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Peterson Academy
AbbreviationPA
Formation2024
FoundersJordan Peterson,
Mikhaila Fuller.[1][2]
TypeEducational, for-profit[2]
CEO
Mikhaila Fuller[2]
Students41,000
Websitepetersonacademy.com

The Peterson Academy (or PA) is an American online education service launched in 2024. It offers pre-recorded courses taught by university-level instructors. It positions itself as offering an alternative to a college-level classical liberal education, without accreditation, and at a fraction of the cost. It was founded by psychologist Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila Fuller.

The academy describes its mission as exposing students to major thinkers and ideas, aiming to cultivate critical thinking and intellectual growth. It places a special emphasis on offering a rigorous education, free from ideological conformity.

The Peterson Academy has been in public beta phase since its launch and remains so as of April 2025, with many features and courses still under development and unavailable. The academy stated that it would progressively release a full catalog of courses within 18 months of launch. Initially, it offered 18 eight-hour courses, rising to 42 after six months of operation. The organization has expressed its intention to foster rich peer-to-peer connections and learning among students through its own social media platform that is still being built. It has also announced plans to issue certificates of completion for students who pass tests, with many such assessment components still awaiting rollout.

Critics have pointed out that the PA is not going to replace traditional universities since it is not set up to offer accredited degrees required by some jobs. Nor is it offering practical technical courses such as mathematics or chemistry. Also, it lacks hallmarks of traditional academic programs, including live class discussions with professors and office hours. Some have questioned the claim of ideological neutrality, noting that early course offerings appeared to reflect Jordan Peterson’s worldview.

As of April 2025, the Peterson Academy reported having 41,000 students.

Background and establishment

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Original impetus, vision, founding

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The Peterson Academy was founded by psychologist Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila Fuller, with the latter becoming the CEO. They announced its creation in 2023, and initially invested 3 million US dollars into the venture.[2][3][2]

Jordan Peterson, shown in a 2023 photograph, is the founder of the Peterson Academy. He has described the academy as a way to help students discard flawed ideas and prepare to engage with high-performing individuals by learning from history’s greatest thinkers.[A]

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and a former assistant professor at Harvard University and a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. He gained international prominence in the late 2010s through his critiques of political correctness, identity politics, and compelled speech. He was initially known in academic circles for his work on personality and belief systems. He later gained wider recognition after publicly opposing aspects of Canadian legislation related to gender identity, which he argued undermined free speech and free thought. In interviews and writings Peterson presents a worldview that emphasizes individual responsibility, traditional values, and the psychological significance of myth and order. His ideas have attracted a large audience and sparked both support and controversy in public discourse.[4][5][6][7] Peterson had previously launched several other online ventures, including the Self Authoring Suite (a guided writing and goal-setting program),[8] and Thinkspot (a subscription-based social media platform for long-form content).[9]

Peterson saw traditional universities, particularly Ivy League institutions, as "succumbing to far-left ideology," and ultimately "not being salvageable." As a consequence of these concerns, he sought to create a new institution that would offer an alternative educational environment for students.[3][2] He launched the Peterson Academy as an online platform that, while not accredited or formally a university, is described by Peterson as fulfilling the role of one—providing what he calls a true education free from political agendas and taught by "the best university professors in the world."[10][3][11][2] The goal was to deliver a bachelor’s-level equivalent education,[1][3][11] exposing students to major ideas and debates outside what Peterson characterized as the restrictive climate of contemporary academia.[3][2] And he aimed to accomplish this at a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree.[12][10][1][13]

A few months prior to opening for enrollment, an early version of the website described the project as "an online universal education platform devoid of ideology. It hosts the world’s best lecturers, incorporates social interaction, and provides testing. Peterson Academy is drastically reducing the cost of a bachelor’s degree and focuses on teaching students how to think, not what to think."[14]

Launch and beta phase

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The academy opened pre-enrollment in August 2024 and officially launched in September of the same year.[15][1][13] Within a month, it reported 30,000 registered students.[1][13]

The platform was introduced as a public beta version,[16] with a limited number of courses and features available at launch. Announced features still in development during this period included assessment tools such as essay-writing components, assignments, and timed final exams; social media tools like direct messaging and study groups; and other features like a mobile app, note-taking, and certification upon completion of courses.[17][16] As of April 2025, registration was still offered under the public beta version.[17]

At the time of launch, the academy was aiming to offer a full syllabus of courses within 18 months.[11]

Accreditation

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At launch, the Peterson Academy was not an accredited university,[13][1][16][2] and it was unlikely it would attain accreditation in the foreseeable future.[13]

The academy stated that accreditation was not a priority, though it was being explored in some jurisdictions. It cited concerns that traditional standards prioritized outdated metrics like class hours over educational quality. It also emphasized that the platform was intended for individuals seeking personal development rather than formal credentials, and questioned the relevance of traditional degrees compared to education aimed at genuine intellectual growth.[1][13][16]

The academy has also proposed a direct-to-employer model, in which companies may recognize Peterson Academy coursework as legitimate education.[18] Jordan Peterson expressed confidence that some employers would value students who attain the academy’s certification, stating, "[As an employer] if you have any sense you'll employ [PA students] preferentially, because we did the rigorous screening work." He added, "A degree from our university will signify high level of conscientiousness and general cognitive ability... so I think we skip the accreditation process and go right to the employers."[19]

Academics

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Courses and instructors

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The Peterson Academy’s course offerings draw from the tradition of classical liberal education, encompassing disciplines such as science, finance, psychology, health, politics, and the humanities.[1][13] The academy describes its curriculum as intellectually rigorous and rooted in major works and ideas, aiming to foster critical thinking and broad cultural literacy.[15][2]

At launch, the course catalog included offerings in neuroscience, nutrition, leadership, philosophy, and theology. Early titles included Introduction to Neuroscience by Baland Jalal, Introduction to Nutrition by Max Lugavere, The Greatest Leaders in History by Andrew Roberts, Deconstructing Decolonization by Nigel Biggar, Plato: The Dawn of Thought by James Orr, and Political Ideologies by Eric Kaufmann. Jordan Peterson contributed several courses himself, including Intro to Nietzsche, as well as lecture series on Friedrich Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil and the biblical Sermon on the Mount. Philosopher Stephen Hicks offered two courses at launch, with three additional courses in preparation.[10][2][13][11][16][1]

Before launch, the Peterson Academy announced that it had enlisted 30 instructors.[3] It began with 18 courses[15] and initially committed to releasing three new courses per month,[15] later increasing that target to four.[17] By early 2025, the catalog had grown to 42 courses.[17] Instructors included professors affiliated with Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, University of Buckingham, and University of Toronto.[20][1][11][2]

Methodology and course delivery

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Courses at the Peterson Academy consist of pre-recorded lectures that are self-paced, with each course typically totaling eight hours.[1][20][16] According to the academy’s CEO, the combination of high production quality and experienced instructors allows students to gain as much in an 8-hour PA course as they might in the "average semester-length course in the average college from the average professor.”[1] During the beta phase courses include optional AI-generated quizzes to test comprehension.[11]

While the platform aims to expose students to significant ideas through accessible content, some observers have pointed out that it lacks some hallmarks of conventional academic programs, including required readings and assignments, live class discussions, and office hours.[16][18]

The courses are either filmed in front of a live audience at the academy’s studio in Miami, Florida,[13][10] or in the home country of the lecturers.[10]

Certification and assessment

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The PA, while unaccredited, plans to issue completion certificates. It said it wants to make those valuable by leaning in on three factors: high quality lectures, a student community committed to learning, and a rigorous testing framework.[11][19][18][16][15]

Early in the beta phase, the only assessment tool was some simple AI-quizzes.[11][16] The academy has announced plans to establish a more robust assessment framework that will include essays, exams, and other components.[18][16][15] Undertaking the tests and the pursuit of a certificate will be optional.[15][16]

Student interaction and community tools

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The PA courses involve no direct contact between students and professors. However, it announced plans to offer social media tools aimed to enrich the peer-to-peer learning among students.[18][16]

The academy said it wants to enable students to connect with other young people who are ambitious, forward-looking, and eager to be educated. To accomplish that, it was building a social media network taking the "best features of the social media networks that currently exist."[10] At launch and during the beta phase, the social media platform was still under development, with a Facebook-like wall as the only available feature.[16][18] Announced features include direct messaging, study groups, a mobile app, and notifications.[17][16]

Enrollment and participation

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PA has an open enrollment model (it is non-selective), where there is no application process, as admission and enrollment are automatic upon registering and paying the subscription fee.[16][17] It is available worldwide,[21] with the aspiration of translating the courses into other languages in the future.[citation needed]

The code of conduct establishes "a high standard of behavior," with the possibility of expulsion.[10][1][13][11][16][22] It requires professors, staff, and students to "conduct themselves in a manner that produces a positive, upward-spiraling, productive reciprocity."[22] The stated goal is to foster an environment most conducive to students who are genuinely committed to learning. The code places particular emphasis on civility combined with freedom of thought, affirming that "the exchange of reasoned opinions and outright disagreement is not only fine (...), but welcome and appropriate."[22] Students who cause disruption or demonstrate a lack of seriousness about their studies may be expelled.[16][22]

The Peterson Academy stated that it aimed to reduce the cost of a bachelor’s degree–equivalent education by approximately 95%, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional universities. One year of enrollment costs $599.[17] Jordan Peterson argued that charging a "modest" fee, rather than offering the program for free, would promote a high-quality student body through the self-selection of motivated and serious learners.[10][1][13][11][21]

One month after launching the public beta, the organization reported 30,000 registered students.[1][13] As of April 2025, it reports 41,000.[17]

Ethos and mission

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The Peterson Academy models itself on the ideals of classical liberal education, aiming to cultivate critical thinking, intellectual growth, and sophistication through engagement with major thinkers and ideas.[3][1][13][12][15] Jordan Peterson has described the academy as pursuing the university ideal—a place where students become more verbally fluent, knowledgeable, and less naive.[11] Central to its approach is the emphasis on teaching “how to think, not what to think,”[15][3][1] within an intellectually rigorous environment described as “devoid of ideology,” where students are free to form independent views.[11][1][12][A]

Affordability is another core principle. The academy seeks to make higher education financially accessible by significantly lowering costs,[21][13] while providing lectures by "the world’s best lecturers."[14][1][12]

Reception and commentary

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The Peterson Academy has been compared to a number of other educational platforms that offer an ideological alternative to traditional universities. These include PragerU, the not-for-credit courses offered by Hillsdale College, and the University of Austin. All of these describe themselves as either providing an intellectually open education without enforcing a particular ideological stance, or an education free from the dominant progressive ideologies in academia.[13][16] Additionally, it has been likened to commercial offerings such as MasterClass and BBC Maestro, which focus on high-production-value instructional videos by well-known figures.[2][13]

The platform's online model has also been noted as a limitation compared to traditional in-person education. While the Peterson Academy aims to offer robust student interaction through its planned social media features, it does not include real-time engagement with instructors, as all lectures are pre-recorded. Observers have said that this may make it less suitable for students who value interactive learning environments or personalized feedback.[16][13]

Some commentators have scrutinized the Peterson Academy’s claim of ideological neutrality, noting that early course offerings appeared to reflect Jordan Peterson’s worldview, pointing for example to a course that offered a critique of the orthodoxy of decolonization, a course on the societal challenges faced by men, or a nutrition course by an author who opposes veganism.[16] In contrast, others contended that it is natural for the founder of an institution to be driven by strong convictions, but that those should not be used to prematurely pass judgment on the institution; suggesting instead that the academy's success in maintaining ideological neutrality would depend on its long-term hiring practices and whether instructors present a balanced range of views rather than advancing their own agendas.[16][13][18]

During the beta period, journalists reported several shortcomings. Some courses lacked syllabi or reading lists, and there was an absence of office hours, assignments, or comprehensive testing. While the platform included optional quizzes, the early experience was characterized as significantly different from that of mainstream higher education. That said, the academy has indicated that it is actively developing a more rigorous assessment framework, including essays and final exams.[16][18] Also during the beta phase, the catalog was largely limited to interpretive and humanities-oriented subjects, with no offerings in more technical areas such as computer science, chemistry, mathematics, or physics,[13][16][18] with one observer calling it an "oddly pinched and narrow" curriculum.[16]

Despite these limitations, early impressions of the student body were positive. A journalist who enrolled said, "There is an enthusiasm for enlightenment here—a shared, life-giving understanding that one can always become sharper and better through the pursuit of knowledge," adding that this optimism was a source of hope "for the future of education in these dark times."[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b In a YouTube video where Jordan Peterson announced the Peterson Academy, he elaborated on his thinking for why students should take the kind of education he was endeavoring to offer: "So that's why you think; you think so that your stupid thoughts can die instead of you. If you get to the upper echelons of any hierarchy you will start encountering people who know a lot about almost everything (...) [So] you need to be enculturated, so that you can play with sophisticated people and so you can play a sophisticated and productive game. But also so you that inform yourself with the greatest ideas from history so that whatever problem you are tackling you are gonna have tools to tackle it with."[19][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Shepherd, Lindsay (October 3, 2024). "The Daily Brief - Would you attend Peterson Academy?". True North. Canada. Archived from the original on 2025-01-22. Cite error: The named reference "Shepherd 2024" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kelly, Jemima (October 25, 2023). "The reopening of the American mind – Why Harlan Crow, Paul Marshall and others are funding schools affiliated with Bari Weiss and Jordan Peterson". Financial Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h de las Heras, Mario; Cendoya, Isabel (February 26, 2023). "Jordan Peterson, el afamado psicólogo anti 'woke', crea su propia universidad con un precio de licenciatura imbatible – La Peterson Academy apuesta por un mundo universitario libre de los convencionalismos más modernos" [Jordan Peterson, the famous anti-'woke' psychologist, creates his own university with an unbeatable undergraduate price – The Peterson Academy bets on a university world free from the most modern conventions]. El Debate (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30.
  4. ^ Lott, Tim (January 21, 2018). "Jordan Peterson: 'The pursuit of happiness is a pointless goal'". The Guardian. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Lebedev, Evgeny (November 16, 2023). "Jordan Peterson: They worship at altar of the Left because they don't know what Stalin was like – Jordan Peterson is the leading voice in the fight against cancel culture. He tells Evgeny Lebedev of the many challenges ahead". Evening Standard. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15.
  6. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (March 26, 2018). "Jordan Peterson, the obscure Canadian psychologist turned right-wing celebrity, explained". Vox. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Jordan Peterson | Professor Emeritus". Department of Psychology; Faculty of Arts and Science; University of Toronto. n.d. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  8. ^ Kamenetz, Anya (July 10, 2015). "The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives". NPR. Archived from the original on 2025-03-24.
  9. ^ Ernst, Douglas (June 12, 2019). "Jordan B. Peterson launching 'anti-censorship' platform 'Thinkspot' to counter tech titans". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Hays, Gabriel; Flood, Brian (June 15, 2024). "Dr. Peterson says his new university will satisfy 'mass hunger' for education not found in 'demented' academia". Fox News. United States. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Jordan Peterson's new online school promises to dispense with 'woke nonsense.' I enrolled — and here's what I learned". The Toronto Star. Canada. September 2, 2024. Archived from the original on 2025-01-22.
  12. ^ a b c d Dalke, Spencer (October 31, 2023). "Peterson Academy launches in November, promises better quality education at 95% lower cost". Campus Reform. United States. Archived from the original on 2024-01-30.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Graham, Jennifer (September 17, 2024). "Jordan Peterson versus higher ed – Can Jordan Peterson's $500 online education seriously challenge conventional colleges and universities?". Deseret News. United States. Archived from the original on 2024-10-05.
  14. ^ a b "Peterson Academy - 2023 preview page before launch". Peterson Academy. February 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. An online universal education platform devoid of ideology. It hosts the world's best lecturers, incorporates social interaction, and provides testing. Peterson Academy is drastically reducing the cost of a bachelor's degree and focuses on teaching students how to think, not what to think.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Home page (2024)". Peterson Academy. August 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-08-10.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Winkie, Luke (October 3, 2024). "Antiwoke U. – What I saw in my brief career as a student at Jordan Peterson Academy". Slate. United States. Archived from the original on 2025-03-22.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h "Home page (2025)". Peterson Academy. April 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fastiggi, Will (February 8, 2025). "Peterson Academy Review: A New Model for Higher Education?". technologyforlearners.com. Archived from the original on 2025-02-11.
  19. ^ a b c "Jordan Peterson's Online University". Youtube.com. Sep 27, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ a b Kennedy, Kara (September 20, 2023). "Mikhaila Peterson's life at the molten core of the culture wars". New Statesman. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. In recent months she has been working on her biggest project to date. In November, she and her father will launch the Peterson Academy, an online university that offers $4,000 degrees. She told me the project is "way more massive than I originally anticipated. We have professors from Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and one from MIT. Each of them has filmed eight-hour online versions of university courses."
  21. ^ a b c "Dr Jordan Peterson set to launch 'Peterson Academy' in 2024". Sky News Australia. January 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ a b c d "Principles of Conduct". Peterson Academy. 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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