Admission
Choose your path: two enrollment options
Courup School welcomes students from the United States and around the world — whether you are joining us full time for a US high school diploma, or taking individual courses part time alongside your current school.
Please note: for the 2026–2027 academic year Courup is accepting Grade 9 students only, and offers the corresponding Grade 9 courses. This applies to both full-time and part-time enrollment.
Option 1
US High School Diploma — full-time students
Our diploma is a credential that strengthens applications to universities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and beyond. Full-time students complete a four-year grades 9–12 program with us, taking seven courses a year, and may add courses in the optional summer semester.
What you earn
- A US high school diploma on completion of grades 9–12
- An official transcript, issued each term and available to universities on request
- Coursework aligned to the University of California A–G framework, with AP coursework planned as the curriculum develops
- A course plan built for you, set by placement and reviewed with your advisor each year
- Support while you study — an advisor check-in every two weeks, wellbeing counseling, and instructor office hours throughout the year
What's included
- A full core course load in 50-minute live seminars capped at eight students
- Sections in your time-zone band, all recorded for review
- Seven courses a year, plus weekly advisory
- An assigned academic advisor and access to a wellbeing counselor
- College counseling from the first year, led by your advisor
- The optional Courup Project honors track, designed around AP Capstone
Ideal for
Students who want a complete American high school education and are aiming for selective universities worldwide — including athletes and performers with demanding training schedules, families who relocate, and international students who want a US diploma without leaving home.
Option 2
Credit Electives — part-time students
For part-time students who remain enrolled at their current school. Courses run in both the fall and spring semesters, are taken one at a time rather than as a full load, and can be started in either semester. Ideal for academic enrichment, accessing courses your school does not offer, or strengthening a subject with proper credit attached.
For 2026–2027 we are accepting Grade 9 students only, so the elective catalog is the Grade 9 course list.
Course selection
Choose from our full catalog of core and elective courses across mathematics, sciences, English, history and social science, world languages, and the arts — including advanced and college-level options in the upper grades.
- Core subjects taught to the same standard as our full-time program
- Distinctive electives your current school may not offer
- Advanced coursework that demonstrates college-level ability
This lets you
- Fill gaps in your current school's course offerings
- Strengthen your academic record with credit-bearing work
- Demonstrate initiative and independent study to admissions offices
- Prepare for a specific university major
- Develop the time management that university demands
Ideal for
Grade 9 students who want to strengthen their academic background, explore subjects unavailable at their school, or add rigorous coursework to a university application while remaining enrolled where they are. There is no minimum number of courses and no annual tuition — you pay for each course you take.
Requirements
What we ask for
The application is deliberately light on paperwork but not on substance. The entrance examination and the interview do the real work, and both are conducted in English.
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Student records
Basic student information — full name, date of birth, country of residence, current school, and grade level — together with transcripts or report cards from the two most recent school years. Documents not in English should be accompanied by a translation; an informal one is fine at the application stage.
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Entrance examination
A written entrance assessment in mathematics and English. It determines course placement, and its English section forms part of how we judge a student's readiness for seminars taught entirely in English.
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Writing sample
A short piece written by the student, on a prompt we provide. We want to see how they think, not how polished their editing help is.
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Interview
A video conversation with the student and at least one parent or guardian, conducted in English. This is a two-way interview — bring your hard questions.
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Technology check
A computer with a webcam and a stable internet connection capable of sustained video. We confirm this before enrollment, not after.
English proficiency Required
Every Courup seminar, assignment, reading, and advising conversation is in English. A student who cannot yet follow a fast-moving discussion will not get what they came for, so we assess this carefully rather than waving it through.
Applicants demonstrate proficiency in both the entrance examination and the interview. Where a student's schooling has not been in English, we also ask for a recognized test score as supporting evidence.
- Entrance examination — English section assessed for reading comprehension and written expression
- Interview — conducted in English, assessing spoken fluency and the ability to discuss ideas
- TOEFL iBT 80 or above (CEFR B2), or
- TOEFL Junior Standard 785 or above — ETS score level 4, "Accomplished" — for younger applicants
- Equivalent evidence accepted: IELTS 6.5, Duolingo English Test 105, or two years of study in an English-medium school
Students within 5 points of the iBT threshold, or at TOEFL Junior level 3 (730–780), may be admitted conditionally with a supported English plan in their first term.
US domestic applicants
Families are responsible for confirming that enrollment in an online school satisfies their state's compulsory-education requirements. Our admissions team can point you to the relevant questions to ask and provide any documentation you need.
International applicants
No US residency, visa, or relocation is required — Courup is fully online and issues no immigration documentation. English proficiency is assessed as described above, and equivalent national qualifications are accepted in place of US transcripts.
Process
Four steps to enrollment
Courup admits on a rolling basis. There is no single deadline to miss — we accept students at any point in the year and build a tailored plan around wherever they are starting from.
Because seminar sections are capped at eight students and the school runs a 1:6 student-to-teacher ratio, popular sections do fill, so earlier still helps.
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1
Contact our admissions team
Email admission@courup.com or send the inquiry form. Tell us about your student and we will reply with the application materials and answer your first round of questions.
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2
Submit your application
Complete the application form, upload academic records, sit the entrance examination, and send the writing sample.
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3
Interview and review
We interview your family by video call in English, review the full application, and make a decision. You will hear from us within one week of the interview.
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4
Start the journey
Finalize your registration, choose a time-zone section, and build a starting plan with your academic advisor — including any catching up or acceleration needed to join mid-year.
Calendar
Academic year 2026–2027
Courup runs a two-semester academic year — fall from September and spring from January — followed by an optional summer semester of two short terms. Admission is rolling throughout, so the dates below frame the year rather than setting application deadlines.
Join at any point in the year. We admit students throughout the academic year rather than at fixed intake dates. If you join mid-semester, your academic advisor builds a tailored plan to get you started — an adjusted course load, catch-up sessions where they are needed, and a phased start — so that arriving in November is a different beginning, not a worse one.
Fall Semester 2026
2 September – 18 December 2026- Mon 31 Aug – Tue 1 SepNew student orientation
- Wed 2 SepFirst day of classes
- Mon 7 SepLabor Day — no classes
- Wed 25 – Fri 27 NovThanksgiving break
- Mon 7 – Tue 8 DecReview and last day of classes
- Wed 9 – Fri 11 DecStudy days — no classes
- Mon 14 – Fri 18 DecFall semester final assessments
- Mon 21 Dec – Fri 8 JanWinter break
Spring Semester 2027
11 January – 6 June 2027- Mon 11 JanFirst day of spring classes
- Mon 18 JanMartin Luther King Jr. Day — no classes
- Mon 15 FebPresidents' Day — no classes
- Mon 22 – Fri 26 MarSpring break
- Wed 19 – Thu 20 MayReview and last day of classes
- Mon 24 – Tue 25 MayStudy days — no classes
- Wed 26 – Fri 28 MaySpring semester final assessments
- Mon 31 MayMemorial Day — no classes
- Fri 4 – Sun 6 JunCourup Project showcase and graduation weekend
Summer Semester 2027
7 June – 27 August 2027 · optional- Mon 7 JunSummer Term I begins
- Mon 5 JulIndependence Day observed — no classes
- Fri 16 JulSummer Term I ends
- Sat 17 – Sun 18 JulBreak between terms
- Mon 19 JulSummer Term II begins
- Fri 27 AugSummer Term II ends
- Mon 30 Aug – Tue 31 AugBreak before the fall semester
Two core semesters
Fall runs from early September to mid-December and spring from mid-January to late May, each closing with review days, study days, and final assessments.
An optional summer
Two intensive terms of about six weeks each, open to full-time and part-time students alike. Students take summer courses to accelerate, to add a subject their schedule could not fit, or to strengthen one they found difficult.
Holidays observed
US federal holidays are observed with no scheduled seminars, alongside Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks.
Calendar dates are confirmed for the 2026–2027 academic year. Summer enrollment is optional and priced separately; see the Payment Policy. Where a break or holiday affects a live seminar, instructors publish adjusted deadlines in advance. All time-zone sections follow the same calendar.
Tuition
Tuition and fees
Full-time tuition covers the complete course load, advising, counseling, and platform access for the fall and spring semesters. Part-time students pay per course, and the optional summer semester — open to both — is priced separately.
| Program | Who it is for | Unit | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Full-time tuition US High School Diploma Program — seven courses |
Full-time students · Grade 9 for 2026–2027 | Per school year | $12,800 |
| 2. Part-time credit electives Fall or spring semester |
Part-time students enrolled elsewhere · Grade 9 for 2026–2027 | Per course | $2,500 |
| 3. Summer courses Summer Term I or Term II |
Full-time and part-time students, to accelerate or add a subject | Per course | $2,500 |
| 4. Registration fee | All students registering with the school | One time | $500 |
| 5. Application fee | All applicants | One time, non-refundable | $100 |
Tuition exemption on academic merit. Applicants who demonstrate exceptional English proficiency and academic ability, supported by documentary evidence, may have tuition reduced or waived. Decisions are made case by case — raise it with the admissions team when you apply. See the Payment Policy for what evidence we consider.
Annual tuition covers seven courses across the fall and spring semesters. The registration fee is charged once when a student first registers with the school, whatever their enrollment path. Tuition does not cover physical textbooks, external examination fees, or optional in-person events. A 5% sibling discount applies to a second and each subsequent child, and a tuition exemption may be considered case by case for applicants who demonstrate exceptional English proficiency and academic ability. Full terms, including the refund schedule, are in our Payment Policy.
Your journey starts now
Rolling admission for both full-time and part-time enrollment — apply at any point in the year. Write to us and we will send the application materials the same week.