diff --git a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.jsx b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.jsx
index 4b12996395..2dc9842025 100644
--- a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.jsx
+++ b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.jsx
@@ -343,13 +343,34 @@ const PageAlerts = ({
   const renderApiErrors = () => {
     let errorList = Object.entries(errors).filter(obj => obj[1] !== null).map(([k, v]) => {
       switch (v.type) {
-        case API_ERROR_TYPES.serverError:
+        case API_ERROR_TYPES.serverError: {
+          let description = (
+            <Truncate>
+              {v.data || intl.formatMessage(messages.serverErrorAlertBody)}
+            </Truncate>
+          );
+          let alertTitle = intl.formatMessage(messages.serverErrorAlert);
+          if (v.status === 403) {
+            description = intl.formatMessage(messages.forbiddenAlertBody, {
+              LMS: (
+                <Hyperlink
+                  destinationdestination={`${getConfig().LMS_BASE_URL}`}
+                  target="_blank"
+                  showLaunchIcon={false}
+                >
+                  {intl.formatMessage(messages.forbiddenAlertLmsUrl)}
+                </Hyperlink>
+              ),
+            });
+            alertTitle = intl.formatMessage(messages.forbiddenAlert);
+          }
           return {
             key: k,
-            desc: v.data || intl.formatMessage(messages.serverErrorAlertBody),
-            title: intl.formatMessage(messages.serverErrorAlert),
+            desc: description,
+            title: alertTitle,
             dismissible: v.dismissible,
           };
+        }
         case API_ERROR_TYPES.networkError:
           return {
             key: k,
@@ -378,7 +399,7 @@ const PageAlerts = ({
             dismissError={() => dispatch(dismissError(msgObj.key))}
           >
             <Alert.Heading>{msgObj.title}</Alert.Heading>
-            {msgObj.desc && <Truncate lines={2}>{msgObj.desc}</Truncate>}
+            {msgObj.desc}
           </ErrorAlert>
         ) : (
           <Alert
@@ -387,7 +408,7 @@ const PageAlerts = ({
             key={msgObj.key}
           >
             <Alert.Heading>{msgObj.title}</Alert.Heading>
-            {msgObj.desc && <Truncate lines={2}>{msgObj.desc}</Truncate>}
+            {msgObj.desc}
           </Alert>
         )
       ))
diff --git a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.test.jsx b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.test.jsx
index 6d646f7cb4..28e39945ef 100644
--- a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.test.jsx
+++ b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/PageAlerts.test.jsx
@@ -218,4 +218,29 @@ describe('<PageAlerts />', () => {
     expect(queryByText('some error')).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(queryByText('some unknown error')).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  it('renders forbidden api error alerts', async () => {
+    const { queryByText } = renderComponent({
+      ...pageAlertsData,
+      errors: {
+        outlineIndexApi: {
+          data: 'some error', status: 403, type: API_ERROR_TYPES.serverError, dismissable: true,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(queryByText(messages.forbiddenAlert.defaultMessage)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(queryByText(messages.forbiddenAlertBody.defaultMessage)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('renders api error alerts when status is not 403', async () => {
+    const { queryByText } = renderComponent({
+      ...pageAlertsData,
+      errors: {
+        outlineIndexApi: {
+          data: 'some error', status: 500, type: API_ERROR_TYPES.serverError, dismissable: true,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(queryByText('some error')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/messages.js b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/messages.js
index f9638398d8..9aa6756a78 100644
--- a/src/course-outline/page-alerts/messages.js
+++ b/src/course-outline/page-alerts/messages.js
@@ -121,6 +121,21 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
     defaultMessage: 'Network error',
     description: 'Generic network error alert.',
   },
+  forbiddenAlert: {
+    id: 'course-authoring.course-outline.page-alert.forbidden.title',
+    defaultMessage: 'Access Restricted',
+    description: 'Forbidden(403) alert title',
+  },
+  forbiddenAlertBody: {
+    id: 'course-authoring.course-outline.page-alert.forbidden.body',
+    defaultMessage: 'It looks like you’re trying to access a page you don’t have permission to view. Contact your admin if you think this is a mistake, or head back to the {LMS}.',
+    description: 'Forbidden(403) alert body',
+  },
+  forbiddenAlertLmsUrl: {
+    id: 'course-authoring.course-outline.page-alert.lms',
+    defaultMessage: 'LMS',
+    description: 'LMS base redirection url',
+  },
 });
 
 export default messages;