According to Wikipedia, University of the People was launched by educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef in January 2009. The first UoPeople students began classes in September 2009, studying for associate and bachelor's degrees in business administration and computer science. At that time, the school had no accreditation and did not charge any fees or tuition. In February 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the University of the People a grant of $613,282 for the purposes of helping the university earn national accreditation. Two years later, the university was accredited for degree-granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). In 2017, the University of Edinburgh partnered with the school so that graduates of the University of the People could complete a bachelor's at UE. UoPeople in Arabic, announced in the World Economic Forum in April 2019, launched in September 2020 with its own website in Arabic; it uses a different website in Arabic and does not require proof of English knowledge while issuing American degrees. In 2020, the University became a member of UNESCO global education coalition. University of the People received candidate status in June 2021 with WASC Senior College and University Commission which is a regional accrediting body; WASC states that "Candidacy indicates that the institution meets all or nearly all the Standards at a minimum level. Candidacy is not accreditation and does not ensure eventual accreditation".