FAQs

The American Academy courses use a traditional grade scale:
93-100% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B-
77-79% C+
73-76% C
70-72% C-
67-69% D+
63-66% D
60-62% D-
0-59% No credit

When you are registered for a class, you will receive an email with login instructions. If you do not see this email, you should:

1. Check your spam folder
2. If our email is there, please mark our email as "not spam" so future emails show up in your inbox.
3. If our email is NOT there, please contact us at student.services@theamericanacademy.com

The American Academy welcomes students who are 13 years of age or older. Whether you need courses, credits, or a diploma, we have a program that's just right for you. 

If you are a student of The American Academy, simply log into your student portal and you will see on the left hand side of your screen a tab called “Need Help?”, click on that tab and it will reveal the Tech Support phone number.

Our complete school offering is entirely web-based and supports most major operating systems and web browsers. A laptop or desktop computer is required to log in and complete courses. A mobile phone or tablet is not compatible. Our recommendations are as follows:

Specification Chart

Minimum hardware specifications that support the software and systems defined above is also required. Most modern computer hardware, manufactured from approximately 2001 or later, should be sufficient.

We aim to get students into their courses as soon as we can! Once you enroll in a course you can expect to begin by the next business day.

The American Academy's responsive enrollment counselors are standing by to answer your questions, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM mountain time, Monday through Friday. Call us at 1-888-364-6940 or email us at info@theamericanacademy.com.

The TAA academic program is accredited by Cognia, which tells your school that the credits you earn with us are legitimate. However, we recommend that you speak with your counselor before beginning so you can be sure there will be no surprises. We've put together all of the information your counselor will need. Download it here. 

If you purchase the DIPLOMA PROGRAM:
Refunds are available to students and must be requested in writing via email to student.services@graduationalliance.com within 10 business days of enrollment. A full refund will be issued if the request is received within the allotted time frame and the courses have not been started. If coursework has been attempted and the refund is requested within the designated time frame, a full refund will be issued minus a $99 administrative fee.

Students on an extended long-term monthly payment (four or more monthly payments) are not eligible to receive a refund. By agreeing to participate in the program and committing to diploma completion with the associated financial obligation, students who withdraw early are no longer financially associated with the diploma program. They are responsible for the individual credit cost for completed courses, instead. The per-credit cost is published on the TAA website.

If you purchased an INDIVIDUAL COURSE:
You have 10 days from your date of purchase to request a refund. A refund must be requested in writing via email to student.services@graduationalliance.com. If coursework has been attempted and the refund is requested within the designated time frame, a full refund will be issued minus a $99 administrative fee.

If you have any questions on our refund policy please contact an enrollment counselor prior to making a purchase.

No. We are a completely independent private online high school, and have no relationship with any other American Academy school. We were founded and our corporate headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Unfortunately, no. As of right now, only tuition paid to a post-secondary school is eligible for a deduction. You can see more information here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

Absolutely. In fact, our graduates are proudly serving in every branch of the United State Armed Forces.

Like enlistees from any accredited high school, home school or alternative school, TAA graduates must score 50 or higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT,) a portion of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVB) that measures reading comprehension, word knowledge, math facts and arithmetic reasoning. That’s higher than the absolute minimum score (which ranges from 31 in the Army to 45 in the Coast Guard) but in line with what enlistees must currently achieve on the test to join the military in the current competitive recruiting environment. Please refer to this document for more details. (http://www.esd.whs.mil/dd/)

You can learn everything you need to know about what we expect of you and what you can expect from us by reading our student handbook.

The American Academy offers a variety of core and elective online courses. Classes start every business day; you can work through them at your own pace with the help of a licensed instructor who you can contact by email and online chat. 

All online schools are NOT created equal. Before you spend your time and money on a virtual high school, make sure it's a legitimate, accredited program.

Ever heard the saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?" This saying definitely applies to high school diploma programs! Real high school diplomas – the ones that will get you a better job or get you into college – take some real effort.

If you find a school willing to sell you a high school diploma for, say, $300, you can be pretty sure that they are selling you a piece of paper with "Diploma" written on it. Colleges and employers won't accept it - and, yes, they do check! That's an expensive piece of paper.

The U.S. Department of Education has posted a number of resources to help you figure out whether a diploma program is legitimate. Check this link out.

You also need to watch out for bogus accrediting agencies. In the United States, accrediting associations must apply and be evaluated by the US federal government. You should look for accrediting bodies that are considered a legitimate component of the U.S. education system.

Taking the General Educational Development (GED) test is not the same as earning a diploma from an accredited high school. After spending many hours preparing for the exam, paying for prep classes and a testing fee, driving to the testing center and taking a single 7-hour test, more than 4 of 10 test-takers fail the exam and are no better off than when they started.

Those who DO pass the GED look forward to earning on average only $18,776 a year. As compared to a high school diploma earner, those who pass the GED:

- Earn $216,550 less over a lifetime.

- Experience more than twice the rate of unemployment.

- Lose job and promotion opportunities to high school diploma earners.

 And if you were thinking about going to college, 95 out of 100 GED earners who start drop out of 4-year college programs. If you're thinking about going to a career college, 75 out of 100 GED earners who start don't finish.

Still not convinced? Some college admissions departments, many employers and the US Army prefer high school diploma earners to those who passed the GED. A study by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman and colleague Stephen Cameron found earning a GED is no better than being a dropout - it will not increase your chances of getting a better job or earning a higher wage.

 You can do better than that. You're worth more than that. Earn your high school diploma…

Sources:

 "General Academic Achievement of Adult High School Dropouts", GED Testing Service Research Studies, 2002-1

 "2007 GED Testing Program Statistical Report", GED Testing Service Research Studies, 2007

 "The Nonequivalence of High School Equivalents", Cameron, S.V. and Heckman, J. J.. 1991.

 "Economic and Noneconomic Outsome for GED Credential Recipients", GED Testing Service Research Studies, 2008-2

Yes. The American Academy has a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty. 

Cheating (giving or receiving information) and plagiarism on class work and/or exams will result in a zero grade for the assignment. Students will not have the opportunity to complete an additional assignment to make up lost points. Additional disciplinary action may be taken at the discretion of the principal. 

Use of Technology Policy:  The American Academy has a Privacy Policy that describes our approach to protecting your personal information and what your responsibilities are. Please review our Privacy Policy for more information. Students working from the computer lab of their resident school must comply with all of the lab rules and regulations regarding the use of technology and programs. 

Email Policy:  Each student needs a reliable email address for communication. Students agree to notify The American Academy within 2 business days of any changes to the email address. 

As a student of The American Academy, I understand that I am responsible for: 

• Asking questions about the course content or assignment instructions as soon as I have them. 
• Completing my assignments on time. 
• Doing my own work. 
• Not sharing my work with others. 
• Treating all students, teachers, and staff with respect. 

In addition, I have read and understand Academic Honesty, Use of Technology, and Email policies above and agree to abide by them.

The American Academy Student Handbook is the primary resource for academic policies and procedures, academic and student resources, and financial services policies for TAA students.

Student Handbook

Ever heard the saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?" This saying definitely applies to high school diploma programs! Real high school diplomas -- the ones that will get you a better job or get you into college -- take some real effort.

If you find a school willing to sell you a high school diploma for, say, $300, you can be pretty sure that they are selling you a piece of paper with "Diploma" written on it. Colleges and employers won't accept it - and, yes, they do check! That's an expensive piece of paper.

The U.S. Department of Education has posted a number of resources to help you figure out whether a diploma program is legitimate. Check this link out.

You also need to watch out for bogus accrediting agencies. In the United States, accrediting associations must apply and be evaluated by the US federal government. You should look for accrediting bodies that are considered a legitimate component of the U.S. education system.

To order an official copy of your transcript and have it mailed directly to the school of your choice, click here. There is a $5.00 charge per transcript.

If you would like to order an official diploma you can do so here. There is a $25.00 charge which includes a diploma cover.

The American Academy is the private school division of Graduation Alliance, which partners with various school districts across the nation. Courses offered directly to students through our school district partners are indeed NCAA-approved; however, the courses we offer directly to students through The American Academy website are not currently NCAA-eligible.

If you are seeking to ensure NCAA eligibility, it is imperative that you coordinate with your school to ensure any online courses you take will be adopted as school credit.