Everything you need to know.

It is a high school program. College Onramps lets a student earn a high school credential in as little as one year, as long as they are 15 years old. After they finish the high school program, students have the option of taking courses with one of our five college partners. If they pass those courses, they are automatically admitted to that college to complete their bachelor's degree.

It is designed to be completed in as little as one year, at roughly 22 hours per week of academic work, plus about 5 hours per week for class projects and another 5 hours doing real-world activities. Because it is self-paced and competency-based, some students move faster and some slower. The total cost is fixed, no matter how long it takes.

We built this program for motivated students who want a faster, more flexible, and more relevant alternative to a traditional high school—whether they are aiming for college, the workforce, or a skilled trade. Our first communities include Orthodox Jewish families in the New York area and homeschooling and microschool families, but the program is open more broadly to any students who are interested.

The academic program comprises 10 courses that prepare students for college-level work and the GED high school certificate. Five courses focus on "Durable SuperSkills"—real-world capabilities like communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving that employers across every field say they need most. Each course has a signature project that involves working with a team of peer students. We also have a Social Adventures Program that requires students to engage in specific activities in their community, helping them develop real-world social agency. These activities all feed into a Portfolio that strengthens college and job applications.

Yes. College readiness is the heart of the program, not an afterthought. Students build the skills and background knowledge that colleges expect, and they assemble a Portfolio that gives admissions officers real evidence of what a student can do. Because GED students don't have a conventional transcript, this portfolio becomes an especially valuable way to demonstrate ability and to help a student stand out.

Increasingly, yes. Signing up for the usual clubs and activities does relatively little; designing and carrying out a project that shows genuine, intrinsic motivation goes much further in admissions, and it teaches a life lesson about being a self-starter. The Portfolio is built to capture exactly this kind of distinctive, self-directed work.

Yes. The program prepares students for college, work, or the trades. Today's trades are being transformed by technology—from robotic milking and weeding on farms to AI-assisted layout in plumbing—so tradespeople increasingly need strong reasoning, communication, and problem-solving skills. The Durable SuperSkills at the core of College Onramps are exactly what helps someone win jobs, negotiate pricing, manage a team, and eventually run their own business.

No problem. There is no requirement to take the GED or to go to college afterward. A student can simply finish high school and start working in a job that doesn't require a GED. The skills gained in College Onramps will help them succeed in any job they pursue.

Partly because a bachelor's degree has become the new floor for many careers, and partly for a practical legal reason: in many states, a student who wants to take the GED early (at age 16) must show a plan to continue to college or to another path that requires the GED, such as a formal trade school. Setting college as the default satisfies that requirement for most students.

The GED (General Educational Development) is a widely recognized high school equivalency certification. Passing it demonstrates high-school-level skills and knowledge across four subject areas, and it is generally accepted in place of a high school diploma.

Virtually all U.S. colleges treat the GED as equivalent to a high school diploma for admissions purposes.

No, and this matters. The GED reports multiple score levels, not just "pass." Our goal is to get students into the top score band because a high GED score is a meaningful signal of accomplishment, much the way a strong standardized-test score is.

A bare-bones GED program can help you pass the test, but it won't prepare you for college or for a career. College Onramps is built to do both: it teaches key skills and knowledge, builds a portfolio, and develops social agency. Students don't just earn a certificate—they are genuinely ready for what comes next.

The minimum age is typically 16, though the specific rules vary by state. Different states have different residency requirements, rules about whether it can be taken online, and how long you must wait between attempts. Colorado currently has especially favorable rules (no residency requirement, testing from age 16, and an online option). We help families navigate the rules in their own state.

The GED exam fee is separate from tuition. It is modest (roughly $100, depending on the state) and there may be an additional small fee each time the exam is retaken. We make the current range clear so there are no surprises.

Adaptive Active Learning is our teaching method, grounded in decades of cognitive science research on how people actually learn. "Active learning" means minimal lecturing and maximal engagement (debates, games, problem-solving). "Adaptive learning" means the pace and the specific material adjust to each student's performance. The teaching is goal-driven and connects new material to what a student already knows. This technique is deeply rooted in established science applied carefully—it is not an untested experiment performed on your child.

Our proprietary AIias Learning Engine acts like a personal tutor for every student. Instead of one teacher for thirty students and the same lesson for everyone, Alias adapts to each student in real time, engages them in real conversations, targets their specific gaps, pushes for deep understanding of every concept, gives continuous immediate feedback, and lets each student advance as soon as they demonstrate mastery.

A lesson with Alias is like having a conversation with a knowledgeable and thoughtful tutor. There is no lecturing or passively watching long videos; the student is consistently engaged in a conversation with the tutor. A traditional classroom is like a train: it moves at one speed along fixed tracks for the whole group and won't stop or turn just because one student needs it to. Alias is more like driving your own car: you can slow down where something is hard, speed up where it's easy, and take interesting detours where you're curious. Your responses shape what comes next.

The Alias system is designed for exactly this situation. It quickly figures out what a student already knows and what they don't, and it begins from there. Alias remediates as needed before moving forward. As a rough guide, a student who has completed through eighth grade is ready to begin, because the program fills in gaps from that point on.

These skills are critical thinking, creative problem solving, communication, self-management and learning, and navigating the real world. We chose them because they come up again and again in employer surveys as the skills that matter most across jobs and over time. That is why they form the foundation of the program.

Not at this point. The program is a focused set of ten courses (five Durable SuperSkills courses and five Foundational Knowledge survey courses). Additional courses may be offered in the future and could function as electives.

A traditional high school day runs roughly 8:00 to 3:00, about 35 hours a week. College Onramps is about 22 hours a week of academic work, plus roughly 5 hours a week of projects and roughly 5 hours a week of the Social Adventures Program—about 30 hours a week of structured activity. Students gain back the time they would otherwise spend in non-productive activities, such as passing periods, homeroom, and assemblies.

Self-paced means students aren't locked into a rigid bell schedule, but it does not mean unsupervised. Each student works out a schedule with their mentor, and that schedule is built to keep them on track. Parents can set reasonable parameters too—for example, a school-day window such as 10:00am to 5:00pm—both for a healthy routine and because the Social Adventures Program depends on local businesses and community activities being open during normal hours.

Yes. We treat the mentor as a concierge who works directly with families. At intake we ask about parents' concerns and preferences, just as we ask students about their interests, and parents can make individualized requests. Parents are also welcome to join a student–mentor meeting periodically, much like a parent-teacher conference, so schedules and expectations can be reviewed and adjusted to fit your family and your community.

The mentor relationship is the safeguard. Early on, the mentor and student negotiate a plan: when the student will work, at what pace, and toward what milestones. And then the mentor holds them to it. Plans are reviewed in short increments (every couple of weeks), so a student can never quietly fall far behind. The goal is to make sure no family ever discovers, six months in, that little has been accomplished.

Every student meets with a trained mentor twice a week. Mentors keep students on pace, build motivation and accountability, and help students process real-world experiences. They also serve as a concierge and point of contact for parents, coordinating schedules, expectations, and any individual family requirements.

Students take part in a structured series of community experiences, some of which are intentionally designed to push them outside their comfort zones. After each experience, they meet with their mentor to reflect, build self-awareness, and develop resilience. It is how students learn to face challenges, recover from setbacks, and build genuine confidence. The exact nature of this program may vary for different communities. To be clear: this program is not about indoctrinating any particular set of values.

Yes. The Social Adventures Program is built around real interaction with others, and every course includes a project that requires students to work together. Students also have time and are encouraged to engage in other activities: join a sports club, take art lessons, start a band, or pursue other community activities—which can count toward the Social Adventures program.

A custom app (under development) logs activity for the Social Adventures Program in real time, giving mentors and parents visibility into engagement and, where appropriate, location. The app allows everyone to trust that a student actually did what they planned. Privacy and safety preferences are set with families: for example, parents can specify that a child stay in public places, avoid certain neighborhoods, or not use particular transit. The mentor coordinates these details.

Each course ends with a proctored final exam. In most cases, cameras on the student while they are at their computer are sufficient, and we can arrange to provide this equipment if a student doesn't already have what's needed. Students are told about this up front, so they know from the start that they'll need to genuinely learn the material.

No. Throughout each course, a student's ongoing interactions with the Alias Learning Engine give the student and parents a clear, continuous picture of how things are going. No one is blindsided at the end. Students also get assessed by GED practice checkpoints after every unit in each course. At the start of each course students take a sample of the final exam to see where they stand—this also allows them to monitor their own progress (it serves as a "before and after" they can keep and use as a study guide). If a student doesn't pass the final exam, they can prepare further and take it again.

They can take it again. As with everything in the program, the standard is mastery: students advance by actually demonstrating skills and knowledge, and they can keep working until they do.

Yes. The Alias Learning Engine provides ongoing feedback, and a progress dashboard lets both students and parents see how things are going at any time.

There are no front-end admissions requirements, other than the child must be 15 years old when they start our program. We've chosen to give every student a chance rather than screen them out. To get a good sense of the nature of instruction and level of difficulty, prospective families can try four sample classes. But "no admissions requirements" does not mean the program is easy: the courses are rigorous, there is no social promotion or courtesy passing, and a student has to demonstrate mastery to complete the program.

Enrollment is underway, and the program begins September 15. Enrollment is rolling.

Because content delivery is AI-powered, the program scales and isn't constrained the way a physical classroom is. After the September 15 start date, enrollment will be rolling rather than tied to a single hard deadline.

Tuition is $4,800 for the full program of ten courses, the Social Adventures program, the mentoring, the portfolio curating (with the mentor), and everything else. You can pay $400 per month over twelve months, or pay in full up front for a 5% discount. A $400 deposit reserves a student's spot. For comparison, private high schools typically cost $15,000 to $50,000 per year.

Tuition is charged by the course, not by time. The full program is ten courses for $4,800, and that total does not change whether a student finishes in six months or takes longer than a year. (If a student finishes early but is paying monthly, the remaining installments still apply, because the price reflects the ten courses rather than the calendar.)

We don't leave students idle. Depending on timing, an early finisher can begin partner-college courses (these are typically semester-based, so the fit depends on the calendar) or take part in virtual job-shadowing and "day-in-the-life" programs that introduce different professions. The goal is to bridge the gap productively.

Yes, you can pay $400 per month over twelve months. There is no late fee; if a payment isn't made within two weeks of the due date, access to the courses is paused until the account is brought current.

Yes: paying the full year in advance earns a 5% discount.

A deposit reserves a spot, and families can sample courses before committing. If a student withdraws after paying for the full year up front, tuition is prorated. This process is similar to how many colleges handle it, with a two-week full-refund window early on and proration after that.

College Onramps is a Texas-based "umbrella school," which satisfies mandatory attendance laws in 39 states (e.g., New Jersey). For the remaining states (e.g., New York), we function as a "curriculum provider" and rely on homeschooling laws. In all cases, we help parents navigate the relevant laws. Your concierge mentor helps ensure that you're meeting your state's requirements.

Because the program is self-paced, it is flexible. A student's mentor works with them to make sure they stay within state requirements and that their plan accounts for holidays, vacations, and the occasional sick day, without those becoming a loophole.

Typically, yes. You have that option at most of our partner universities, which lets students stay home and close to friends if they prefer. One newer partner is still completing its distance-education approval, so the online option there may come a bit later.

All of our partners are fully accredited, and most are well-established and well-recognized. In all cases, their credits transfer like any accredited institution's. One partner is newer and less widely known simply because it hasn't been around as long. Our five partners offer majors across virtually every field, including business, engineering, entrepreneurship, liberal arts, nursing, pre-professional tracks, and technology. Our partners are geographically distributed, in Brasília (Brazil), Chicago, Omaha, Southern California, and Washington, D.C.

Before we make a formal announcement, we need to coordinate a single press release that explains the specialties of each partner. We plan to release that document soon.

Our five partner universities have all agreed to accept College Onramps graduates who pass one year of coursework at their institution after they finish our program. So there is a clear, dependable path to a bachelor's degree that also eliminates the arduous, costly, and stressful college application process.

Yes. We're happy to work with homeschoolers and with microschools or alternative schools, including making arrangements where you handle some of the mentoring internally. Reach out and we'll work out an arrangement that fits.

The program's design naturally fits a wide range of learners. Specific accommodations are best discussed with our team, so we can understand your child's needs and how the program can best support them.

No student will be stranded. We are committed to seeing every cohort through to the end. We understand the worry (some charter and celebrity-backed schools have collapsed mid-year) and our commitment is explicit: students who enroll will be carried through their program.

College Onramps is built by Active Learning Sciences, Inc., a team with deep expertise in cognitive science, the science of learning, and education. Active Learning Sciences has been in business over six years, and has had clients all over the world (see www.activelearningsciences.com). Our "Meet the Team" page introduces the key people behind the College Onramps program and their backgrounds.