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Benson Kamau of Kenya has mastered a field he previously knew little about. He will graduate with a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from WorldQuant University in June 2026, despite having no background in stocks or trading just three years earlier.

His prior expertise was computer programming with an undergraduate degree in project management.

“I would say that 100 percent of the financial concepts that I have learned at WorldQuant University have been new to me,” he says.

This learning journey started for Benson during a climate data project, which led to research about other types of time series analyses. Stock data captured his attention.

“That was my first exposure,” he says. “I never realized that stocks are traded daily. It was an area I never thought of venturing into, but it fascinated me.”

Benson searched online for ways to deepen his understanding and discovered WorldQuant University’s online Master of Science in Financial Engineering program. Skeptical that an accredited graduate degree could be free, he scoured online reviews.

Positive feedback convinced him to apply. He took the entrance exam cold to gauge the material and failed. This is when Benson got serious. He studied probability and linear algebra, passed the exam on his second try, and began the program in January 2024. The coursework proved demanding.

“It’s not some easy as pie program,” Benson says. “You have to come ready. That’s what I liked.”

He says he got help along the way from instructors who remained patient.

“The professors understand the concepts very well and know exactly what they are talking about,” he says.

Beyond the technical growth, Benson says the program expanded his worldview. Interacting with students from America, Asia, Europe, and other parts of Africa gave him his first deep multicultural experience.

“Today, I look at myself not just as a local citizen, but as a global citizen because of the exposure that I was given,” Benson says.

After graduation, he plans to pursue roles that blend data science and finance.

“I’m never afraid of challenges,” he says. “The way I started this program is not the way I am ending it.”

Benson expresses deep gratitude to WorldQuant University founder Igor Tulchinsky for removing the financial barriers normally associated with higher education. Benson says such specialized, high-quality programs remain largely inaccessible in Kenya due to cost.

“The opportunity that I was given, I would not have been able to fund myself,” Kamau says. “This kind of highly technical course is usually only available in places like the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and the costs are really high.”

He calls the free education a transformative gift.

“I received the gift of free, quality education,” he says. “So, thank you so much, Mr. Igor. I appreciate it. I know it will open doors for me. And I will always be grateful for that opportunity.”