Today, we announced that edX and 2U will be joining together in an industry redefining combination. As a global leader in education technology, 2U shares our vision that online education has the power to expand access, create opportunity, and transform lives. By working together we can realize our shared vision even faster, to empower learners like you to unlock your potential.
For almost a decade, edX has been on a mission to change the world for good, and our vision has grown into a movement. More than 39 million of you from every country in the world have joined us, fueled by our incredible network of contributors that includes 5,500 professors and instructional design experts from 160 top universities and industry partners. I am inspired by each and every learner we’ve impacted and am honored to learn with and from you all, every day.
Together with Harvard, MIT, and our network of partners, we’ve long envisioned a reality where education is agile and accessible. One where everyone is welcome and where the knowledge we share and the knowledge we gain propels our lives, our communities, and the world. This combination is another major step towards making that vision a reality. Our founding university partners, Harvard President Larry Bacow and MIT President Rafael Reif, shared that “today’s announcement will carry forward this mission on a whole new scale, connecting many more learners with a wider range of high-quality options for content, credentials and degrees. With online education rapidly changing, it’s the right moment for this leap of evolution for edX.”
Joining together with 2U will allow us to accelerate our impact and purpose at an even greater rate — reaching more learners than ever before, serving as trusted digital transformation partners for universities and companies, and furthering research and innovation in teaching and learning. The power of this combination will usher in a new era of online learning. edX and 2U’s combined and complementary portfolio of more than 3,500 offerings from 230 of the world’s top universities and corporations will unlock new opportunities for you to accelerate your learning journeys, achieve your career goals, and enrich your lives.
But I also want you to know that many of the aspects that brought you to edX in the first place will remain the same — our mission still powers everything we do, our movement remains fueled by our community of learners and contributors and you’ll still find free audit track options to most of our courses at edX.org. Together we’ll remain committed to honoring edX’s founding promise and putting learner outcomes at the center of everything we do. If you have questions about how this news might impact you, please read our FAQs. You can also read more about the agreement on the deal site.
