Coursera Cost in 2023
Last Updated: January 28, 2023
With 92 million learners and 7,000+ courses, Coursera is a legit virtual learning platform that helps lifelong learners access new learning opportunities and expand their careers. The forum was founded in 2012 by two passionate Stanford computer scientists, Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng. Coursera aims to help students get thousands of courses and degrees accredited by the world’s prestigious universities, including Yale University, Stanford University, and Imperial College of London.
Due to its user-friendly interface, a vast number of courses, and collaboration with the world’s top-excelling organizations and universities, Coursera has become a highly recommended online learning portal worldwide.
Before signing up for Coursera, a natural question arises, how much does Coursera cost? This platform does not have a clear pricing policy, so you may get confused about Coursera pricing. In addition, Coursera offers plenty of free courses, making it harder for you to decide; why should you pay for a Coursera course?
To help you understand the cost of Coursera, this article will give an in-depth overview of Coursera’s subscription plans. Here, we will cover all the critical questions you might have about Coursera’s fees, such as can I get Coursera for free? Is Coursera worth the price tag?
What is Coursera: A Brief Overview
Coursera is one of the highly-recommended e-learning platforms. The platform offers massive open online courses (MOOCs), specializations, degrees, and short courses. It collaborates with 200+ top-rated universities and organizations, including IBM and Google. Coursera offers more than 2,500 courses for free to help self-motivated learners access valuable educational resources without worrying about budget constraints.
All Coursera courses are taught by experienced and skillful instructors who’re well-known for their expertise. This virtual learning space is equally suitable for both students and business owners. You can find numerous courses on Coursera that are tailored to larger businesses and organizations.
Coursera Cost: An Overview
Coursera offers a wide variety of courses that covers all the high-in-demand industry niches. You can access Coursera courses for free or choose to go with Coursera’s paid courses. After completing a paid course, you can get an accredited courses completion certificate that starts at $29. The platform also features a Coursera Plus subscription plan that costs up to $399 per year.
Here is a quick breakdown of Coursera’s fees:
| Coursera Option | Number | Duration | Billing Option | Free Trial | Refund | Price |
| Courses | 1,800+ | 5 to 12 hours | Per course | Yes | 14-day | Free or $49 |
| Degrees | 33+ | 2 to 4 years | Pay as you go | No | Set by university | Starts from $9,000 |
| MasterTrack Certificates | 20+ | 4 to 7 months | Per month or course | No | Set by university | $2,000 |
| Professional Certificates | 100+ | 4 to 7 months | Per month | Yes | Cancel subscription | $39.99 |
| Specializations | 1,500+ | 1 to 3 months | Per month or unit | Yes | Cancel subscription | $39.99 |
| Guided Projects | 2,300+ | 1 to 2 hours | Per course | Yes | 14-day | $9.99 |
| Coursera Plus | 7,000+ | May vary depending on the course’s complexity and students’ learning habits | Per month or yearly | Yes | 14-day or cancel subscription | $59 per month or $399 per year |
| Coursera for Teams & Business | 5,000+ | This may vary depending on the course’s complexity | Monthly or yearly | Yes | Cancel subscription | $399 per year per user |
Coursera’s Free Courses
Coursera offers more than 1,800 courses for free. You can’t get free access to other learning options, such as Online Degrees, MasterTrack Certificates, Professional Certificates, and Guided Projects. Along with thousands of free courses, Coursera offers a 7-day free trial to help learners ensure its authenticity and suitability.
Coursera’s free courses come with certain limitations, which are worth mentioning:
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Lack of Instructor Feedback
With free courses, you can’t interact with instructors. The accessible course content of Coursera is entirely self-paced, meaning you will not be able to submit your assignments and get grades and feedback from professionals.
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No Hands-On Practice
With Coursera freebies, you can’t access hands-on learning resources like quizzes and assignments.
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Lack of Certificates
The lack of course completion certificates is another typical limitation of the accessible version of Coursera. But you can purchase a course separately to earn a recognized course completion certificate.
Specializations
Specializations are a series of courses that take 1 to 3 months to complete. Coursera offers over 1,500 specializations, including 3-4 individual course units. For example, Applied Data Science with Python is a specialization program accredited by the University of Michigan and consists of four different course units, which are:
- Applied Text Mining in Python
- Introduction to Data Science in Python
- Applied Machine Learning in Python
- Applied Plotting, Charting, and Data Representation in Python
You can find the following popular specializations on Coursera:
- Organizational Change and Culture for Adopting Google Cloud
- Digital Marketing
- Communication Skills for Engineers
- Artificial Intelligence for Medicines
- Data Science Fundamentals
The cost of a specialization starts at $39.99 per month. Coursera allows you to audit some parts of specialization for free, which can grant access to learning content, but you will not be able to earn a certificate.
Guided Projects
Guided projects are a unique learning option of Coursera. It enables learners to work on hands-on projects and learn a new skill within hours. Coursera’s guided projects are more focused on the following:
- Data Science
- Business Management
- Computer Science
Guided projects come with video lectures to help you complete a specific task without facing any problems. You will also get accredited certificates after completing a guided project. Taking a guided project may start from $9.99.
Professional Certificates
Coursera’s professional certificates help professionals improve their technical skills and become more prominent in their careers. You will need to commit for up to 6 months to earn a professional certificate. Coursera claims to teach you a high-in-demand skill within 3-6 months through professional certifications.
You can find Coursera’s professional certificates in the following categories:
- Computer Science
- IT
- Business
- Data Science
- Advance Your Career
- Launch Your Career
The monthly subscription of professional certificates starts at $39.99 with a 7-day free trial.
Degrees
Coursera offers nearly 33 online Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs that may take 2-4 years to complete. All of Coursera’s degree programs are designed by partnering with top-rated universities, including but not limited to the following:
- HEC Paris
- University of Michigan
- Arizona State University
- University of London
You can get an opportunity to learn from the same lecturers that teach on campus, interact with peers and instructors, and participate in online lectures by enrolling in Coursera’s online degree program. These degree programs cover a range of industry niches, such as:
- Software Management
- Data Analytics
- Business Administration
- Marketing
The cost of a full degree program starts at $9,000 and may go up to $40,000.
MasterTrack
Coursera’s MasterTrack is a comprehensive online module that may take 4 to 7 months to complete. This program has several perks, such as real-world projects, team-based learning, live teaching, video content, and instructor feedback. You can earn an accredited certificate after completing a MasterTrack program and use it to take things further.
You can find 20+ MasterTrack programs on Coursera, most of which are centered around:
- Social Sciences
- Data Science
- Business and Design
Coursera’s MasterTrack starts at $2,000 with a money-back guarantee of 14 days.
Coursera Plus
Coursera Plus is an ideal option for lifelong learners who want to learn new skills throughout the year. This Coursera plan gives access to 7,000 courses and unlimited access to Professional Certificates, Specializations, and Guided Projects.
You can either go with Coursera Plus monthly subscription plan by paying $59 per month or opt for an annual subscription by paying $339. With Coursera Plus, you will get a recognized certificate upon completing a course, but it does not grant access to Online Degrees and MasterTrack Certificates.
Coursera for Business
If you’re a larger organization or business, Coursera has something valuable to offer. It features high-quality courses business owners can use to educate their employees with up-to-date and relevant knowledge. Coursera offers two dedicated subscription plans for organizations and teams:
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Team Plan
Coursera’s Team plan costs $339 per year per user. It is designed to support smaller teams of 5 to 125 users. With this plan, you can access the following:
- 4,800 courses
- Course completion certificates
- 2,500 hands-on guided projects
You can use a credit card (MasterCard or VISA) or PayPal to purchase Coursera’s Team Plan.
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Enterprise Plan
Coursera’s Enterprise Plan is best suited for larger organizations and teams of 125+ users. You need to contact sales to get a custom quote about Enterprise Plan. This plan will grant access to everything included in Team Plan, plus:
- Excellent integration features
- Customer success feature
- Solutions consulting services
The Bottom Line
Before becoming a paying member of Coursera, it is vital to learn about its subscription plans. You need to consider your budget and learning goals before selecting a Coursera course. Coursera is a well-respected online learning portal that offers thousands of courses for free, along with Specializations, Online Degrees, MasterTrack, and Professional Certificates. You can access all the learning content with Coursera for free, but you can’t earn a course completion certificate and instructor feedback.
