Bachelors Degree Under $3000 - Islamic Open University

[archsvt]

Based in Gambia and recently rebranded as International Open University (although most pages still refer to it by its old name), this is an interesting find. 

The International Open University (IOU) was launched by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips in 2007 as a higher education institution that offers intensive online undergraduate and graduate programs completely tuition-free.

A quick disclaimer: Dr. Bilal Philips has his share of controversies, so caveat emptor should be applied here. I suppose we can follow the same line of reasoning for Liberty University, but that is a discussion for another time.

Their "tuition-free" claim seems to follow the same model as the University of the People, with fees being charged as part of their semester registration fee. Nevertheless, the fees are relatively reasonable and varies depending on the country of residence, with the upper end of the scale reaching just a little above $2500 for the full Bachelor's degree program. Being a resident of a developing country will significantly lower costs (the lowest possible cost for the degree is a little under $900). They also offer a free Diploma in Islamic Studies.

 https://diploma.iou.edu.gm/opencampus/

Studying with the IOU is affordable, and manageable. There is a part time /full time semester registration fee that students need to pay per semester, a part-time semester registration fee that ranges from US $70 to US $200 and a full-time semester registration fee that ranges from US $110 to US $320 per semester based on the standard of living in the student’s country of residence. Please note that apart from the semester registration fees, there is a one-time 10 USD admission processing fees.

Apparently exam centres are necessary for all final semester exams, but I could not find much information about the location of these centres. I am assuming it follows a similar model to Saylor Academy and would require students reaching out to a trusted proctor.

All semester final exams are administered, online, at the International Open University (IOU) designated centers across the globe.

IOU does not have US-based accreditation, but with DegreeForum members all around the world, this may be a useful find to someone. 

https://iou.edu.gm/

[ctcarl]

Very interesting.  Thank you for sharing, but "Non-U.S. accredited" should probably be in the title, not the very last line of the post.

[Johann]

Very interesting.  Thank you for sharing, but "Non-U.S. accredited" should probably be in the title, not the very last line of the post.

Dr. Philips, founder of this school, has long been controversial. Some say he is unjustly persecuted, others say differently.
A bit on him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilal_Philips

I'd suggest making sure that your beliefs align with those of the school's founder before you sign up. And yes, no US-recognized accreditation. This is definitely not a "bargain box-checker degree" for employment purposes. That's what the Big 3 are for.

[cerich67]

Very interesting.  Thank you for sharing, but "Non-U.S. accredited" should probably be in the title, not the very last line of the post.

Dr. Philips, founder of this school,  has long been controversial. Some say he is unjustly persecuted, others say differently.
A bit on him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilal_Philips

I'd suggest making sure that your beliefs align with those of the school's founder before you sign up. And yes, no US-recognized accreditation. This is definitely not a "bargain box-checker degree" for employment purposes. That's what the Big 3 are for.

this "university"will end up supporting an extremist. sending any money to this university by citizens of MANY countries could and would be considered supporting him, and be illegal.

That is NOT a path anybody wants to go down

[archsvt]

Very interesting.  Thank you for sharing, but "Non-U.S. accredited" should probably be in the title, not the very last line of the post.

Dr. Philips, founder of this school,  has long been controversial. Some say he is unjustly persecuted, others say differently.
A bit on him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilal_Philips

I'd suggest making sure that your beliefs align with those of the school's founder before you sign up. And yes, no US-recognized accreditation. This is definitely not a "bargain box-checker degree" for employment purposes. That's what the Big 3 are for.

this "university"will end up supporting an extremist. sending any money to this university by citizens of MANY countries could and would be considered supporting him, and be illegal.

That is NOT a path anybody wants to go down

This is a slippery slope. I can apply the same line of rhetoric to other universities with similarly controversial founders. I think that if your beliefs do align with the founder, then it should be their prerogative to make their own decisions.

And yes, I realised that I should have emphasized the non-US accredited part more strongly. They claim to have degree equivalency in predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia, so it may have some standing in WES. 

http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/accreditation

Edit: the website is down for now.

[Johann]

this "university"will end up supporting an extremist. sending any money to this university by citizens of MANY countries could and would be considered supporting him, and be illegal.

That is NOT a path anybody wants to go down

This is a slippery slope. I can apply the same line of rhetoric to other universities with similarly controversial founders. I think that if your beliefs do align with the founder, then it should be their prerogative to make their own decisions.

There may be more than rhetoric to cerich67's statement. Dr. Philips and his school have been discussed since 2004  in another forum and it was mentioned there in 2019 that he is on numerous watch-lists and is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. I suppose it might well be that US authorities would be on alert for Americans dealing with him in any fashion. (I just found this info 10 minutes ago )