Sophia Learning
Sophia Learning is an online education platform offering 80+ ACE-recommended, self-paced college courses on a subscription basis, serving adult learners, college students, corporate workforces, K-12 dual-enrollment students, and nursing candidates via credit-transfer pathways at 2,900+ institutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sophia Learning does
Sophia Learning, LLC is a Minneapolis-based online education platform and wholly-owned subsidiary of Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRA). Founded in 2012, the company offers 80+ self-paced, asynchronous college-level courses across subjects including Business, Computer Science, English, Humanities, Language, Math, Science, and Social Science. Its core technology proposition is a subscription-based online platform ($99/month, $299/quarter, or $799/year) that delivers ACE-recommended and DEAC-accredited courses designed to transfer for credit at 2,900+ colleges and universities, supported by formal articulation agreements with 115+ partner institutions.
The platform organizes courses into structured pathways — most notably a 13-course Nursing Pathway launched in April 2024 — and bundles credit-transfer guarantees through articulation agreements with institutions including Excelsior University, Strayer University, Capella University, American International College (90-credit transfer path), and Empire State University (SUNY). Sophia monetizes primarily through a self-serve direct-to-consumer subscription, augmented by three go-to-market channels: (1) college articulation partnerships that drive mid-funnel enrollment referrals, (2) corporate workforce partnerships (JetBlue, Dollar General, Jason's Deli, Whataburger, EOS Fitness) offering employee education benefits under Reimbursable, Subscription, and Enterprise models, and (3) a K-12 supplemental education services line targeting dual-credit and dual-enrollment programs.
Sophia claims 1M+ lifetime course completions and $1B+ in student tuition savings versus traditional college pricing, and completed SOC 2 Type 2 attestation in July 2025 to support enterprise procurement. The company does not disclose standalone revenue; it operates as one of several subsidiaries within STRA's portfolio (alongside Capella University, Strayer University, Hackbright Academy, Capella Learning Solutions, and Workforce Edge), with 11–50 employees reported. No external funding rounds have been raised, and growth is funded through the parent company's investment, with STRA projecting $1.4B in consolidated revenue by 2028.
Sophia Learning firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sophia Learning
- Legal name
- Sophia Learning, LLC
- Website
- https://sophia.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sophia Learning is an online education platform offering 80+ ACE-recommended, self-paced college courses on a subscription basis, serving adult learners, college students, corporate workforces, K-12 dual-enrollment students, and nursing candidates via credit-transfer pathways at 2,900+ institutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sophia Learning industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Learning Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online Credit Recovery & Alternative Pathways (Virtual) (EDAJADAF)
Keywords
Where Sophia Learning is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sophia Learning business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Monthly subscription model providing unlimited access to all courses. Tiered pricing with annual plans offering up to 33% savings compared to monthly billing. Recurring revenue stream with subscription renewals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Plan - $99/month |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Quarterly Plan - $299 (3 months) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Plan - $799 (12 months) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Sophia Learning product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sophia Learning operates a self-paced online learning platform that delivers 80+ ACE-recommended college-level general education courses to adult learners. Courses are accessed via a $99/month subscription and are designed to transfer as credit at 115+ partner colleges and 2,900+ other accredited institutions. The platform also offers curated course pathways (e.g., Nursing Pathway of 13 courses, Business Pathway) and serves corporate and K-12 partners through dedicated workforce development and dual credit programs.
Product overview
Sophia Learning is an online education platform owned by Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRA) that offers a self-paced, competency-based learning environment with 80+ ACE-recommended college-level courses designed to transfer for credit at partner colleges and universities. The platform operates on a subscription model ($99/month) with tiered membership plans (1-month, 4-month, and 12-month options). The core product includes individual courses across Business, Computer Science, English, Humanities, Math, Science, Social Science, and Language subjects, organized into Course Pathways (Nursing Pathway with 13 courses, Business Pathway) to guide degree completion. The company serves individual learners, higher education institutions through articulation partnerships, corporations through education benefits programs, and K-12 schools through supplemental education services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sophia Learning Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Students save over $1 billion in tuition compared to traditional college courses
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sophia Learning
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sophia Learning technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Sophia Learning partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Excelsior UniversitycoreStrategic partnership enabling transfer pathways for students to complete degrees through Excelsior's online programs.
- Strayer UniversitycoreTransfer pathway partnership allowing Sophia students to apply credits toward Strayer degrees.
- Capella UniversitycoreArticulation agreement enabling credit transfer to Capella University's online degree programs.
- American International College (AIC)core90-credit path partnership providing transfer pathway for students to complete bachelor's degrees.
- NurseDashminorHealthcare staffing partnership connecting nursing students with job opportunities upon completion.
- Heritage Valley Health System School of NursingminorPartnership with hospital-based nursing school for continuing education and career pathways.
- Empire State UniversitycoreTransfer pathway partnership with State University of New York system institution.
- JetBluecoreCorporate partnership providing workforce development and education benefits for 700+ crew members.
- Dollar GeneralcoreCorporate education partnership offering employee tuition assistance and career development.
- Jason's DeliminorCorporate partnership for employee education benefits and workforce development.
- WhataburgerminorCorporate education partnership supporting employee advancement through tuition benefits.
- EOS FitnessminorCorporate partnership providing education benefits to fitness center employees.
- Genesys WorksminorSocial impact partnership supporting workforce development for underserved youth.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Sophia Learning competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Outlier.org: Outlier.org offers low-cost, credit-bearing general-education courses with university-partnered transfer pathways and a direct-to-consumer subscription model. It is a newer, venture-backed entrant competing in the same gen-ed credit category.
- Saylor Academy: Saylor Academy provides free, self-paced college-level courses with ACE credit recommendations accepted by many institutions. It targets cost-sensitive learners with a non-profit model, partially overlapping Sophia's audience.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers free online learning content and is launching Khanmigo, an AI tutoring assistant. While not credit-bearing today, its free price point and AI roadmap make it a long-term substitution risk for Sophia.
Broad incumbents
- Coursera: Coursera partners with universities to deliver online courses and degrees, including ACE-recommended credit-eligible courses. It operates as a broader MOOC marketplace that overlaps Sophia on adult-learner online education and some credit-bearing content.
- Pearson: Pearson is a global education publisher and digital learning provider offering credit-bearing online courses, MyLab platforms, and connections to higher-ed institutions. It overlaps Sophia on the broader online-credit-content market.
- Sophia (alt: ALEKS / McGraw-Hill): McGraw-Hill's ALEKS is an established adaptive online learning platform widely used for college math, science, and general education. It competes with Sophia on subject-matter adaptive learning, though it focuses more on assessment and institutional licensing.
- Western Governors University: WGU is a nonprofit, competency-based online university serving adult learners seeking affordable degrees. As both a Sophia articulation partner and a substitute degree pathway, it sits adjacent as a higher-ed competitor and a distribution channel.
Direct peers
- Study.com: Study.com provides ACE-recommended self-paced online courses transferable to partner colleges, with a subscription model and a comparable general-education course catalog. It overlaps Sophia on target customer, pricing model, and credit-transfer value proposition.
- StraighterLine: StraighterLine offers low-cost, self-paced online college courses for credit with ACE recommendations and partner-college transfer pathways. It is the closest direct competitor to Sophia's subscription-based gen-ed credit model.
- Modern States Education Alliance: Modern States offers free online courses designed to prepare students for CLEP exams, which yield college credit. It targets the same cost-conscious adult-learner segment and competes with Sophia's credit-by-examination pathway.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sophia Learning social profiles
Digital presenceSophia Learning compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Sophia Learning financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sophia Learning leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sophia Learning funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sophia Learning M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sophia Learning
What does Sophia Learning do?
Sophia Learning operates a self-paced online learning platform that delivers 80+ ACE-recommended college-level general education courses to adult learners. Courses are accessed via a $99/month subscription and are designed to transfer as credit at 115+ partner colleges and 2,900+ other accredited institutions. The platform also offers curated course pathways (e.g., Nursing Pathway of 13 courses, Business Pathway) and serves corporate and K-12 partners through dedicated workforce development and dual credit programs.
Is Sophia Learning a public or private company?
Sophia Learning is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Sophia Learning founded?
Sophia Learning was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sophia Learning based?
Sophia Learning is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sophia Learning make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are Sophia Learning's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Outlier.org, Saylor Academy and Khan Academy. Broad incumbents are Coursera, Pearson, Sophia (alt: ALEKS / McGraw-Hill) and Western Governors University. Direct peers are Study.com, StraighterLine and Modern States Education Alliance.
Does Sophia Learning have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sophia Learning.
What industry is Sophia Learning in?
Sophia Learning's product category is Online Learning Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAL, Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAJADAF, Online Credit Recovery & Alternative Pathways (Virtual). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.