OnRamps offers strategic partnerships with Texas school districts and campuses to help advance equity and accountability goals and promote a college-going culture. We partner to help strengthen their instructional and organizational capacity; advance equity and accountability goals; and promote a college-going culture.

Our Model

OnRamps students gain access to high-quality learning opportunities that align with college expectations. They are empowered to take on the role of a college student with low risk, due in part to their status as non-matriculated, non-degree-seeking students, and a robust scaffolded support system.

OnRamps students are enrolled both in a high school course—led by a high school teacher, taught on the high school campus—and in a college course—led by credentialed UT Austin faculty and college instructors of record (approved by the University's associated academic department for each course). The college course is taught as a distance education course using the Canvas Learning Management System. The OnRamps high school teacher is responsible for evaluating and awarding students’ high school grades. UT Austin Faculty and college instructors of record are responsible for evaluating and awarding students’ college grades.

OnRamps teachers receive yearlong professional learning and development, virtually and in-person, to transform the quality of their instruction and boost student engagement. In each academic year, new OnRamps teachers receive over 80 hours of in-person professional learning and development. Returning teachers accrue over 35 hours of advanced professional learning, and students benefit through higher academic performance as measured by the college grade.

Our Courses

OnRamps offers 13 high-quality courses—spanning STEM, Arts, and Humanities— which give students the opportunity to engage in authentic college experiences and curricula.

  • Thriving in Our Digital World (CS 302)

    • This Computer Science course teaches students a set of core ideas that shape the landscape of computer science, and how to apply critical thinking, problem solving, and communications skills within a project-based learning framework.

  • Rhetoric and Writing (RHE 306, RHE 309K)

    • This two-semester course teaches students to write sound and effective arguments on their own, to analyze various positions held in any public debate, and to advocate for their own positions effectively.

  • Earth, Wind, and Fire (GEO 302E)

    • This Geoscience course covers the fundamentals of how the Earth works and how its various systems interact to form the complex world in which we live.

  • United States History (HIS 315K, HIS 315L)

    • This two-semester course explores the significant themes in United States history to uncover the range and depth of the American story.

  • Mechanics, Heat, and Sound (and Lab) (PHY 302K, PHY 102M)

    • This Physics I course—with lab— explores big ideas in Physics, such as Newtonian mechanics and introducing students to critical problem-solving skills.

  • Electromagnetism, Optics, and Nuclear Physics (PHY 302L)

    • This Physics II course introduces students to electricity, magnetism, optics, waves, and Quantum and Nuclear Physics."

  • Discovery Precalculus (M 305G)

    • This course helps students deepen and extend their knowledge of functions, graphs, and equations from their high school algebra and geometry courses so they can successfully work with the concepts in a rigorous university-level calculus course.

  • Data, Modeling, and Inference (SDS 302)

    • This data analysis course is designed for high school juniors and seniors seeking to develop the quantitative reasoning skills and habits of mind necessary to succeed in the higher education environment.

  • Foundations of Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET 304)

    • This course presents a broad overview of digital media technologies, software, and applications along with the fundamental concepts of digital representations of images and signals.

  • College Algebra (M 301)

    • This course helps students deepen their critical thinking skills as they explore function families: Linear, Absolute Value, Quadratic, Polynomial, Radical, Rational, Exponential, and Logarithmic.

  • College Chemistry I (and Lab) (CH 301, CH 104M)

    • This Principles of Chemistry I—with lab—course addresses the nature of matter, energy, chemical reactions, and chemical thermodynamics

  • College Chemistry II (and Lab) (CH 302, CH 104N)

    • This course—with lab—continues the development and application of concepts, theories, and laws underlying chemistry that were introduced in Principles of Chemistry I.

  • Introductory Biology I (BIO 311C)

    • This course revolves around three big ideas in Biology starting with the study of the structure and function of biomolecules.