OnRamps

About OnRamps

OnRamps is a signature initiative of The University of Texas at Austin established in 2011, with support from the Texas Legislature, to provide advanced academic opportunities to high school students and robust professional development to teachers across the state.

Since 2012-2013, OnRamps has been offering dual enrollment and distance education to high school students to engage in authentic college experiences and earn college credit while in the familiarity of the high school setting.

Students in OnRamps courses have the benefit of learning from Plano ISD teachers using curriculum and assessments provided by UT Austin. A course fee of $149 per college course gives students access to all course materials, and students eligible for fee reductions will have their course fee waived.

OnRamps & College Credit

When a student earns and accepts credit for an OnRamps course, the grade will appear on the student's university transcript. A letter grade of D- or better is considered passing.

OnRamps college credit earned for a letter grade of C- or above for courses with a Core Curriculum designation are required by law to transfer to any public higher education institution in the state of Texas.

Each college or university evaluates transfer credit based on its own policies, which vary by school, college, and institution. In order to determine how OnRamps courses will transfer, if they will apply to a major or degree program, and if the grade will factor into the GPA, students must contact the higher education institution they plan to attend.

OnRamps vs. Dual Credit

Dual credit courses are offered in partnership with an Institution of Higher Learning. Courses are taught by a university-credentialed professor, and students receive one grade that appears on both the college transcript and the high school transcript. OnRamps courses are dual enrollment courses, which means that students are experiencing university-designed curriculum and assessments designed by professors at the University of Texas at Austin that are supplemented with instruction, assignments, and assessments from a Plano ISD classroom teacher. Students will receive a grade on their high school transcript that reflects progress on primarily PISD-designed assignments and assessments and will receive a grade on a university transcript from UT Austin that reflects performance on university-graded assessments. Grades may differ between the high school and university transcripts, and students have the option to accept or decline their university transcript based upon the grade they achieve.