upGrad offering it's own degrees?

Woolf University was discussed on this board previously. It's a Malta-accredited umbrella institution offering accreditation and quality assurance services to partner organizations, which then become it's "constituent colleges. One of their "colleges" is one "upGrad School of Management and Technology, UK". It lists a Master of Science in Data Science, as well as 2 MBA programs:

upGrad School of Management and Technology, UK (woolf.university)

Weirdly, the programs are not linked back from upGrad.com, at least from the main page. Googling within the site yields a PDF brochure:

upGrad + Woolf MBA Brochure

 

I haven't heard that name in a long while, but it looks like the Woolf folks have been busy.

Last I recall, they were purely a Malta-based outfit, but now their accreditation page mentions that they are accredited in Malta, Switzerland, and three different locales in the US:


Unfortunately, the page doesn't provide too many other details about said accreditation schemes but instead recommends inquirers to email them.

 

https://woolf.university/legal/accreditation

It seems like Woolf is registered in Switzerland and 3 US states, but not what we would call "accredited" there. The misleading labels are unfortunate.

On an unrelated note, am I reading the fees info right, and upGrad Masters price in rupees is under US$2000? If so, interesting.

Another note: one of their colleges, offering MSCS degree, is GoIT. It seems to be a rather slick Ukrainian technology training company. Very cool. Tuition fees under $6000.

Also, they now have a "Research Strategy" page, which among other things seem to imply they intend yo confer first doctorates in 2023-26. Again, interesting.

 

I applied to the horribly named AlmaBetter Innovarsity's MSCS program in AI & Data Science, and if the program offers strong educational content, then the $2200 cost is entirely worth it to me. The Master's degree in CS is just lagniappe to me.

I'll take one for the DI team and be the guinea pig

 

Here is some interesting information from their brochure

"Key Features:
India's first Masters Degree with Assured Placement Services
Globally recognized and equivalent to an MS from any US institution
No prior Computer Science degree is required
Immigration opportunities in US, Canada, and Europe Curriculum re-engineered for the post-ChatGPT era

Eligibility:
A bachelor's Degree in any discipline (Tech or Non-tech) A knack for learning and a never-give-up attitude

Fees:
The total fee for this program is divided in 2 parts
Tuition fee: INR 1,80,000 payable at the time of admission (EMIs starting at INR 5,000)

Career Services Fee: The fee for AlmaX - Career Services Program is based on a Pay After Placement Model. You have to sign an Income Share Agreement (ISA). ISA is a legal agreement between you and AlmaBetter where you promise to pay us a part of your salary only when you get placed above the minimum threshold salary. If a student gets a job of 5 LPA or above, then the student has to pay a fee of INR 2 Lakhs in 20 EMIs of INR 10,000 each."

 

If I'm understanding correctly, they're asking a graduate to pay a total of 200,000 INR (2,420 USD at today's exchange rate) for placement services, right?

Depending on the job placement, that's not a bad deal. I wonder if they have sample data on the jobs they've previously helped graduates obtain and what the salaries are.

 

I filled out the AlmaBetter contact form a while back, I assume to get some information on their Data Science program. They just sent me an email that they are doubling the tuition for their "premium" plan from 30,000 to 60,000 INR and their "iconic" plan from 60,000 to 100,000 INR.

 

Right. They've completely jumped the gun by showing all these locations under Accreditation. It's a series of false impressions. Woolf has Cantonal permission to operate in Switzerland. That means they paid a license fee and can legally award degrees. Period. They're "in talks" with the Swiss Accreditation Council, that accredits private universities. Let us know when the talks are concluded.

Woolf is "incorporated" in California. That's all. It's also "incorporated" in Washington. DC. That's all. Woolf is also incorporated in Wisconsin. It is also State Approved there, and as they correctly point out, that is NOT accreditation.

Wow. So they're accredited in Malta, but NOT accredited in four other places. I don't like schools where I have to decipher things like this. If they want credibility, they're going about it the wrong way.

 

Woolf. The only time I've seen that spelling before was back in my boyhood. One of my heroes - racing driver Woolf Barnato.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/licensed-image?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnyMSvjeGtopdk2bSC6RFbTSrZv9imXJ6hRPjlbiYE950eoPsh4AMUYnNW224OOx0SeVvpvVAoTGQl2Y8

When I was 10 or 11, (1953-4) I read a bunch of books on car racing, mostly by British authors. There was a lot of print about racing Bentleys of the 30s - and I'd seen (and liked) some Bentleys of that era on the UK roads I'd left behind a year or two before. Mr. Barnato was a legendary driver - one of the "Bentley Boys" as they were known, and was the coolest guy I'd ever read about. He was also an adept financier who, they said, had become very wealthy in his business dealings - the South African diamond and gold fields.

What a combo! I wanted to be just like him - but money and driving were never to be my strong points. Oh well...
Nice example of a Bentley in the pic, with Mr. Barnato at the wheel. 1936-7? And I'm guessing, perhaps a Gurney-Nutting body. That firm made beautiful bodies, with sporting lines, for both Bentley and Rolls Royce.

Good bio. of Woolf Barnato here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolf_Barnato

 

Lagniappe? You from Louisiana? Bienvenue! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

t'as su, qu'est-ce qui m'a trahi ?

 

Seulement le mot "lagniappe." Je l'ai appris pendant mes études de la musique Cajun.

(For the rest of the forum - Xspect asked what gave him away? I told him just the word "lagniappe" which I learned while making a little study of Cajun music. "Lagniappe" means 'a little something extra' - like the thirteenth 'beignet' in a baker's dozen.)

 

Thanks - forgot about her. I DO remember Burton and Taylor's performances in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" though. Hated the thing. Adaptation of Edward Albee's play IIRC. I got MUCH more entertainment at an earlier age, reading about Woolf Barnato. Big "Blower" Bentleys over the Burtons, any day.