The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School plans to accept cryptocurrency as payment for its online blockchain and digital assets program.
The University of Pennsylvania announced that it will accept Bitcoin as payment for its new executive education program. The online course offered by the Philadelphia-based institution costs $3,800 and is anticipated to draw several thousand students each year.
Wharton will work with Prysm Group to develop the programme. The managing partner of the company, Guido Molinari, said in an interview that since the programme is about blockchain and digital assets, they felt the need to “talk the talk and walk the walk”.
The University of Pennsylvania will utilize Coinbase Global, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, to receive digital-asset payments.
There have been numerous university attempts at cryptocurrencies throughout the years: in 2014, MIT gave out Bitcoin to its pupils as a learning experience. Other schools have started allowing students to pay tuition with cryptocurrency.
In May, the University of Pennsylvania received a US$5 million cryptocurrency bequest, making it the largest bitcoin donation in its history. Many Wharton alums are active in the cryptocurrency world as well.
“Coinbase has 68 million verified users, and any one of these people will benefit from this initiative,” Molinari added. There are no other plans by the school in the works to accept cryptocurrency at this time.
