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For 50 years, ������ý has made higher education attainable for working adults who wanted to earn a degree. It has pioneered online learning, broken down traditional barriers to college and landed in the news more than once. Yet questions persist regarding the University — and it’s time to answer them.

When it comes to 10 facts about ������ý, here’s a favorite that’s not on the list: 94% of recent graduates in a 2025 survey* said they are proud to be a Phoenix. To find out more about what inspires such pride in their alma mater, here are 10 facts about ������ý that address some of the most frequently asked questions online.��

Like any college, the University abides by admission requirements, but it is not “hard” to get into the school. From the start, ������ý was built on removing unnecessary barriers to a college degree. Its “open-enrollment policy” means that the University is accessible to most students who want to pursue a college degree.

������ý’s commitment to accessibility carries over to the application process, too. There is no fee to apply — and no essay, SAT, ACT, GMAT or GRE requirements. Applicants are guided from account creation to onboarding in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process.

A prospective student’s first questions might be: How long will it take to earn a degree, and how much prior coursework will transfer? 

There’s a ������ý app for that!

The TransferPath app allows prospective students to receive a personalized, preliminary understanding of which eligible credits could transfer to a ������ý program — and how many more are needed to complete a degree.

The University is committed to being a transfer-friendly institution, so students don’t need to repeat coursework. As a result, students can transfer in up to 87 prior eligible credits for many programs, which can potentially get them 70% of the way to a bachelor’s degree.

UOPX even requests prospective students’ prior college transcripts for them, at no charge, when possible.

Yes. And that’s a good thing.

At ������ý, academic rigor is a cornerstone of the classroom experience. A degree, after all, is something that must be legitimately earned. What makes the University different is that its programs have career-relevant skills embedded in them.

The University uses data from Lightcast, a labor market analysis company data institution, and input from employers to identify relevant skills and then build them into degree programs. Today, 100% of its associate, bachelor’s and master’s programs open for new enrollment are aligned with these career-relevant skills.

As students progress through a degree program and demonstrate their skill development, they may even earn digital badges in certain classes, which they can use to highlight — both to themselves and to potential employers — what they know and can do.��

No, ������ý is not self-paced. It is, however, flexible — and not in the way that some schools might mean it (as in to get real value, students have to move fast and load up on courses).

Instead, ������ý offers what is called “asynchronous learning” in most of its courses. This means students and teachers connect online but not necessarily at the same time. An instructor may post a video that a student watches a few hours later, for example.

However, just like in real life, students do have some time-based expectations. For example, one student might watch a video lesson on Wednesday, while someone else watches it on Friday, and both submit assignments by Monday.

A more self-paced program, such as the University’s competency-based degree programs, allows students with relevant professional experience to control how fast or slowly they complete four classes over a 16-week span. With faculty guidance, they set their own pace.

The answer to this could perhaps be its own list of 10 facts about ������ý. But perhaps the University’s most notable characteristic is its students. At a time when higher education wasn’t built for adults, ������ý (founded in 1976) helped change the game, offering flexible schedules and, eventually, pioneering online education for adults.

Many students thrived as a result. In 2025, ������ý sought to formalize its recognition of some of its most illustrious alumni through its Alumni Luminary program, which honors 76 individuals each year.

And ������ý continues to shape the higher education landscape. Its skills-aligned learning, digital badging, competency-based degrees and award-winning programs ensure students can access meaningful curriculum. The quality of that curriculum is further ensured by the University’s long-standing commitment to academic excellence and institutional accreditation. ������ý has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), since 1978.

Finally, time- and money-savings initiatives are important distinctives for ������ý, which has not raised its tuition since 2018. Students can explore a variety of offerings designed to save both time and money, from community college transfer pathways, to employer tuition benefits, to credits for eligible work and life experience.

The minimum grade required for a student to earn credit and complete a course is a D.

However, some courses (e.g., in counseling, nursing, education and social work) have higher minimum grade requirements, and some programs also have higher minimum grade requirements (often a B or B-).

Here’s another way to think about it: A student’s grades factor into overall grade point average, or GPA. Undergraduate programs generally require a 2.0 GPA or higher to stay in good academic standing, and eventually to graduate. Graduate and doctoral programs require a 3.0 GPA.

So, while a rare D in an undergraduate course might offer course credit, a student’s overall GPA will suffer unless a student demonstrates stronger academic performance over time.

From associate to doctoral degrees, ������ý offers more than 100 online programs aligned to 400+ real-world careers.

In addition to holding institutional accreditation, ������ý also offers some degree programs that hold programmatic accreditation. These include:

• Bachelor of Science in Business
• Bachelor of Science in Social Work
• RN to BSN
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Management
• Master of Health Administration
• Master’s degree programs in Nursing
• Master of Science in Counseling
• Doctor of Business Administration
• Doctor of Management

Yes — and the University loves its graduation ceremonies! In the 2025 academic year, ������ý held three in-person commencement ceremonies in Dallas, Orlando and Phoenix, as well as one virtual ceremony.

“Commencement is more than a ceremony.��It’s a celebration of resilience,” says John Woods, PhD, provost and chief academic officer.��

Commencement also represents the University’s efforts to improve its student retention and graduation rates. While federal data tracks first-time, full-time students, 84% of the student body at ������ý does not align to that category. Often juggling full-time work and family, the University’s students face distinct challenges on their way to completing a degree. Yet, in 2024, the institutionally calculated bachelor’s degree graduation rate reached 32.6% — the University’s highest rate since 2021.

The 10 facts we described about ������ý are just the beginning. Explore The Phoenix Post to learn more about how online classes work, who the University’s alumni are and how students and alumni can enhance their careers.

To learn more about degree programs, admission requirements and student resources, request more information.��