Online High School Courses

UTHS online high school courses offer students scheduling flexibility and an opportunity for credit recovery or advancement. Courses are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, designed by curriculum experts, and facilitated by experienced, highly qualified Texas-certified teachers. Subjects include a variety of high school level math, science, English Language Arts, social studies, physical education, art, Spanish, and elective courses.

UTHS Courses Available

The UTHS course catalog includes more than 75 semester courses with on-level, honors, and advanced course subjects available. Core courses are NCAA approved and Advanced Placement^® (AP^®) courses are audited and approved by The College Board. Courses are open for enrollment to students participating in the UTHS Diploma Program or for students who want to take a single course through the UTHS Independent Learning Program.

Enroll in a Course

Instructional Design

UTHS utilizes an asynchronous, online instructional model which offers students flexibility for their daily schedule to complete course activities. We utilize pacing guides to support consistent course progress, so students stay on track to finish their course within a reasonable timeline. Course designs implement an inquiry-based approach and encourage student self assessment and autonomy. Students interact with their course instructors within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) and gain experience with 21st Century skills as they utilize an LMS commonly used at many colleges and universities. All UTHS instructors are Texas certified educators with expertise and experience in their subject area.

Honors and Advanced Courses

UTHS offers a course catalog of on-level, honors, and AP^®subjects aligned to the Texas graduation requirements for the Multidisciplinary or STEM endorsements. Honors courses include advanced learning actiivities for greater depth and complexity as well as creative strategies to engage gifted and advanced learners. AP^® courses align with the College Board standards with a focus on preparing students to be successful on the AP^® exams. Students can register to complete AP^® exams at a variety of approved sites, including UTHS's Austin campus. The College Board sets the AP^® exam dates for each May testing window and requires registration well in advance of the exam dates.

Course Timelines

The UTHS semester courses are designed to take the same number of hours to complete as semester long traditional classroom courses. Students should work at a steady pace through the course and submit assignments consistently every 1-2 weeks, rather than all at once.

Independent Learners

The Independent Learning Program offers students flexibility to complete courses on their schedule and is designed for students who are enrolled in other school districts or homeschooling (not seeking a UTHS Diploma). From the date of enrollment, students in the Independent Learning Program have 150 days to complete a semester course. Students who want to accelerate may work through the course more quickly by spending more hours per week in the course. Students who need additional time, may pay an extension fee and download and submit a 30-day Course Extension Form by email to edservices@austin.utexas.edu, by fax to 512-471-7853, or request an extension online.

UTHS Diploma Program Students

Students enrolled in the UTHS Diploma Program must complete their online courses by the deadlines established for each of the fall, spring, and summer semester calendar timelines. Course pacing guides with target dates for assignment submission provide students with guidance to ensure completion of their courses each semester to stay on track with their personal graduation plan and on pace for on time or early graduation. Students may accelerate to complete their courses before the end of each semester, but extensions beyond each semester end date are not allowed.

Course Selection

Students in the Independent Learning Program should consult with their school counselor for guidance when enrolling in UTHS courses to ensure the courses selected meet their specific high school graduation plan. We advise most students to enroll in courses sequentially (e.g., Algebra IA then Algebra IB), especially when concepts learned during the first semester course are necessary to successfully complete the second semester course.

Students in the UTHS Diploma Program participate in the personal graduation planning (PGP) process with the UTHS Counseling and Student Services Team to choose their courses for each semester, then they are scheduled into their courses by the UTHS administrative team.

Course and Exam Policies

UTHS course and exam policies are outlined in the UTHS Student and Parent Handbook which is updated annually.

Final Exams

All course enrollments include an online proctored final exam using the student's home computer. This eliminates the need for students to take final exams on-site at testing centers and results in an overall cost savings for parents.

All semester courses require students to take an online proctored final exam. Students can request the final exam once all assignments have been submitted and 70% of the assignments have been graded. Students who fail the final exam can request a maximum of one re-examination.

Students in the UTHS Diploma Program must complete their final exams by the dates established for each semester.

See course final exam deadlines and policies.

Course Grades and Transcripts

The average of assignment grades in a semester course count for 75% of the course grade; the final exam counts for 25%. The student must score a 70% or better on the exam in order to pass the course. Student final course grades can be viewed from the Student Portal or Counselor Portal. Official transcripts are provided by the student's high school.

Program Costs

Although UT High School is a public school, we don't receive any state funding for student attendance, so we must charge a fee for services.

Semester Course: $260 (iArt and Spanish = $275 with integrated online textbooks)
Course 30-Day Extension Fee: $55
Final Exam Re-examination Fee: $50 (includes $15 online final exam proctoring fee)
Expedited Shipping for Exams: $30
Rush Grading Fee for Exams: $50
Exam Inquiry Fee: $50
Exam Change Requests: $25
- These include requests to change proctor, testing site, exam subject or grade level, or exam type from online to print or vice versa.

Students in the Independent Learning Program pay as they enroll in each course or request a particular service.

The UTHS Diploma Program tuition deadlines are updated annually to align to the UTHS Calendar for the fall, spring, and summer semesters.