Université TÉLUQ is a public French-language distance learning university, part of the Université du Québec system. Originally founded in 1972 as the Telé-université, Université du Québec commission to develop distance education courses, Université TÉLUQ is now a full university which offers programs in undergraduate and graduate studies. It is the only French-language university education institution in North America to offer all of its courses and programs at all three university cycles remotely and continuously. Though it is based in Quebec City, Quebec, about two thirds of its professors work from its Montreal offices. Legal status Télé-université was established as a higher school by letters patent under the great seal, under decree 264-92 issued on February 26, 1992. On October 26, 2005, its letters patent were transferred to the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), to which it was attached. The Télé-université was re-established on December 14, 2011 as a higher school. A member of the Université du Québec network since 1972, it has had its own board of directors since 1992. Its head office is located in Quebec, but it also has offices in Montreal. Students It has over 20,000 distant learning students per year, more than half of them in the Montreal area. Most students (71%) are females and over the age of 35 (60%). About a third of all students (35%) taking courses at TÉLUQ are from other universities or in on-campus programs. About a fifth of the student population (22%) holds a degree. There is a student union AÉTÉLUQ. It was created on October 3, 1994 and has as its principles democracy within its bodies, full participation within university bodies, transparency, accessibility to public education. Programs of study Université TÉLUQ offers hundreds of programs at all levels of study, from bachelor's degrees to master's and Ph.D.s, offered jointly with UQAM. Programs are offered by four departments: School of Administrative Sciences Department of Education Department of Science and Technology Department of Humanities, Languages, and Communication Once a program is completed, the diploma is awarded by the Université du Québec. Free access courses Since the fall of 2014, TÉLUQ University has been offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Also, several courses offer everyone access to all or a substantial part of their content. Some are released under a Creative Commons (CC) license. Teaching methods Université TÉLUQ offers several types of courses. Support format includes paper, DVDs, and Web sites