Studying at a UK University with a Unicaf Scholarship (Up to 90%)

[artem]

I recently started studying for an MSc in International Relations at the University of East London through Unicaf. 
I decided to create this thread to share my experience. I will update it as I continue my studies.

Scholarship of up to 90%.

I first learned about Unicaf last year when I was looking for affordable master's degree programs.

Unicaf is a Cyprus-based online education company that works with different universities. Most of its partner universities are in Africa, but there are also some interesting options in the UK, including University of East London, Liverpool John Moores University, and University of Suffolk. There is also an American option, the University of California, Riverside.

Graduates receive an official degree from the partner university. There is also an option to attend a graduation ceremony and receive the diploma in person.

Last year, I was interested in the MSc in Computing and Information Systems at Liverpool John Moores University. I was offered a scholarship that reduced the total tuition fee to just £1,850. I did not enroll at that time.

This year, after my disappointing experience with the MBA program at University of the People, I decided to look at Unicaf again. My experience with UoPeople was terrible. Poor student support, administrative problems, wasted time, and wasted money. I decided that I did not want to continue dealing with these problems.

My educational and professional background is mostly in IT. This time, I wanted to study something different. I decided to add a humanities-related degree to my technical background, mainly for personal development and to learn something new.

I chose MSc International Relations at the University of East London. I find this subject interesting. In the future, I may also consider an MBA or even an LLM.

Now,  about the scholarship and tuition fees.

Unicaf scholarships are offered on a case-by-case basis. The amount depends on your application and individual circumstances.
After reviewing my application, I received an official offer letter and an 89% scholarship. My total tuition fee was approximately £2,250 for the entire master's program.
I think this is an excellent price for a degree from a British university, so I accepted the offer.

There are different payment options. You do not have to pay everything at once. It is possible to arrange a payment plan and spread the cost over the study period.
Payments are added to your student account. When you register for a module, its tuition fee is deducted from your balance. Different modules may have different prices.

The program is 100% online. Study materials are available through the LMS. There are written materials, videos, and assignments.
My program consists of six modules, each worth 30 UK credits. The total is 180 UK credits, equivalent to 90 ECTS or 45 US semester credits.

There are no exams. Assessment is based on written assignments. 

The standard duration of the program is two years, but students have up to 48 months to complete it. You must complete at least two modules per year.

There is also an option to accelerate. Students can take up to 60 credits every three months.
This means that, I could complete my entire master's degree in just nine months by taking two modules every three months. I think this is a great option, especially if you have enough time to study.


Courses are available for registration every month, and some even every week. You do not have to wait for the beginning of a traditional semester.

The program also offers early exit qualifications. After completing two modules, you can receive a Postgraduate Certificate. After four modules, you can receive a Postgraduate Diploma.

At the moment, I have registered for the introductory course. It is mandatory but does not carry academic credits. 
So far, I cannot say much about the quality of teaching, assignments, or academic support because I have only just started.
I will continue updating this thread as I progress through the program. 


For anyone interested, I am leaving my Unicaf referral link here:

https://apply.unicaf.org/refer-a-friend/...wwZPYrBoI9

You can use it to apply for a scholarship. The exact scholarship amount depends on your application. If you enroll through my link, I will also receive a small referral reward that I can use toward my own tuition fees.

Unicaf offers programs at different levels, from certificates and bachelor's degrees to master's and doctoral degrees, including PhD, DBA, and EdD programs. Depending on the program, studies are available in English or French.

[eLearner]

Nice find.

I did speak with the AI customer service. It's definitely the most intelligent university bot I've ever chatted with. It actually seemed to know what was going on and knew the programs, so that's a green flag. Almost every university bot I've chatted with was essentially useless and never knew much about the school or its programs. However, this bot gave me some different information than what you posted. It said:

- The scholarship limit is 80%.

- Liverpool John Moores University is not a partner now.

- No diplomas or master's degrees can be earned along the way to a doctorate.

- All of their doctorates are offered only through Unicaf, and that means The University of Malawi or the University of Zambia. Both are accredited.

- The University of Suffolk and The University of East London are their partners for a special set of bachelor's and master's degrees that Unicaf doesn't offer.

- The University of California-Riverside option is only for a Mini-MBA.

That said, the bot also kept telling me that the doctoral programs were mandatory 8 year programs and I know that's not the case, so it could be wrong on one or more of the points I listed. On the other hand, it could be right about the 8 years. After all, UNISA (though not affiliated) is known for having people in their doctoral programs for crazy lengths of time. I think I heard of one guy who was in for like 12 years? And not because he wasn't trying to get it done the whole time, but because of administrative hurdles due to the school having so many students.

In any case, for the price and flexibility, it looks like it could be another viable low-cost option. Lord knows North Americans need more of those, smh.

[SteveFoerster]

This year, after my disappointing experience with the MBA program at University of the People, I decided to look at Unicaf again. My experience with UoPeople was terrible. Poor student support, administrative problems, wasted time, and wasted money. I decided that I did not want to continue dealing with these problems.

My business partner is in Lagos, and his experience with them was similar. He dropped them and did the MBA through the National Open University of Nigeria instead and said NOUN is better in basically every way.

Anyway, best wishes in your new program!

[artem]

This year, after my disappointing experience with the MBA program at University of the People, I decided to look at Unicaf again. My experience with UoPeople was terrible. Poor student support, administrative problems, wasted time, and wasted money. I decided that I did not want to continue dealing with these problems.

My business partner is in Lagos, and his experience with them was similar. He dropped them and did the MBA through the National Open University of Nigeria instead and said NOUN is better in basically every way.

Anyway, best wishes in your new program!

I actually had a really good experience with their bachelor's program. I received a scholarship and was able to study for two years completely free. I never had any problems, and everything went smoothly from start to finish. I was genuinely happy with the experience.

That is why it was so disappointing to see how different the graduate experience turned out to be. I really expected the same level of support and organization.