Frequently Asked
Questions

Do you need help finding answers to your questions about the Univ.AI? Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can assist you.

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General

Curriculum

Learning at Univ.AI

Class Schedule

placements

Eligibility

Certification

What is Univ.AI?
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Univ.AI is a premier online-live institution to learn Data Science, Machine Learning and AI. Created by professors from Harvard and UCLA.


Univ.AI was designed as an accessible and affordable alternative to top-tier universities, especially for working professionals.


More generally, Univ.AI is a learning destination for those (both current students and working professionals) who seek cutting edge learning and career outcomes, but may not be able to attend Harvard and MIT.


Univ.AI brings onto an online platform, the world’s top professors to teach LIVE. The other distinguishing feature of learning at Univ.AI is an intensively mentored learning environment with 8-10 hours of live mentorship each week. 


Univ.AI graduates proceed to get top jobs in the industry, move to AI/Data Science jobs at existing employers. Many go on to attend top tier graduate schools.

How do Univ.AI’s programs compare with other well known fully-online Data Science and AI programs at renowned universities?
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The amount of mentorship you receive at Univ.AI exceeds that at most programs (on-campus, or online) around the world.


Our 18- to 43- week programs are equivalent in rigour and intensity to non-thesis graduate programs at the world’s elite institutions. Univ.AI’s fully live, high-intervention online programs are without parallel. They are closer to on-campus programs which have an entire community aligned to learning. 


Most online programs lack that orientation. Their once-a-week mentorship sessions shift the burden of learning entirely to the students. 


At Univ.AI, your mentoring begins right at the Lectures. During lectures you work on TA-supervised problem solving sessions. Mentoring continues through Labs and office hours with Professors and TAs. 


Since mentoring is such a critical part of the learning experience at Univ.AI, it perhaps helps to quantify it. About 50% of your learning journey is completely mentored. Of the remaining, about 30% is peer-assisted and collaborative. Only 20% is unaided.


Mentored and peer driven learning as a % of the learning journey

Online programs - 10-20%

Universities - 30-40%

Univ.AI - 80%

How are programs delivered at Univ.AI?
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Each of our programs comprise a series of 5-6 week courses. With few exceptions, most individual courses are 6-weeks long. 


The learning system is entirely LIVE and comprises Interactive classes, labs, office hours, homework assignments, and an end-of-course project. 


Each week, for the first 4 weeks, there are two classes, one-to-labs, and office hours. In addition you are assigned homework. The final week is for a group project.


There is a short break at the end of each course and the start of the next one. For more details, please refer to the how it works page of our website.

Can I take individual courses at Univ.AI?
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Yes. You can enroll directly into any course and take it simply by paying the associated fee. You could also take an entire set of courses one-at-a-time to complete any one of the programs on your own schedule. 


You will be subject to the same grading and assessment rigour as other students who are part of our programs. 


You will, however, be ineligible for tuition plans. You may be eligible for placement assistance under certain circumstances.

Are programs at Univ.AI full time or part time?
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At present we offer only part-time programs, and sessions are conducted in the evenings (Indian Time Zone). They are designed such that working professionals can expect to finish them in a 6-9 month period with 12-15 hours of work per week (with breaks between courses). 


The workload is calibrated to keep the rate of learning new concepts at a level that allows you enough time to learn them thoroughly, and explore all practical nuances of application.

What’s the role of peer and community learning in Univ.AI programs?
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Homeworks and projects are typically done in groups. Our students benefit greatly from group-work to address missed learning sessions. Learning from peers plays a key role for most, and adds substantially to the experience.

What is the format of learning at Univ.AI?
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All sessions are live - classes, labs, office hours, homeworks, project work. They are specifically designed to promote participation. You participate along with your study group in every element of learning. 


Even lectures at Univ.AI are active. Every 20-30 minutes, you break into a problem solving session with a Teaching assistant and immediately double down on the concept that was just taught. 


The system ensures that if you find time to attend learning sessions, you learn - it’s that simple. You can learn more about each component of learning on the How it works page at www.univ.ai

What happens if I need help outside of live hours?
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At Univ.AI, you are never left waiting. 


Each course has a discussion forum where both TAs and peers answer your questions. You also spend a significant amount of time working in groups on homework and projects. The amount of time you learn unattended is quite small as a fraction of your overall experience.

What happens if I miss a session?
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We make session recordings available on video shortly after they are completed. Most participants tend to view the lecture video and then follow that up with a live Lab and office hours to catch-up. 


TAs often stay after labs and office hours to answer questions. There are lots of opportunities to catch up with missed sessions.

How do you mentor students at Univ.AI?
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The frequency of live sessions ensures that help is always on hand. 


Highly trained Teaching Assistants (TAs), serve as course mentors. RIght from the in-class exercise during professors’ lectures, to labs, office hours and discussion forums. TAs mentor each step of your learning journey - LIVE. Typically, they will be alongside you, live, with other members on a shared screen, discussing questions, helping clarify concepts and when necessary, typing in lines of code. TAs also grade your work. 


This real-time, live mentoring by TAs makes a decisive and unparalleled difference to the learning experience at Univ.AI.

Your US Timings are in the morning. Do you plan to offer evening times for the US as well?
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We plan to introduce evening times for US sessions, once we have some data about time preferences, from course participants. 


Evenings on the east coast, don’t work for folks on the west coast (late afternoons for them). Likewise, evenings on the west coast don’t work for the east. Morning timings seem like the best compromise.

What is a learner’s weekly schedule at Univ.AI? What time are classes and other live sessions held?
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They are currently held at - 

USA

9:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 am EST)

6:30 am PDT (5:30 am PST)

 

India

7:00 pm IST.

How much time will I need to commit each week to do well at Univ.AI?
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Programs at Univ.AI are run one-course-at-a-time, and require about 12-15 hours of your time each week, including live classes, labs, office hours, homeworks, and projects. 


Every week, you have two classes of about 90 minutes each


Each session lasts about 90 minutes. 


If you can commit that kind of time every week to learn a new field, then we welcome you to apply for Univ.AI programs in Data Science, and AI irrespective of your stage of career.

What career outcomes can I expect after successfully completing Univ.AI programs?
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Univ.AI students may reasonably expect to get the best jobs in the industry, commensurate with their prior experience. Folks that come to Univ.AI without any prior work experience, and expect to get top entry-level positions in Data Science, and those with prior work experience, will be able to get more senior-level jobs.


In addition, we invite Univ.AI students to apply for positions at Univ.AI’s Data Science and AI consulting division, which offers top jobs at industry-leading compensation.

What kind of placement support can I get from Univ.AI?
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Career placements are a key part of our programs. Univ.AI has recruiting partnerships with companies ranging from fortune 1000 companies to leading startups. As you approach the end of your program at Univ.AI, our placement coordinators seek out and present opportunities for you to apply and interview for top jobs. 


Placements are an integral part of our process to get you started on an exceptional career path.

Do you offer placement guarantees?
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We do not ourselves provide jobs. We provide access and assistance to secure great jobs.


We do however relieve you of any obligation to pay tuition if you score an A in our programs and then are unable to find employment within a stipulated time period after program completion. 


If part or whole of the tuition has already been paid, we refund your tuition fee.


Note: Working professionals are already employed and are ineligible for placement guarantees.

Who is eligible for the ZERO Tuition Upfront + ISA option?
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USA


For our US candidates, everyone is eligible for an ISA. Working professionals, however, are not eligible for placement and salary guarantees.

ISA with deposit 

Those who are not offered ZERO upfront tuition with an ISA, may be offered an ISA with deposit, where about 20% of the fee is required to be paid upfront, and the remainder is payable via the ISA.


Pay-as-you go, and full upfront tuition fees

Those who are ineligible for a full ISA, or an ISA with deposit can elect to pay by one of the above ways. 


We continue to look for other convenient ways of tuition payment.


Details


INDIA 


Generally, only those who are currently in their final year of other degree programs or have less than 18 months to graduate, or taking time off to study at Univ.AI are eligible for an ISA. Working professionals are eligible with an upfront fee of Rs 1,00,000.


Full ISA

ISA awards are decided based on application and interview. ISA applicants are asked to fill out a separate application before the admissions interview. ISA decisions are made based on the application and interview.


Deferred fee, Pay-as-you go, and full upfront tuition fees

Those who are ineligible for a full ISA, can elect to pay by one of the above ways.


Details

Who can attend Univ.AI programs? Can I take them if I am a working professional? What if I am still studying?
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Anyone! Data Science and AI are horizontal skill that increasingly professionals of all persuasions will need to know - whether they are social or physical scientists, engineers, or medical professionals. 


Our programs are part-time. Students currently enrolled at university, as well as working professionals, can apply for our programs.

What are the prerequisites for the Certificate programs at Univ.AI?
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Our DSLP, Deep Learning Leaders Program and Certificate in Data Science programs require you to know (high-school level) -  linear algebra, calculus, and basic statistics. In addition we require you to know Python programming. 


We conduct an entrance exam as part of the application to test you on the prerequisites to ensure that you are well prepared to succeed in our programs.

I want to enrol for DSLP or Certificate programs, but I do not have a programming background. What should I do?
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We offer a preparatory course, AI-0: Basics of Data Science (formerly PyDS) for those who do not have a programming background. This course makes sure you are prepared to take any course in Machine Learning or Data Science. 


Folks who score B+ or higher in AI-0 get admission into our programs and are eligible for an ISA, without having to go through our regular application process. An A grade in PyDS guarantees you admission to the program of your choice (except advanced programs).

What certifications do I get after completing the programs?
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We have a 2-tier certification system for all our programs. Students who score an A grade are awarded a special Certificate of Exceptional Performance. All students who successfully complete a program receive a Certificate of Successful Completion. 


In addition, within a program, for each course you complete successfully, you get a course completion certificate and grade. 


All certificates are granted by Univ.AI, and signed by our founding faculty, who are Harvard and UCLA professors.


In addition you have a github repository of all your projects, and a detailed transcript for the program, comprising your grades in each of the courses.

Do I get college credits for taking Univ.AI courses?
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No, we do not offer college credits for our courses. However, if you choose to pursue further education, based on knowledge acquired at Univ.AI, you will be able to test out of required courses at many universities around the world.

Do I get a certificate for completing each course?
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For each course you complete successfully, you get a course completion certificate and a grade. All certificates are granted by Univ.AI, and signed by our founding faculty, who are Harvard and UCLA professors.