Questions families ask

For the 2026–2027 academic year, Courup is accepting Grade 9 students only — on both the full-time and the part-time path — and offers the corresponding Grade 9 courses. Within that, there are two ways to study with us.

Full-time diploma enrollment means Courup is your school. You take seven courses a year across the fall and spring semesters and graduate with our US high school diploma.

Part-time credit electives are for students who stay enrolled at their current school. They run in both the fall and spring semesters and are taken one course at a time with no annual tuition. Part-time students receive a Courup transcript but not a Courup diploma.

The optional summer semester is open to both, with two intensive terms of about six weeks each.

Details for both are on the Admission page.

Enough to follow and contribute to a fast-moving seminar. Every class, reading, assignment, and advising conversation at Courup runs in English, so we assess this carefully rather than treating it as a formality.

Proficiency is demonstrated in two places: the English section of the entrance examination, which looks at reading comprehension and written expression, and the interview, which is conducted in English and assesses spoken fluency and the ability to discuss ideas rather than just answer questions.

Where a student's schooling has not been in English, we also ask for supporting evidence — TOEFL iBT 80 or above, which corresponds to CEFR level B2, or TOEFL Junior Standard 785 or above for younger applicants, which is ETS score level 4, "Accomplished". We also accept IELTS 6.5, a Duolingo English Test score of 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.

Yes. Courup is open to students anywhere in the world, alongside students based in the United States. No relocation, US residency, or student visa is required — the program is fully online and we do not issue immigration documentation.

Basic student information and records — name, date of birth, country of residence, current school and grade level, plus transcripts or report cards from the two most recent school years — an entrance examination in mathematics and English, a writing sample, and an interview with the student and a parent or guardian. The entrance examination and the interview are both conducted in English and together establish English proficiency. Full detail is on the Admission page.

No. Courup admits on a rolling basis and accepts students at any point in the academic year. If you join mid-semester, your academic advisor builds a tailored starting plan — an adjusted course load, catch-up sessions where they are needed, and a phased start. Because seminar sections are capped at eight students, popular sections do fill, so applying early still helps. You will hear our decision within one week of the interview.

Courup is a full high school. Full-time students enroll in a grades 9–12 program, take seven courses a year, receive an official transcript each term, and earn a US high school diploma on completion. We also offer part-time credit electives to students enrolled elsewhere; those carry a Courup transcript but not a Courup diploma. For 2026–2027 both paths are open to Grade 9 students only.

Courup School is currently going through the application process for accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Our academic team is experienced in the American curriculum and holds the program to WASC standards. We encourage every family to ask this question of any school in writing, and we will tell you exactly where our application stands.

Separately, Courup School LLC files the annual Private School Affidavit with the California Department of Education, as California law requires of private schools operating in the state. Filing the affidavit registers a school with the state and confirms it is operating lawfully; it is not accreditation, approval, or endorsement by the state, and we do not present it as one.

Both, deliberately. Students work through readings and research at their own pace and are encouraged to follow what they are curious about — the point of that independent time is to arrive with real questions. Those questions are then taken into live seminars, which meet in 50-minute periods on a fixed weekly schedule with an instructor and a maximum of eight students (English and Mathematics three times a week, other courses twice), where they are discussed with specialists and instructors. Sessions are recorded for review or to catch up after an unavoidable absence, but the recordings supplement the seminar rather than replace it.

Sections are offered in three time-zone bands — the Americas, Europe/Africa, and Asia-Pacific — and students choose the one that falls within their waking day. No student is expected to attend class in the middle of their night. Instructor office hours are also offered in multiple slots.

Eight students per seminar section, as a hard cap, with a 1:6 student-to-teacher ratio across the school. Many sections run smaller than the cap.

Courup's curriculum is being designed to incorporate AP coursework. The College Board's Advanced Placement program comprises 42 subjects, and our intention is to make AP courses available from Grade 9 onward wherever a student's placement supports it, rather than making a capable ninth grader wait two years. Entry will be decided by the entrance examination and by your advisor's reading of a student's preparation, not by grade level.

That plan includes the two AP Capstone courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, whose emphasis on investigation and defended argument sits close to how we already teach.

To be straightforward about where this stands: offering courses under the AP designation requires College Board authorization through the AP Course Audit, and AP Capstone requires a separate authorization. Our applications are in progress. The admissions team will tell you exactly which courses are confirmed for the coming year before you enroll.

An optional honors track, designed around the College Board's AP Capstone program. As AP Capstone is introduced, a student who enrolls in the Courup Project will follow AP Seminar and then AP Research — the two courses that make up AP Capstone — placing them on the Capstone pathway by default rather than having to sign up separately.

The sequence runs from a scaffolded foundation project in Grade 9, to AP Seminar, to a year-long independent investigation in AP Research supervised by a faculty mentor. Every project is presented at the end-of-year showcase.

Once AP Capstone is running, students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research qualify for the AP Seminar and Research Certificate; those who also earn 3 or higher on four further AP exams qualify for the AP Capstone Diploma. The track is optional and the Courup diploma does not depend on it. Until College Board authorization is granted, the honors track runs as a mentored independent project.

The instructor who taught the course, in every case — each of whom holds a master's degree or higher. Nothing is machine-graded. Quizzes and objective tests are marked by the instructor alongside essays, lab reports, and open-response work, because a wrong answer usually tells a teacher something a score cannot. Marked work and written comments are returned within one week of submission.

Every student has an assigned academic advisor who meets with them every two weeks, and our learning platform watches the signals a remote classroom would otherwise hide. Missed sessions, late work, or slipping assessment scores trigger a human follow-up within days — to the student first, then the family. The same system flags students who are pulling ahead, so the response is a harder course rather than a quiet plateau. Families also receive a written narrative report from each teacher every term.

Yes. Classes are small enough that students genuinely know one another, and clubs, student government, competition teams, and service projects are all student-run. But it is important to note that an online school does not replace daily in-person social life.

The academic program is fully online with no in-person requirement — no student is ever disadvantaged by being unable to travel. Alongside it we host optional gatherings: regional family meetups where enough students live near one another, and the Courup Project showcase and graduation weekend on 4–6 June 2027. Attendance is voluntary and travel costs are not included in tuition.

A computer (not a tablet or phone) with a webcam and microphone, and an internet connection that reliably supports video calls. We verify this during enrollment. All course materials, textbooks, and tools are delivered through the school platform.

For full-time students, expect roughly 12–13 hours of live seminars plus 10–12 hours of independent work per week. The school day runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm with a long midday break, and mornings carry only two classes. The live commitment is fixed; the independent work is flexible, which is what makes the program workable around training and rehearsal schedules.

Full-time diploma enrollment is $12,800 per school year, which covers seven courses across the fall and spring semesters, along with advising, counseling, and platform access. Tuition is due one week before classes begin.

Additional courses are $2,500 each. That is the price of a summer course for a full-time student, and the price of a credit elective for a part-time student. A one-time $500 registration fee applies to every student registering with the school. The full breakdown is on the Admission page.

Yes, on a merit basis. Applicants who demonstrate exceptional English proficiency and academic ability, supported by documentary evidence, may have their tuition reduced or waived. These decisions are made case by case — there is no fixed award, no quota, and no separate application form. Raise it with the admissions team when you apply, and be ready to provide transcripts, test scores, and any other evidence of the student's record.

A 5% sibling discount also applies to a second and each subsequent child from the same family enrolled in the same academic year. Full detail is in our Payment Policy.

Our transcript follows standard US high school conventions and the University of California A–G course pattern, which is the format US admissions offices read most fluently and which universities elsewhere are accustomed to evaluating. We are happy to walk your family through exactly how the transcript is structured and what it shows.

Requirements vary by US state and by country, and we cannot give legal advice specific to your case. Our admissions team will tell you exactly which questions to ask your local education authority, and will provide any documentation you need for the answer.

Refunds are pro-rated on a declining schedule from the date we receive written notice: 100% before the semester starts, 75% in weeks 1–2, 50% in weeks 3–6, 25% in weeks 7–10, and none after week 10. If you have paid for the full year and withdraw during the fall, the spring portion is refunded in full. The $100 application fee is never refundable. We also issue a transcript of completed work so credit earned at Courup transfers to your student's next school. Full terms are in our Payment Policy.