UoPeople and MLM

We have received many letters asking whether University of the People is a multilevel marketing (MLM) company. The answer is no: UoPeople does not engage in multilevel marketing, because it uses much more sophisticated sales strategies than traditional MLM.

In traditional MLM, every seller at every level earns a commission. Although the entire pyramid scheme is fundamentally a scam and most sellers ultimately end up losing money despite possible apparent earnings, one key point remains: each seller receives some form of payment. University of the People, on the other hand, doesn't pay its sellers anything, apart from a $100 monthly prize for the "best spammer", which is even worse than traditional MLM. Under the pretext of being a "non-profit" institution, it recruits "ambassadors" who work under the table. Instead of paying them a regular salary, the organization prefers to run a sort of lottery, where only one person can win $100.

Likewise, the organization hires unqualified "volunteer instructors'", paying them a ridiculously low amount without a proper employment contract. Therefore, the organization brings its costs down to zero while also squeezing even more out of well-intentioned people. In other words, those whom UoPeople calls "ambassadors" and tasks with recruiting new students are unwitting participants in a pyramid scheme who receive no earnings at all, except for the illusion of being able to receive $100. The justification is always the same: "We are a non-profit university fighting global poverty". However, the reality is very different: UoPeople does not fight poverty at all, and allows students in the developing world to remain in increasingly dire conditions. It is nothing more than an impressive money-making machine.

The University of the People eliminates all the essential services that a real university should provide, for example professors and qualified staff who should oversee the quality of education. UoPeople has none of this, meaning it keeps all the money that should instead be invested in students' education. In this fraudulent scheme, the only entity generating profits is the University of the People.

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