Find your purpose & gain in-demand skills for a career in social impact startups. Get personalized learning, delivered online with one on one support and passionate community. Only pay after you land a job making $40,000 or more.
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Plato University provides a path for aspiring, young professionals seeking meaningful careers. Our programs are personalized, flexible, and focused on helping you make an impact on the world.
We combine your passions and desire for purpose with in demand career skills to create personalized learning paths. We will help you foster a deeper understanding of yourself, your interests, passions and talents, as well as your dreams, aspirations and goals.
We partner with mission driven startups and social enterprises to understand the specific competencies required for skilled roles. We focus on high-demand fields with meaningful upward mobility, such as UX Design, Project Management, Marketing, Sales, and Analytics.
Our program is for young adults who want to solve the world’s most pressing challenges like climate change, healthcare, education, poverty, and equality. We combine an in-depth curriculum with a world-class community to help you make an impact on the world.
We don't believe in set majors, rigid courses or spoon-feeding information. Instead we create customized, self-paced learning paths tailored to your interests and to master skills demanded by employers. Our goal isn't to help you just find a job, but help you launch a career. Our goal isn't to teach you to do a task, but to teach you how to deconstruct and problem solve in your personal and professional life.
Build foundational and practical skills - critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and character - that are necessary to solve any problem and highly sought after by professional employers.
We work with the top companies to develop real projects for you to build a portfolio of career-relevant skills for high paying roles in mission driven startups.
Learn skills directly related to the local and global challenges most important to you like climate change, healthcare, education, poverty, or equality.
Meet regularly with a career coach and cohort of your peers to keep you on track. Practice you skills with other passionate people who want to make the world a better place. After you graduate, you'll join a community and network of Plato University grads dedicated to life long learning.
Engage with other students in live virtual workshops that develop skills through group projects, role-playing, breakout groups, and active learning exercises.
Engage in weekly small group conversations with others who are at similar stages in their journeys and work through challenges together.
Juggling work, school and life can be challenging. For this reason we equip you with an entire team that is committed to focusing on you at every stage of your learning journey.
Join our trusted community and learn how to navigate the startup ecosystem, choose the right organization to work with, and land your dream job.
Get exclusive access to early-stage job opportunities within mission-driven startups, nonprofits, and social enterprises. Work with our team of experts who can help you explore career pathways, help you network, and guide you through your entire career long after graduation.
Earn skill credentials from industry leaders like Google, Facebook, and Salesforce to signal to employers that you’re job-ready.
Gain clarity on your career goals with coaches and industry mentors. Boost the mechanics of your job search by mastering a range of areas, including storytelling, interviewing, and portfolio building.
Take courses built from the expertise of mentors, industry leaders and top-tier universities that fit into your busy schedule.
From personal discovery to charting your career roadmap, your dedicated coach will help you achieve your goals.
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Actively engage with other smart, passionate people in real projects, live workshops, and online social events.
Earn skill credentials from industry leaders like Google, Facebook, and Salesforce to signal to employers that you’re job-ready.
Get customized career support to land roles with mission-driven startups, nonprofits, and social enterprises.
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Engage in sessions with industry mentors who are experts in the skills you are learning and can guide career choices.
Apply to the program and learn more. Through our application process, you’ll learn about Plato University and whether it’s a fit for you. We review each application, putting special emphasis on our core values. Successful candidates will be invited to an interview with the team.
Submit an application
Learn about our Plato Payment Program
Interview with Plato University Coach
Once accepted, your experience with Plato University begins with a four-week (100% free) Onboarding experience to see if Plato is right for you. You will learn the ins-and-outs of how learning at Plato works, get immersed into the community, & meet your personal support team that will help you achieve your goals!
Attend the cohort kickoff to build connections
Meet your personal support team
Learn the skills for success
The onboarding was just the beginning! Once complete, you will begin building the foundational skills - critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and character- that will make you successful in any endeavor. Our unique curriculum is informed by the most in-demand skills in the emerging workforce, the catalysts for a meaningful life, and the requirements for solving global challenges.
Begin the discovery of meaning and purpose
Master 21st century professional skills
Learn the frameworks to solve complex issues
At Plato University we focus on skill mastery, not grades, credit hours, or standardized curriculum. You will learn only the exact skills you need through a range of formats, from live small group workshops and 1:1 mentor sessions to self-paced multi-media learning modules. Unlike most college programs, learning at Plato University is flexible, yet structured: you can go as fast or slow as you want. To demonstrate mastery you will complete real-world projects and industry informed assessments.
Master skills through social & self-paced learning
Build a portfolio of real world projects
Earn stackable skill badges and credentials
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After you have mastered your skills, all of our energy goes into landing you a new job. You’ll apply to quality jobs every week while working with your coach to navigate the startup ecosystem, tighten your interview skills and personal brand, and land your dream job.
Hands on career coaching and job placement
Exclusive access to opportunities in our network
Guidance on portfolios and personal branding
Once you’re a Plato University alumni, you’re an alumni for life. If you ever need help changing jobs, your passions change, or your skills need updating, we’re here for you. Our goal is to help you change the world, and that goes beyond your first job after graduation.
Graduate with job signaling certifications
Recieve ongoing career support
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We designed flexible and simple terms for alumni launching their careers. Pay each upfront each month or defer payment until after graduation.
Pay as you go. Cancel anytime.
Pause with no penalty and continue where you left off.
Owe nothing after you graduate
Save money paying upfront
Learn now, pay later with $0 upfront and 0 interest.
Start paying only once you get a job.
Get a job paying at least $40,000 a year or pay nothing.
Free until you're hired
No degree? No problem. We understand that traditional colleges are not for everyone. We provide flexible and affordable pathways for quickly advancing your career.
Did your degree turn out not to be as lucrative or fulfilling as you thought? Get highly in-demand skills in a meaningful career quickly without having to go back to traditional college for more degrees.
Deeply dispassionate about the work your doing? Start a more purposeful career in social impact by learning the skills you need to solve real world challenges. Get a direct path to new, meaningful jobs in tech and startups.
Learning at Plato University uses a blended approach, combining the best of independent, self paced learning with active, social learning and live support.
Our self-paced interactive modules allow you to learn actively through multimedia content, complemented by activities and projects.
Engage in live collaborative projects group activities, peer instruction, Socratic discussions, debates, or problem based learning that is both engaging and challenging.
Daily activities on self-discovery, purpose-building, mindfulness, life skills, and other tools to enable your self-actualization.
Learners meet weekly with their coach to set goals, talk through their progress and overcome challenges.
Learners will engage in sessions with industry mentors who are experts in the skills they are learning.
We organize regular virtual community events with learners and annual gatherings for the entire cohort.
each day in self-paced learning
every week in live social learning
a week committed for learning
While actual weeks are impacted by each person's personalized learning paths, the following will give you a sense of what a learner at Plato University would feel like.
Meet Chase Morris and hear about his journey joining the Plato community and how it changed how he was learning.
"Coming into the Plato community gave me the accountability, made what I wanted to accomplish completely achievable, and also it was just completely fun."
Students must pick a standardized degree; told what and when to learn
Curriculum based on faculty interests or academic research
Outdated curriculum consumed through passive lectures and rote memorization
Students more or less treated the same with no aid in personal discovery
Rigid schedules and timeframes based on credit hours and grades
Vibrant in person communities locked to a geographic location
Minimal career support or placement
2-4 years till graduation
$9,000+ a year in tuition; with loans and interest
Co-creation of personalized learning paths, at a pace that best suits you
Curriculum based on student's interest and global challenges
Curriculum is practical, industry informed and actively engaged with through real challenges & projects
Help to foster a deeper understanding one's own interests, passions and talents, as well as their aspirations and goals.
Based on skill mastery, allowing for flexible and adaptive learning
Vibrant online community engaging in projects and social events
Career coaching and direct employer pipelines
Graduate in 6-24 months
Affordable monthly tuition; no loans, no interest.
Students have some control over pace of learning, but not content
Curriculum strictly vocational focused
Some curriculum is industry informed but consumed through passive lectures on videos
Students more or less treated the same with no aid in personal discovery
Rigid schedules and timeframes based on credit hours and grades
Very little community interaction in person or online; learning is siloed
Some career support or placement
1-4 years till graduation
$2,000+ a year in tuition; with loans and interest
Plato University is the alternative, online university that turns your passions into purpose by helping you master skills to launch a career solving global challenges. We are the best alternative to traditional master's programs providing a path for aspiring, young professionals seeking meaningful careers at high-growth, social impact startups. Our programs combine personalized curriculum, passionate community, and purposeful careers to help you make an impact on the world.
Plato University was built for aspiring young professionals who want to turn their passions into purposeful careers and make an impact on the world. Our students are typically 18-35 early in their careers with 0-5 years of professional experience.
If you are considering Plato University you might be a:
Non-degree holder in low income job: you skipped college and now are working a minimum wage job. You are looking to access new higher-paying jobs in fast-growing industries without getting a college degree.
Underemployed recent grad: you got a degree but are struggling to get a professional job so you are working at Starbucks. You need additional support, guidance and skills development to secure an entry level position.
Career changer: your early in your career and found out you loathe the work you do. You want to transition from your current role to a better, more fullfilling career.
To be a good fit for Plato University, you are probably:
Purpose-driven: looking for meaning, and want to have a massive impact on the world
Rebellious: questioning the status quo and looking to take an unconventional path to building your career
Curious: consistently learning about yourself, others, and the world around you
Goal-orientated: take responsibility for your own learning development & have mental fortitude to reach long term goals.
We don't pretend that we are the right education solution for everyone. We are here to serve those who wish to take a non traditional path towards education that will help them change the world.
For this reason, we are not well suited for those who:
Want the traditional on campus college experience
Are seeking jobs requiring long traditional schooling or credentials (doctors, lawyers, accountants, psychologists, etc)
Want to become technical engineers or developers. We recommend looking into coding bootcamps.
Require an accredited degree for further education. Currently we are unaccredited but are working towards accreditation.
Plato University is a program specifically designed for working professionals with busy lives. We expect that you have at least 15-20 hours a week to go through this program. Keep in mind that our program is mastery focused, so if you only have 10 hours a week, that may work as well, but you will consume the courses at a much slower pace than others. If you have more time to spare, even better! There's no limit to how fast you can go. Spend more hours per week learning and you'll move through courses even quicker.
Plato University's learning experience is unlike any other. You will declare a mission, a global challenge you wish to solve, rather than a major. Missions are created by combining your passions, a global challenge, and in demand career skills. We then build a tailor made curriculum that is personalized for your mission.
You then embark on your learning journey within skill courses. Think engaging, interactive online learning that helps you gain the skills you need – fast. During these courses you will complete learning activities, portfolio projects, and active learning workshops with others in the community.
The online learning environment contains everything you need to learn at Plato University. It's where you'll take courses, chat with peers and faculty, submit assignments, receive feedback, and track your progress.
At Plato University we use mastery-based education, which measures how well you know the material instead of time you spend in a class. You do assignments and coursework whenever your schedule allows, and when you feel ready you take an assessment or submit a final project that demonstrates your mastery of the material. If you pass, you move on to the next course!
Our model is also based on evidence-based methodologies and the latest findings from the science of learning including: Active Learning, Challenge-based Learning, Project-based Learning, Problem-based Learning and Competency-based learning.
Yes. Plato University is run entirely remotely. This enables participation from all corners of the world with a diverse community. Additionally, being online offer you flexibility in your program. For example, you don't have to go to campus and sit in a classroom. You can move faster through courses. You are largely independent in your education but you will still be able to engage with a vibrant community and the Plato University support team.
Affordability is part of our mission: we want you to access high-quality, online education, no matter where you live in the world. For this reason tuition is a flat monthly fee of $199/mo regardless of the amount of classes you take at one time. There are no additional fees or taxes.
Yes. The Deferred Payment Program has no upfront fees and are for qualified participants to defer paying anything until they get a job. You don't have to start paying anything until you start collecting paychecks, and we'll work with you on a reasonable and no interest payment plan. We believe in our education so much that we will guarantee it: if you don't land a job that pays at least $40,000 a year, then you don’t owe us anything.
Yes. We understand that life happens and plans can change. If you need to pause your payments and learning, you can do so without penalty. When you are able to return, you pick up right where you left off.
Plato University is a certificate program. It does NOT confer a degree or a diploma. Most employers are not concerned with whether you have an accredited education but rather you have the skills they need to solve problems and create solutions for their businesses and organizations. However we plan to become accredited in the future. Accreditation takes time and, as we're a new university, we haven't quite built up the data we need. As an alternative we offer credentialed certificates that signal to employers your skills. If you need an official course credit or accredited degree this may not be a fit for your journey.
Plato University was designed to help you start a career in field of impact you care about. Our curriculum directly addresses the skills and knowledge that employers seek today, and that will continue to be necessary in the coming decades. To support job placement, you will first get to work with ICF-certified professional coaches to help build clarity around your professional goals. Our career success team will then help you build your portfolio and host career workshops around communication, networking, and outreach. During the process, you will also get to meet industry experts who will help you understand each role better in terms of the skills you need to build. Finally, our team will set up mock interviews for you with professionals already working in the desired role.
No worries! Our coaches are here to help you understand and discover that. We will help you to foster a deeper understanding of yourself, your interests, passions and talents, as well as your aspirations and goals. We will then help you navigate the courses and career possibilities that exist matching those passions so you get the most out of your time at Plato University.