Learning under fire.

• Position: EDUCATION - University of the People - Brief article

Millions of young people worldwide have no access to higher education because of wars, disasters, or poverty. But a California-based online school is trying to help change that. The nonprofit University of the People serves about 6,000 students in 180 countries, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Rwanda and Haiti. Tuition is free and volunteer professors teach courses in business, computer science, and health. Mariam Hammad, 22, was a student at the University of Aleppo last year when it was hit by rockets in Syria's brutal civil war, killing dozens. She enrolled at the University of the People to pursue a business degree; with...