Council), George Washington President Emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, among others. UoPeople has received the support of 1.2 million people on Facebook and garnered media coverage throughout the world.
 
For further information on University of the People, please go to www.UoPeople.org.