College Pathway

Take a powerful first step towards a degree.

Please enter a first name

Please enter a last name

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid phone number.

Please select a goal.

Thank you for your interest.

What’s next?
  • 4 courses

    Cohort-based courses designed to be fun

  • A new way to learn

    Fun online courses unlike anything you’ve experienced.

  • Flexible coursework

    On-demand lectures & learning that fits your schedule.

Quick navigation

The world's best college on-ramp

Say hello to your first step towards a college degree. Experience a whole new way to learn that is designed to be engaging, fun, and effective for all types of students.

Specifically designed for:

  • Incoming college students

  • Adults returning to college

  • Degree seeking students

  • Students looking for flexible study hours

Build your pathway

In addition to the required College Writing I course, you'll get to choose 1 Math, 1 Business, and 1 additional Liberal Arts course from a curated list of our most popular courses.

  • Writing

    College Writing I

    Unlock the power of words.
    Learn more
  • Business

    Intro to Business

    The art of creating value.
    Learn more
  • Math

    College Algebra

    Math rules everything around us.
    Learn more
  • Business

    Principles of Economics

    Economics in a nutshell.
    Learn more
  • Math

    Precalculus

    Master the building blocks of Calculus.
    Learn more
  • Additional liberal arts

    Intro to Psychology

    The science of the mind.

    Learn more
  • Additional liberal arts

    Intro to Sociology

    Explore the fabric of society.
    Learn more
  • Additional liberal arts

    Intro to Philosophy

    The big questions, examined.
    Learn more

By the numbers

  • 12 college credits

    Number of transferable credits you’ll earn with Outlier’s College Pathway

  • 33% earnings increase

    “Associate’s degrees earn nearly one-third more than those with just a high school diploma”

    Source: Georgetown University

  • $2.8 million

    Average lifetime earnings for those with a Bachelor's degree.

    Source: Georgetown University

Transferable credits from a top 50 school

Most schools accept credits transferred from University of Pittsburgh

Learn more
UMass Teaching Excellence Award Recipient | Dr. John Kaag | College Writing I Professor

UMass Teaching Excellence Award Recipient | Dr. John Kaag | College Writing | Professor

Payment options

  • Certificate cost

    Purposefully Affordable

    Our courses are 50% less than the average college cost.

    $2,388
    $5328
  • 0% interest

    Monthly Payment Option

    Use Klarna to pay over 18 months with no interest or fees. Outlier is proud to cover student interest fees.

    $133/month
  • Employer

    Tuition Reimbursement

    Check with your company. Many employers fully cover Outlier courses and certificates.

    Free

What you'll get

  • 4 individual world-class courses, available 24/7
  • 12 transferable college credits from a Top 60 US college (University of Pittsburgh)
  • Shareable Outlier Certificate of Completion
  • World-class instructors from institutions like NYU and NASA
  • Free tutoring for your math course
  • All course materials included

Highlighted instructors

You may find yourself binge-watching their lectures. Instructors are hand-picked for their expertise and ability to communicate ideas clearly and charismatically.

  • Tori Sampson, MFA

    PLAYWRIGHT AND SCREENWRITER

    College Writing I

  • John Kaag, Ph.D.

    UMASS LOWELL

    Intro to Philosophy

  • Po-Shen Lo, Ph.D.

    CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

    College Algebra

  • Dana Fisher, Ph.D.

    UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

    Intro to Sociology

  • David Pizarro, Ph.D.

    CORNELL UNIVERSITY

    Intro to Psychology

  • Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Ph.D.

    UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGEN

    Precalculus

  • Melvin Rogers, Ph.D.

    Brown University

    College Writing I

  • Jacqueline W.

    Jacqueline W.

    “LOVE LOVE LOVE. I’ve taken a lot of online courses over the years and … Outlier blows them all away—in design, teachers, production, content, and facilitating learning.”

  • Elliot P.

    Elliot P.

    “The staff was amazing! Not only knowledgeable but very friendly and super supportive. I felt the same level of rapport with them as though I was attending physical classes and seeing each of them every day.”

  • Katie A.

    Katie A.

    “I had a wonderful experience with the community, the subject, and my peers. Outlier has an incredible support staff willing to help us with everything from answering queries to clearing subject doubts.”

Freqently asked questions

If you have any further questions, our Student Success team (success@outlier.org) is here to help.

  • You earn your Outlier Certificate of Completion when you complete all of the courses in your certificate sequence with a passing grade (of 69.5% or higher). All courses must be taken for credit, and not audited, to count towards Certificates.

  • Certificate sequences are designed to fit even the busiest lifestyles, so you can complete them at your own pace, and take up to two years from date of purchase to do so. You can take as many courses as you’d like concurrently, in most cases. That said, some courses must be completed in a particular sequence (e.g. Precalculus must be completed before Calculus I).

  • Great news: If you’ve passed some (or all) of the courses with Outlier, you’re ahead of the game! We’ll count these towards your Certificate, and you’ll receive the discounted certificate price for any remaining courses you’ll need to take to complete your Certificate sequence. Simply reach out to our Student Success team at success@outlier.org and let them know that you plan to enroll in the Certificate and include your previously passed courses, and we’ll send along the discount code and instructions for next steps. Note: For any previously completed courses to count towards a Certificate, they must have been taken for credit, and not audited.

    Additionally, if you’re already confident in your Precalculus skills, you can test out of the Precalculus requirement for any Certificate sequence and head straight to the Calculus I course. To do so, first take the pretest here. If you pass, send a note to our Student Success team and let us know which Certificate you’d like to enroll in. We can be reached at success@outlier.org.

  • The Outlier courses that comprise a Certificate sequence will earn you transferable college credits (3 per course) from the University of Pittsburgh, an accredited top 60 US school. However, our Certificates of Completion are granted solely by Outlier, and aren’t currently accredited. That said, they are shareable on your LinkedIn Profile and resume, and offer proof that you’ve completed—and passed—a sequence of academically rigorous courses with us.

  • As with all Outlier courses, if you've put in the time and effort to do all the work for a course within the Certificate sequence, but do not receive a passing grade, that's on us, and you will receive a full refund for that course! You may also exit courses in your sequence before the drop deadline to receive a full refund (14 days from start for 14-week courses, and 7 days from start for 7-week Intensive courses).

    Additionally, we offer a full refund of the total Certificate price within 6 months of your purchase, so long as vouchers have not been redeemed for course sign-up(s), or you have exited all Certificate courses prior to the drop deadlines.

    For more information on refunds please refer to our Refund Policy.