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GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES

No-cost online courses for bachelor’s students

Complete no-cost general education courses with our affiliate, Sophia Learning. Courses you complete through Sophia can be applied toward your Capella bachelor’s program.

Save on your bachelor’s degree with Sophia courses

Find a bachelor’s program in the GuidedPath learning format that fits your goals and apply to Capella. Once you’re admitted, you can complete no-cost general education courses through our affiliate, Sophia, and apply them to your Capella program to reduce the cost of your degree.

How do no-cost general education courses work?

Your enrollment counselor or academic coach can help you identify which Sophia courses can apply toward fulfilling your general education requirements. Eligible courses automatically transfer to your Capella bachelor’s degree program. Courses are 100% online, so you can take them at your own pace, whenever it’s convenient. Plus, textbooks and other course materials aren’t required. Course taken through Sophia don’t count toward federal financial aid eligibility. You’ll need to be enrolled in at least two courses at Capella to qualify to use financial aid that quarter.

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You could save up to $13,000 on select Capella bachelor’s degrees in the GuidedPath learning format by completing no-cost general education courses through our affiliate, Sophia. *

*Savings assumes eight courses completed at Sophia and applied to an eligible Capella bachelor’s degree in GuidedPath at a rate of 4.5 lower division credits per course. Terms and additional conditions apply. Connect with us for details.

Benefits of Sophia courses

Flexible

Take most courses anytime, anywhere, from your laptop, tablet or mobile device.

Self-paced learning

Courses are designed to be completed in 60 days.

Learning coaches

Contact a Sophia learning coach by email, phone or live chat for support.

ACE® Credit-recommended

Receive access to ACE®-recommended courses.

Pass/Fail grading

All Sophia online courses are graded on a Pass/Fail standard and do not impact your Capella course grades or competency scores.

Wide variety of courses

There are a wide range of general education courses and other courses for Capella students to choose from.

FAQ of Sophia’s no-cost online courses

Eligibility requirements for no-cost courses

  • You must be admitted as a Capella student.
  • GuidedPath: You must be enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in the GuidedPath learning format.
  • FlexPath: Students who will begin a program in the FlexPath format must complete any Sophia courses or other transfer work prior to starting their first Capella course. Talk to your enrollment counselor to learn more.*
  • No-cost general education courses through Sophia only transfer to bachelor’s degree programs. Sophia does not offer courses at the graduate level.
  • Sophia offers more than 50 general education courses, and you can take up to two courses at a time. However, there’s a limit to the amount of credit you can apply.
  • Students can transfer up to 135 credits in select Capella bachelor’s degree programs. If you have reached your transfer credit limit, you will not be eligible to transfer Sophia courses to your program.
  • Sophia courses are eligible to be transferred to your program if they are equivalent to the Capella courses in your degree program or fulfill elective courses, and they are not identical to any courses you’ve already taken or transferred. If in doubt that a course will transfer, speak with a coach before enrolling.
  • Credits will be awarded toward your degree upon successful completion of the Sophia course. Courses are graded on a Pass/Fail standard (a passing score is 70% or better).

*All transfer and Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) credit must be completed prior to starting any program in the FlexPath format. Any professional certification or external courses taken concurrently with FlexPath enrollment cannot be recognized in the Capella degree program.

Take the next step

Still have questions about ways to earn an affordable, quality degree? We’re here to help. Connect with our enrollment counselors, who can answer your Sophia questions, provide guidance for financial aid resources, assist with your application and more.