Online Learning

The Accelerate Pathway is a prescribed series of courses that, when taken in order and in continuous enrollment, allow a student to complete an associate degree in two years while only taking one course at a time.

Courses in the Accelerate Pathway are unique in a number of ways:

• They are all built using Open Educational Resources (OER) which means there are no textbooks costs.
• All courses are asynchronous, allowing students to learn content and complete assignments at times that work best for them. There are weekly due dates.
• Each Accelerate Pathway begins in the fall semester and students are able to progress through the degree program together as a cohort, giving students opportunities to form a community and develop friendships, even while in a fully online environment.
• All Accelerate Pathway students have access to InSpace, a 24/7 virtual student lounge, and a dedicated chat feature.
• Accelerate Pathway courses are also built with game design in mind, making them some of the college’s most engaging and interactive asynchronous courses.
• Accelerate Pathway courses also offer digital badging that can be shared in social media spaces and included in resumes, making accomplishments and knowledge easy to share.

Students can enroll in the A.A. in Liberal Arts Degree program or the A.S. in General Studies Degree program.

Yes! Financial aid is calculated based on the number of credits completed within a semester, not by how many courses a student takes at a time. It is important that you register for all of your semester classes at the same time so that your financial aid eligibility considers all of your semester enrollment.

Tuition and fees for Brightpoint students are set by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). All fees are mandatory and must be paid at the same time as tuition. There are no additional costs for participating in an Accelerate pathway. Visit the tuition and fees page for the most current information.

No. If you already have credit for ENG 111, for example, you would simply not enroll in that course on the pathway. You will be able to rejoin your cohort in the next term. Keep in mind, any reduction in credit hours may impact the amount of financial aid available to you.

Because the Accelerate pathway is a prescribed series of courses, each course on the pathway is only offered once per year. However, should you need to take a course again (either because you withdrew from the pathway or were unsuccessful in a particular course), you always have the option of enrolling in a 7-week or 15-week section of the course and then rejoining your cohort later in the pathway.

Absolutely! The Accelerate pathway is just that - a pathway. You are always free to choose a different pathway to degree completion if your circumstances change.

At this time, due to the nature of Accelerate Pathways, students wanting to join a cohort may only do so at the beginning of each fall semester. However, the Accelerate Pathway is open all year long. Jump on at any point and in any semester!

Courses on an Accelerate Pathway are identified in the schedule with an XL. See course formats on the schedule page for more information. 

Speak with a Brightpoint navigator or your faculty advisor to learn more. 

The accelerated A.A. in Liberal Arts degree is designed to be started in the fall semester and is ideal for students who intend to transfer to four-year degree programs in the liberal arts and humanities. The suggested program of study is listed below. Please speak with a Brightpoint Navigator to see if this program is right for you.

The accelerated A.S. in General Studies degree is designed to be started in the fall semester and is ideal for students who intend to transfer to four-year degree programs in business, the natural and applied sciences, and social science. The suggested program of study is listed below. Please speak with a Brightpoint Navigator to see if this program is right for you.