Outlier

Outlier.org is an online education platform offering college-level courses and degree programs. Founded by Aaron Rasmussen, co-founder of MasterClass, Outlier aims to provide accessible and affordable higher education. The platform offers asynchronous 14- and 15-week semester courses and 39-week full-year general education courses in subjects like STEM, humanities, economics, and business. Outlier's courses feature cinematic video lectures delivered by instructors from top institutions such as NASA, MIT, Harvard, and Yale. The platform utilizes interactive learning tools and AI-proctored assessments to create an engaging online learning experience.

Outlier partners with the University of Pittsburgh and Golden Gate University to offer transferable college credits. In September 2022, Outlier launched Degrees+, a program offering associate degrees in Applied Computing, Business Administration, and Liberal Studies for USD 4,470 per year, significantly lower than the national average college tuition. The Degrees+ program combines a two-year degree with career-relevant industry certificates from companies like Google, IBM, and Salesforce.

In February 2024, Outlier.org was acquired by Savvas Learning Company, a K-12 learning solutions provider. This acquisition aims to expand Savvas's offerings into online higher education and dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students. The integration of Outlier's courses into Savvas's platform allows high school students to earn college credits without leaving their school buildings.

Key customers and partnerships

Outlier.org has established partnerships with several educational institutions and corporations. The University of Pittsburgh and Golden Gate University serve as Outlier's primary university partners, providing transcripts and conferring degrees for completed courses. As of June 2022, Outlier had a transfer network of 18 colleges and universities where credits earned through their platform could be applied toward degree programs.

In September 2022, Outlier partnered with Amazon's Career Choice program, which pre-pays for any of the Degrees+ programs for Amazon's 750,000+ qualifying employees. The platform also collaborates with technology companies such as Google, Meta, IBM, Intuit, Salesforce, and HubSpot to offer professional certificates as part of their degree programs.