Coursera is the leading online learning platform for high-quality accredited university education, from bachelor’s to master’s degrees. But is Coursera worth it for you? Find out all the pros and cons of Coursera before you enroll.
| Coursera Rating | 4.6/5.0 |
| 💸 Pricing $399/yr | ★★★★★ |
| 📰 3,000+ Courses | ★★★★✩ |
| 🔍 Course Quality | ★★★★★ |
| ↩ Returns Policy | ★★★★★ |
| ☎ Customer Support | ★★★★✩ |
Coursera Review Summary
This Coursera review determines it differs from most online education platforms because it offers full degrees, works closely with major universities, and is more expensive than competitors. However, Coursera offers excellent programs and courses from major universities.
Coursera courses are not for everybody because many are expensive and require enormous time and work commitments. Yet Coursera offers more than university courses. Many specializations and professional certificates in technical subjects from big corporations and major universities are available through Coursera. Because of its university partnerships, Coursera is the best educational platform for working professionals.
Coursera Review: Features
| ⚡ Features | 3,000+ Courses |
| 🏆 Unique Features | Accredited Courses |
| 🎯 Best for | Serious Students |
| ♲ Subscription | Yearly |
| 💰 Price | $399/yr |
| 💻 OS | Web Browser |
| ✂ Discount | Student Discount |
| 🌎 Region | Global |
Coursera Pros
- Courses, certificates, and degrees from some of the world’s top universities
- Degrees from American Ivy League Universities
- Degrees from major American Universities
- Degrees from major British Universities
- Masters & Bachelors Degree Programs
- Spanish Language Courses
- Professional Certificates from Major Corporations
- IBM Professional Certificates
- Specialization Certificates from Major American and British Universities
- Free IBM and Google Professional Certificates
- Free Professional Certificates from Major American and British Universities
- Degrees from HSE University, the number-one-ranked Russian university available
- Arab, Russian, Chinese Language Courses
- 3,000+ Courses for $399 a year through Coursera Plus
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Coursera Cons
- Some Coursera degree programs are expensive.
- Some Coursera certificates and specializations will not count as credit toward college degrees.
- The relationship between Coursera’s online courses and the participating universities is unclear.
- Many Coursera classes and programs will require an enormous commitment of time.
What is Coursera?
Coursera (NYSE: COUR) is a publicly-traded company that operates a platform that allows anybody anywhere on Earth to participate in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Unlike Udemy and Udacity, Coursera offers actual degrees from real universities.
Some of the world’s most famous colleges participate in Coursera, including Yale and Princeton (American Ivy League universities), Stanford, Duke, the Imperial College London, École Polytechnique, and George Washington University.
Coursera is an effort to make college degrees, courses from top educational institutions, and professional certifications from leading tech companies available to everybody.
The Coursera platform combines access to university MOOCs and professional certification in tech subjects for working people. An interesting aspect of Coursera is the specialization. The specializations are groups of courses in tech subjects designed to familiarize working professionals with a technology or business practice. Major universities such as Stanford and Yale offer some specializations.
One market Coursera targets is people with high school diplomas who want a college degree. College degrees are in demand because getting a good job without one in the United States is hard.
Many of Coursera’s courses are expensive because the prices are comparable to that of a regular college degree. For instance, the Global Master of Public Health (GMPH) degree from the Imperial College London costs £12,600 to £20,800. ($17,564.97 to $28,996.14).
How does Coursera work?
Coursera operates an online platform that allows people to take MOOCs that other organizations offer. Students pay for the MOOC through Coursera’s platform and access courses through it. Individuals can earn accredited college degrees through Coursera’s platform.
Unlike other learning platforms, Coursera emphasizes traditional college education. It offers university degrees and programs that can take two to three years to complete. These courses require enormous amounts of study and as much time and effort as traditional classroom courses.
Accredited Universities Partnered With Coursera
Coursera offers over 5,100 courses, 40 certificates, and 25 university degrees through its platform. Here are the institutions Coursera partners with.
| Yale | Imperial College London | Princeton |
| Stanford | Wharton | Caltech |
| Johns Hopkins University | University of California at San Diego | Carnegie Mellon University |
| University of Edinburgh | Georgia Institute of Technology | Penn State |
| University Melbourne | Morehouse College | New York University |
| Nanjing University | UC Davis | University California Irvine |
| University of Virginia | University of Chicago | National Taiwan University |
| University of Tokyo | Rice University | Rutgers |
| Northwestern University | Duke University | Vanderbilt University |
| University of Zurich | École Polytechnique | Michigan State University |
| Yeshiva University | Chinese University of Hong Kong | State University of New York (SUNY) |
| Tel Aviv University | Emory University | University of Arizona |
| Indian School of Business | George Washington University | University of Rochester |
| University of Pennsylvania | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Tsinghua University |
Coursera also offers technical courses from some of the world’s largest corporations. Those corporations include Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Google, RedHat, SAS, Salesforce, and Vmware.
In addition, Coursera offers courses from some impressive nonprofit organizations. Those organizations include the Linux Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Geographic Society, the New York Institute of Finance, Goodwill, and the World Bank Group.
 
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Who is Coursera best for?
Coursera is best for people who cannot attend a traditional college but want or need a degree. A person who could benefit from Coursera is a professional with a full-time job and a family who wants to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
Coursera is also an excellent resource for professionals who need additional education or knowledge for their jobs. An example of such a person is a tech company executive who needs to understand a new programming language or technology area, such as Applied Data Science.
Another group that will benefit from Coursera is people who need master’s or bachelor’s degrees to get jobs or promotions. Coursera can help working professionals add education to their resumes. An example of such a person is a software engineer who wants to get an MBA to qualify for a management position.
Coursera is good for people who need certificates, which they can list on their resumes—for example, specializations from Stanford and professional certificates from Google IT Support.
Thus, Coursera is a good resource for freelancers and gig workers who need technical education to make themselves more marketable. Coursera is a good resource for freelancers because it offers free professional certifications such as the IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate.
I consider Coursera the best educational resource for businesses and working professionals. If you need education, you can use it for your job. Coursera is the best online resource.
How Many Students Does Coursera Have?
In March 2021, Coursera had over 11,000 students enrolled in 26 degree programs. EdSurge estimates that Coursera’s platform had over 77 million registered learners (subscribers) in March 2021. Over 2,000 businesses offer Coursera courses to their employees, and over 4,000 colleges offer Coursera courses to their students.
How Many Courses Does Coursera Have?
Coursera offers over 5,100 courses, guided projects, 40 professional certificates, and over 25 degrees. EdSurge estimates that Coursera offers 26 degree programs. They offer over 2,000 courses in Coursera for Business and over 3,000 in Coursera Plus.
What Can You Learn with Coursera?
With so many education streams available, it could be overwhelming to choose. Here is a list of possible degrees you could choose.
Business & Finance Degrees at Coursera
- Master of Business Administration (iMBA)
- Master of Finance from HSE University
- Online Master’s of Accounting (MSA)
- BSc Marketing
- Maestría en Inteligencia Analítica de Datos
- Business Analytics
- Brand Management
- Financial Markets
Information Technology Degrees at Coursera
- Master of Computer Science
- Master of Applied Data Science
- Master of Computer Vision
- Master of Machine Learning and Data Science
- Data Engineering with Google Cloud Professional Certificate
- IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate
- SAS Visual Business Analytics Professional Certificate
- DeepLearning AI TensorFlow Developer Professional Certificate
- Data Processing Using Python
- IBM Data Science
- Data Science with Math Skills
- Data Processing Using Python
Get access to these courses with a seven-day free trial to Coursera Plus.
Are there free courses on Coursera?
Some institutions, including Stanford and Yale, offer free courses through Coursera. However, most free courses offer shareable certificates instead of college degrees. Free courses include IBM Data Science, Data Science with Math Skills, Brand Management, Financial Markets, Writing in the Sciences, and Data Processing Using Python.
Many of the Coursera free courses appear designed to introduce students to online learning and encourage them to sign up for an online degree. However, you can also find free courses offered by prestigious institutions such as Yale, Stanford, Princeton, and Johns Hopkins University at Coursera.
How much does Coursera cost?
Coursera is free to join, and some courses are free. However, some prestigious Coursera courses can be expensive. For $399 a year, you can access over 3,000 courses, guided projects, specializations, and professional certificates through Coursera Plus.
Some Coursera degree programs are great value for money; an Online Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University costs $15,000, for example. Similarly, the Master of Business Administration at the University of Illinois costs $21,744. However, the Master of Applied Data Science from the University of Michigan costs $31,688 to $42,262.
What is Coursera Plus?
Coursera Plus is a subscription service that offers over 3,000 courses, guided projects, specializations, and professional certificates from major universities and large corporations.
Through Coursera Plus, you can access courses from Yale, the University of Michigan, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Wharton School, Duke, the University of Illinois, and Johns Hopkins University. Coursera Plus also offers Professional Certificates from Google and SAS.
There are no monthly subscriptions for Coursera Plus. Instead, It costs $399 a year and has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Is Coursera Legit?
Coursera is a legitimate company; it offers courses from some of the world’s most respected educational institutions, including Yale, Stanford, and Princeton. Coursera also offers courses from major American state universities, including the University of Illinois, Georgia Tech, and some University of California schools. These institutions would not partner with an illegitimate business.
Is Coursera worth it?
Yes, Coursera is worth the money, time, and effort required. The Coursera courses are accredited classes offered by top universities and major corporations. Coursera degrees are real degrees offered by top universities around the world. You will get a real degree that employers will recognize from Coursera.
Coursera is worth it for those who need recognized education and certificates. If you want a genuine college degree from a famous university on your wall but cannot take two or four years to get one, Coursera is worth it. If you just want to learn a subject and do not care about specific universities, Coursera will not be worth it.
Is Coursera accredited?
Most Coursera degrees and courses are accredited because accredited universities issue them. You will have to be careful because employers in some countries may not recognize courses and degrees from universities in some countries. However, the degrees and courses from American schools on Coursera are accredited.
Do Coursera Certificates Matter?
Yes, most Coursera certificates matter because major universities and corporations issue them.
Can you earn credit towards college degrees on Coursera?
Many Coursera courses count as credit towards college degrees because colleges and universities offer them. However, you will have to check with the institution’s authorities to see what courses count towards what degrees.
Do my existing college credits count as credits towards degrees at Coursera?
You will have to contact the administrators at the degree programs you are interested in and ask them if they will accept your existing credits.
Where is Coursera available?
Coursera is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Is Coursera available on Roku?
No, unfortunately, Coursera is not available on Roku.
Coursera Review: Final Thoughts
Coursera is the most impressive online learning platform because it offers courses from some of the world’s most respected universities. The most impressive aspect of Coursera is the ability to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees through its platform. Consequently, Coursera offers a real education that will look impressive on your resume.
Unlike many online learning platforms, Coursera degrees could help you land a job or a promotion, as employers are more likely to accept accredited Coursera degrees and certificates.
I consider Coursera the best online educational resource for working professionals because it offers widely accepted degrees and courses. Its courses require more rigorous study and work than other online learning options. You must study and work hard if you take most Coursera courses.
If you want a quality education, Coursera is your online learning platform. However, Coursera is not for everybody. I think platforms such as Udemy or Skillshare would better serve people who just need a certificate or want to learn a skill.
The bottom line is that Coursera is the best online education option available to most people. Smart learners will choose Coursera over its competitors.
