Andreessen Horowitz-backed academy to offer degree-free AI education after Class 12

Andreessen Horowitz-backed Horowitz Andreessen Academy is launching a new education programme in San Francisco for young people coming out of high school, offering an alternative to conventional university education focused on artificial intelligence, projects and work experience.

The academy has raised $42 million and plans to start its first cohort in September 2027. Its initial programme, the Founding Class Fellowship, will be a one-year, tuition-free programme for 50 students.

The academy is not accredited, and students in the founding fellowship will not receive a college degree or college credit.

Instead, students will leave with a portfolio intended to demonstrate their work and skills to potential employers, collaborators and investors. The programme is designed for students who want to explore technology, entrepreneurship and other project-based work after completing high school.

The academy says its programme is not based on conventional university structures. Students will take practitioner-led courses, work with mentors and participate in projects and company-based co-ops.

AI and project-based learning at the centre

The programme will cover areas related to technology and artificial intelligence. The academy lists courses such as AI inference engineering, modern software development and the history of digital computing.

Students will also pursue individual projects, described by the academy as “Pursuits”, which can include startup ideas, research projects or other areas they want to explore.

The academy's model has three main components: courses, co-ops and individual pursuits. Students are expected to spend part of their programme working with technology companies and applying what they learn outside the classroom.

Technology companies involved

The academy has identified 10 founding corporate partners, including Anduril, Anthropic, Coinbase, Google, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, Palantir, Replit and Stripe.

Its materials say students may have opportunities to work with these companies or other hiring partners. However, the partnerships do not mean that every student will receive a job or internship from one of the companies.

Technology leaders are also expected to participate as instructors, speakers and mentors. The academy's announcement names figures including Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Travis Kalanick, Mira Murati and Patrick Collison among those expected to visit or engage with students.

Students will receive computing and travel support

The first 50 fellows will receive more than $50,000 in computing credits and a $5,000 budget for travel and research, according to the academy's launch announcement. The programme itself will not charge tuition for the founding cohort.

Students will need to study in person in San Francisco. The academy says students will be responsible for arranging their own housing, although it is working on housing options for those who want to live near other participants.

The one-year fellowship is the academy's initial offering. It plans to seek approval for a two-year programme beginning in 2028.

The longer-term programme would have a different financial model, with the academy's CEO saying tuition could be comparable to that of elite private universities. That programme is subject to regulatory approval.

For now, the 2027 Founding Class Fellowship is the programme open to prospective students, offering a selective, degree-free pathway centred on AI, technology, projects and industry exposure after high school.