University of Fredericton acquired by IU International University of Applied Sciences
Investing in the future of Canadian online education
IU Group, as one of the foremost global leaders in online education, welcomes the University of Fredericton to its IU family.
Fredericton, Canada, 13 June 2023: The University of Fredericton (UFred), a leading online university based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, was founded in 2005 with the aim of democratizing education and empowering working professionals across Canada and internationally. As the next evolution in furthering this mission, UFred today announces that it has been acquired by one of the foremost global leaders in online education, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU).
The acquisition of UFred by IU comes after many years of significant growth in the prominence of online education globally. UFred, which currently has more than 4,000 active students and has educated more than 12,000 professionals across Canada, has been working to revolutionize the way that online students study, providing engaging, industry-informed education for working professionals that otherwise may not have been able to return to their studies.
“We are excited to welcome UFred to our IU family. As we continue to grow, we enter a new era with UFred allowing us to continue building on our vision that everyone can access education to grow,” said Dr. Sven Schuett, CEO of IU International University of Applied Sciences, “This partnership represents an important evolution for IU and will allow us to make significant investments for the future – bringing advantages and new opportunities to students as we extend our services around the world. It’s a fantastic opportunity for IU to partner with one of Canada’s leading online universities.”
With the acquisition underway, both UFred and IU are focused on several core areas of development, including the proposal of fifteen new degree-level programs. These programs, which have all been chosen specifically due to their alignment with challenges in New Brunswick’s current workforce, are expected to create a wide range of economic opportunities for students, local New Brunswick workers, and employers alike.
“Our government has been working closely with New Brunswick’s post-secondary institutions to ensure the programs they offer align with the needs of our labour market,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder. “This acquisition, along with the 15 new degree programs will be a significant boost to that objective.”
Don Roy, President and Co-Founder at UFred echoed these sentiments, stating: “As a private institution, we’ve never received public funding. Instead, we’ve grown explicitly through a base of overwhelmingly satisfied students. This investment will help us continue to serve the UFred community, and more than that, it will allow us to contribute in an even more significant capacity to the New Brunswick economy. This investment will also allow us to play a larger role in exporting quality Canadian education across the country and around the globe, and we’re looking forward to working with our local communities to ensure that New Brunswick becomes a leader in the future of online education.”
As the acquisition closes, there will be no impact to current students. UFred and IU will continue to work together towards building a bigger and brighter future for Canadian online education and beyond.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF FREDERICTON
The University of Fredericton (UFred) is a leading Canadian online university based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Founded in 2005, UFred has since grown to educate more than 10,000 professionals across Canada and around the world. Presently, UFred has:
- a student base that is 98% Canadian, with students in every province and territory
- a headquarters located in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, with 95% of administrative and professional staff located within Atlantic Canada
- a student satisfaction rate of 94% in degree-level programs
To learn more about UFred, visit: www.ufred.ca
ABOUT IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (PART OF IU GROUP)
With more than 130,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-approved educational institution with its main campus in Erfurt brings together more than 250 bachelor's and master's programmes under one roof, which are offered in German or English. Students can choose between dual studies, distance learning and myStudies, which combines online and face-to-face events, and design their studies independently with the help of a digitally supported learning environment. In addition, IU enables further training and promotes the idea of lifelong learning. The aim of the university is to give as many people as possible worldwide access to personalised education. IU started operations in 2000 and is now represented in more than 35 German cities. It cooperates with over 15,000 companies and actively supports them in the development of their employees. The partners include Motel One, VW Financial Services and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: iu-group.com.
Media Contacts
Sarah Gelsomino
Marketing and Communications
University of Fredericton
Sarah.Gelsomino@ufred.ca
506-454-6232 ext. 300
John Roman
International PR Manager
IU International University of Applied Sciences
John.Roman@iu.org
IU Group (IUG) is one of the largest university groups in Europe, providing personalised higher education with innovative EdTech solutions. IUG offers a diversified mix of online degree courses, part-time studies and on-campus learning. It is at the forefront of leveraging technology and innovation to meet the changing needs of students around the world. IUG’s vertically integrated education platform offers the largest portfolio of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in Europe with more than 250 accredited courses and some 600 upskilling offerings in German and English. IU Group cooperates with more than 15,000 enterprises and actively supporting them in their people development including in high-demand areas such as business administration, data & artificial intelligence and technology. The company was founded in 2021 and is the proprietor of several universities – IU International University of Applied Sciences in Germany with more than 35 campuses nationwide, the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) in the UK, as well as the University of Fredericton (UFred) in Canada – all together counting more than 140,000 students. Behind IU Group are more than 4,000 employees from nearly 90 nationalities. Further information at: iu-group.com.
