Document
Owner
Office of the President
Effective Date
October 18, 2026
Last Reviewed
October 18, 2026
Next Review
October 2027
Mission
Neponset University is a tuition-free, online, non-profit institution that makes rigorous, career-aligned higher learning accessible to adult learners across Eastern Massachusetts and the United States, supported by philanthropy and a fairly compensated adjunct faculty drawn from the regional academic and professional community.
Vision
A self-sustaining, philanthropy-supported online institution where qualified instructors deliver credit-bearing coursework to motivated adult learners at fees that never exceed a few hundred dollars per year — and where the words “tuition-free,” “non-profit,” and “accessible” describe the lived experience of every learner served.
Values
Access. We design every aspect of Neponset — cost, schedule, technology, instruction — to remove barriers for adult learners.
Rigor. Affordable does not mean lightweight. Our coursework, instructors, and credentials meet serious academic standards.
Fair Compensation. We pay our instructors. Volunteerism is generous; fairness is sustainable.
Transparency. We disclose our authorization status, our outcomes, our finances, and our limitations honestly. Where we are not accredited, we say so. Where outcomes are pending, we say so.
Lean Stewardship. Every dollar of philanthropy and every fee paid by a learner is treated as a serious obligation. We operate online to keep costs structurally low and outcomes structurally high.
Community. We are rooted in Eastern Massachusetts. The Neponset River corridor is our home, and the working adults of this region are our first and most important constituents.