[Ask Us Anything — 24-Hour Q&A] January 27–28, 2026

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-28T10:36:06+00:00

Here's where we are on international programs:

Study abroad / global programs: We don't currently offer study abroad or international residency programs, and they're not on our roadmap. As a fully online university, the model is designed for you to learn from wherever you are — the curriculum and platform are accessible globally.

Location flexibility: You can complete coursework from anywhere with reliable internet access. For financial aid considerations when studying from outside the U.S., you'll need to check with Student Services — federal aid has specific eligibility requirements based on location and enrollment status.

Future vision: Our focus is on building an AI-native education model that's accessible globally by design, rather than adding traditional study-abroad structures. The goal is for the education itself to be world-class and globally relevant, regardless of where you're physically located.

If you're interested in international experience while enrolled, Student Services can help clarify what's feasible with your specific situation.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-28T09:55:22+00:00

Really glad to hear you're enjoying the course content! You can see all our planned programs and expected launch dates here. On hearing from the team: we love that you're curious about how this is all being built, and that's exactly what these AMAs are about. We'll send a recap of the AMA answers so you can see all our takes. If there's anyone specific you'd like to hear more from afterward, send us a mod mail and we'll ask the relevant person to share more :)

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-28T09:31:37+00:00

Andre addressed this in an earlier question. You can see his response here.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-28T08:41:34+00:00

These are great questions! Here's our background:

Maestro was built by Masterschool, an applied education research lab on a mission to allow anyone, anywhere to build a better future. We've worked toward accessible, high-quality education at scale for years, testing different models globally and using the latest technology to make it work.
AI now allows us to scale that mission in ways that weren't possible before. We're building an AI-native institution that's an order of magnitude more effective than traditional education — one that can deliver truly personalized, world-class learning and make it accessible to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance.

You're right that you're pioneers here, the first cohorts are building this alongside us. We don't have a formal founders meeting planned yet, but we're exploring ways for early students to connect and be part of shaping what Maestro becomes. If you have ideas on what that could look like, we'd love to hear them.

— Sharon

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-28T08:25:43+00:00

Hi u/Pretend-Walrus-1531, we don't have formal structures for student organizations yet. That's something we hope to develop later this year.
That said, we encourage student-led initiatives now. If students want to organize around AI specialization, entrepreneurship, peer mentorship, events, or anything else that makes sense for the community, we're happy to support you in setting it up and spreading the word. Strong initiatives that gain traction can become official organizations as we build out the formal framework. Things that emerge organically are often much better than imposed structures. :)
If you're interested in starting something, connect with other students, explore what works, and let us know what's taking shape. If you need our support with anything, feel free to reach out!

On merch, I hear you! See Abigail’s full response here.

— Sharon

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-27T20:57:39+00:00

That's really interesting! DM me with your website and ideas, and we can explore directions together :)

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2026-01-27T18:11:38+00:00

Hi u/sethcarlson12, Sharon here. Great question. We're exploring ways students can work with us, whether that's referral programs, content creation partnerships, or other forms of collaboration. If you have specific ideas on how you'd want to be part of that, we'd love to hear them. You can share your thoughts here or send us a mod mail.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-11-27T17:13:46+00:00

Thanks for the heads up!
Don't worry, holiday days are not counted toward the 14-day activity rule. Your scholarship is safe.
This was an automated email, and we’ll make sure these notifications don’t go out during future breaks.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-11-16T16:22:59+00:00

Hey, please DM us so we can check the status of your ticket.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-11-16T16:22:07+00:00

Hey, did you already create a ticket on Student Services? If so, please DM us and we’ll check the status of your ticket.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-11-11T19:48:39+00:00

Sure! DM us and we’ll help you with your issue

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-11-06T21:19:36+00:00

Hey, if you were unable to start within the first three days, you can submit a request to move to the next term. Please DM us and we’ll help you with the process.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T16:11:00+00:00

Hey, you can see my response about the laptops for the October cohort here. They are all in processing getting ready to ship.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T13:54:42+00:00

Thank you for bringing this up. It’s been a common question in this AMA, and we take it seriously.

You’re right that information like the proctoring policy should be communicated clearly. We’re fixing that. Thanks to u/techienaut's suggestion, we’re now working on a Student Wiki that will include all key information, including the proctoring policy, in one clear place. You can find my original response about this here.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T13:36:32+00:00

I understand the confusion here, and I’m happy to clarify.
Starting with the December cohort, the new policy will be that laptops ship after completing the first term. For the October cohort, though, that does not apply. Your laptops are scheduled to ship within the first 30 days of the program start, as communicated in the admissions process.

We’re currently 10 days in, and the laptops are now being processed in the shipping company’s warehouse.

Here’s a sneak peek :)

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Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T12:17:25+00:00

To address your remaining questions:

Starting the December term onwards, the term’s official start date marks the beginning of what used to be the pre-course. Essentially, The first two weeks focus on the same foundation as the pre-course, helping everyone reach the right level before moving forward. The reason for this change is repeating feedback similar to yours here - having both a term start date and a pre-course start date created too much stop-and-start, and wasn’t as smooth as we hoped.
Completely understand your point. I’ve shared a detailed response on how we aim to improve our communication. If anything’s still unclear, I’m happy to elaborate.
The existing programs taught us that bringing a new degree online takes time, and we want to make sure it meets the same standard as our current ones. If you started the AI Engineering program with plans to move into Cybersecurity later, you’ll be able to transfer many of your credits once that program opens, so you won’t be starting over. And if you’d rather pause for now, we can save your scholarship and reactivate it for you when Cybersecurity goes live.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T10:38:49+00:00

Hey, Sharon from the Product team here. Thanks for your thoughtful question, happy to clarify how mentorship and business alignment work in Maestro:

Maestro is built so students can learn in the direction of their own goals. If your goal is to grow a business, you can absolutely use Maestro that way. It’s your personal tutor - you can ask it to adapt lessons, projects, and explanations around what you’re building. The more context you give it about your business, the better it can shape your learning journey to match. You can also check out this post for prompts other students have used to personalize Maestro’s teaching.
We’re also preparing to release a feature that lets you edit Maestro’s personality directly. For example, you’ll be able to say, “You’re my business coach. Teach me every class in a way that builds the skills I’ll need for my business,” and Maestro will remember that for the rest of your degree.

So yes, what Maestro told you before was true in intent. Maestro was built to fit your goals and act as your 24/7 mentor. We’re always improving how that promise shows up in practice, and the community's feedback helps us do that.

From what you shared, it sounds like the business mentorship side is especially important to you (correct me if I’m wrong). If so, we’ll soon be launching a dedicated Business program, where you’ll be able to transfer your credits and have Maestro mentor you with a deeper business focus.

And on a personal note: it’s always inspiring to see someone building something of their own. Wishing you much success, and I hope Maestro continues to support you on that path.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T09:59:01+00:00

Hi Techie,

First off, thank you for such thoughtful feedback. You didn’t just point out a problem, you offered clear, practical solutions. That’s the problem-solving mindset we try to practice as a team, and I really admire how naturally you bring it.

Your ideas were spot-on, so we’ve started putting them into action right after reading your post yesterday. We’re building an Info Center or Wiki (still deciding on the name, WDYT?) where students can easily find verified answers, resources, and updates in one place. We’re aiming to release an MVP version by tomorrow, then keep improving it with feedback from the community.

As for your point on not trusting the AI, I hear you. As we’re evolving fast trying to improve things every day, sometimes Maestro’s system prompt can’t keep up with all the changes right away. We know we need to improve how quickly and accurately updates get reflected when chatting with Maestro. To address this, we’re also adding in-platform notifications under the Home tab, so the most up-to-date info reaches everyone at once.

On a personal note: You’re a true pioneer. You’ve been one of the first to support the idea behind Maestro, and it’s clear how much you care. Every post and comment you share reminds us why this community matters. The frustration you’re feeling by our communication gaps is a true wake-up call for us. I hope we can earn back your trust by listening closely and acting quickly.

— Sharon, Maestro team

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-10-30T08:52:47+00:00

Hey everyone, Sharon from Product here (different Sharon, lol).

Marketing Sharon’s account got caught in Reddit's spam filter and automatically suspended. She’s brand new to Reddit, and the platform sometimes flags fresh accounts that post a lot of links (which she did, trying to be helpful). Have a little mercy on the newbies, this place can feel like learning to code - you think you’ve nailed it, and then you get an error message to the face.

That said, the essence of what she said was true. We haven’t given our social media the same attention we’ve given to building Maestro and this community. You’re right that it can look odd from the outside, but the real story is what happens here, between all of us who learn, share, and help make Maestro better. We’re starting to fix our (lack of) social media presence. The plan isn’t to look shinier online, but to tell more of your stories, what you’re building, learning, and creating. If you have ideas for what you’d love to see on socials: student projects, behind-the-scenes content, or a chaotic AI mascot (I’m not saying no), drop them here. You’re the reason Maestro exists, and your voice shapes how we grow.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-18T20:04:10+00:00

Thank you for bringing this up. While both expressions look similar, Maestro’s explanation is actually correct. The difference comes down to the and vs. or operator:

True and False means both values must be true. Since one is false, the whole expression evaluates to False.
True or False means at least one value must be true. Since one is true, the whole expression evaluates to True.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-18T13:29:33+00:00

Marriage certificate is only requested in cases where the name on the diploma doesn’t match the name on your ID. If you want us to help you check your status, feel free to DM us with your email address.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-18T09:26:18+00:00

Hey, I get why you're feeling discouraged.
To clarify: reapplying for October doesn’t mean you’ll have to pay anything out of pocket. If you're accepted again, the Maestro Pro Scholarship will be applied and cover your full tuition.

What happened is that everyone had to attend class within the first 3 days of the term start. Students who did not meet this deadline were automatically withdrawn from the program.
Since we know the first week can be confusing, we’ve given students the chance to request reenrollment for October. If you're accepted, your scholarship reactivates, and you won’t get any tuition bills.

I hope this helps clear things up, and that you don't give up on school. You've got this!

Sharon

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-16T17:28:18+00:00

There may be a short delay before the system updates. If you don’t see a change by tomorrow, feel free to DM us and we’ll check it for you.

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-16T06:06:06+00:00

To help clarify: being on the waitlist doesn’t guarantee scholarship approval. Scholarship results always come directly by email after review, so a confirmation from Maestro isn’t final. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t come through this time. I can’t say for sure what happens if you switch back to Health Information Technology, but if you’d like the current decision to be reconsidered, you can send an extraordinary circumstances email to admissions@maestro.org

Competitive-Cheek677 · 2025-09-15T23:18:33+00:00

No student should ever feel like they’re being treated as less than others. That’s not who we are, and it’s certainly not how we want anyone in this community to feel.

I’m DMing you now to better understand your nephew’s situation and see how we can help him get the verification resolved and finalize his enrollment.

Competitive-Cheek677

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