--- title: "How popular is University of the People? Searches and AI answers worldwide" description: "University of the People is a tuition-free online university. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-the-people" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # How popular is University of the People? Searches and AI answers worldwide University of the People is a tuition-free online university. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: University of the People - **Market**: Global - **Measured month**: Oct 2026 - **Share of Search among university online degrees**: 6.2% ## Where does University of the People compete? | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | University online degrees | 6 | 6.2% | 135K | - [University online degrees](/demand/global-en/categories/university-online-degrees) ## Top university online degrees in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, University of the People was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. University of the People is the fifth most recommended of the 14. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Western Governors University | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | University of Florida Online | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | SNHU | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Arizona State University Online | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | University of the People | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | University of Phoenix | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Open University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Capella University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Walden University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Arden University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Purdue Global | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Strayer University | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Coursera | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | edX | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about university online degrees - Asked ChatGPT "Which university online degree should I join?": 1. Western Governors University, 2. Arizona State University Online, 3. SNHU - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best university online degrees?": 1. University of Florida Online, 2. Arizona State University Online, 3. Western Governors University - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best university online degree for working adults?": 1. Western Governors University, 2. SNHU, 3. University of Florida Online - Searched Google, AI Overview "accredited online degree": 1. University of Florida Online, 2. SNHU, 3. Western Governors University - Searched Google, AI Overview "online bachelor's degree": 1. University of the People, 2. Western Governors University, 3. Arizona State University Online Not named in any answer: University of Phoenix, Open University, Capella University, Walden University, Arden University, Purdue Global, Strayer University, Coursera and edX. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for University of the People changed worldwide over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for University of the People worldwide held steady at 135K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, University of the People’s share of searches among university online degrees worldwide peaked at 7.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in March 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, University of the People fell from 5th to 6th among university online degrees worldwide. ## How did search popularity change for university online degrees worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Capella University overtook Arden University and 2 others to rank 5th among university online degrees worldwide, with 6.2% of the searches. - In October 2026, University of Phoenix gained share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 24.4% to 25.4%. - In October 2026, Open University gained share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 20% to 20.8%. - In October 2026, Strayer University gained share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 2.7% to 3.4%. - In October 2026, Western Governors University lost share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 16.3% to 13.9%. - In October 2026, SNHU lost share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 8.9% to 7.6%. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | University online degrees | 135K | 6.7% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | University online degrees | 110K | 6% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 5.5% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | University online degrees | 110K | 5.4% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | University online degrees | 110K | 4.9% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 6.2% | 5 | | May 2026 | University online degrees | 165K | 7.3% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | University online degrees | 165K | 7.8% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 6% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 6.1% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 6% | 6 | | Oct 2026 | University online degrees | 135K | 6.2% | 6 | ## How are University of the People’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using University of the People’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “university of the people” ## Which university online degrees compete with University of the People? - [University of Phoenix](/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-phoenix) - [Open University](/demand/global-en/brands/open-university) - [Western Governors University](/demand/global-en/brands/western-governors-university): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/university-of-the-people-vs-western-governors-university - [SNHU](/demand/global-en/brands/snhu): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/snhu-vs-university-of-the-people - [Capella University](/demand/global-en/brands/capella-university): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/capella-university-vs-university-of-the-people - [Walden University](/demand/global-en/brands/walden-university): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/university-of-the-people-vs-walden-university - [Arden University](/demand/global-en/brands/arden-university): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/arden-university-vs-university-of-the-people - [Purdue Global](/demand/global-en/brands/purdue-global) - [Strayer University](/demand/global-en/brands/strayer-university) - [Arizona State University Online](/demand/global-en/brands/arizona-state-university-online) - [University of Florida Online](/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-florida-online) - [Coursera](/demand/global-en/brands/coursera) - [edX](/demand/global-en/brands/edx) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "How popular is University of the People? Searches and AI answers worldwide". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-the-people This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-the-people. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.