Coursera is one of the most popular course platforms, together with Udemy, edX, DataCamp, Codecademy, and others. But this one advertises as a place to get a full-fledged diploma. A bunch of universities are offering courses there, and it looks like an education supermarket. So should I skip the traditional classes and buy some courses there? Will this diploma be legit, or is it an excellent marketing trick?
I’ll explain everything here and answer the main question of whether Coursera is accredited.
Coursera vs traditional education
The concept of traditional education became blurred during the pandemic. If online studies were mainly considered a last resort or the only way for students abroad (and often overlooked as something inferior to classical offline studies), now even the oldest and the most traditional universities have whole online courses. They have to do it to maintain the clientele.
The world has become much more tolerant of online studies, and fewer and fewer people make a difference between online and offline diplomas at all. So, if we talk about complete university courses, with proper homework standards and good feedback from the teachers, not just a bunch of videos you purchase – Coursera can be compared with traditional education; moreover, in some aspects, it is formal education. Stanford courses are no-nonsense, both in terms of payment and the amount of knowledge they squeeze into you.
This doesn’t apply to the singular Coursera courses, though. Despite being popular and generally helpful, they can’t be compared with traditional uni education, simply because they lack the credibility of the major universities. The skills and knowledge may (or may not) be similar, but if you need a pretty paper for your future employer, it might not work.
What does it mean to be accredited?
Let’s start from the basics. What is accreditation at all? It means that something – a course for us – meets the standards and requirements of the accrediting organization. So, simply put, being accredited means just whether your future employer “believes” you know the subject stated in your certificate or not. Your certificate may be perfectly valid and very valuable in one organization but just a pretty picture in another.
Here comes our main answer about Coursera being accredited or not.
Are degrees on Coursera accredited?
Online degree programs page on Coursera
Many students who want to earn a degree in a particular field online wonder if Coursera is a legit platform for obtaining fully accredited degrees. Here’s what I learned while researching the website.
According to the information provided on the website about earning a degree through Coursera materials, you can conclude that they are fully accredited because they are awarded directly by authorized institutions. This means that they meet the same strict academic standards as traditional on-campus programs.
Additionally, the degree you earn on Coursera is identical to the one earned by in-person students, as there is no mention that it was earned online.
The courses provided on the platform are created and taught by experts from university faculties, which guarantees the quality of education.
Please keep in mind that degree programs are not included in the standard Coursera Plus subscription. For this, you need to pay a separate tuition fee, which is similar to paying for university studies.
Are certificates on Coursera accredited?
Courses with certificates page on Coursera
Coursera certifications are widely recognized and valued by employers around the world as proof of proficiency in specific subjects or skills. These certificates are issued upon completion of courses or specializations offered by universities and partners, including Adobe and Microsoft , in in-demand fields such as data science, machine learning, business, and technology. They provide proof of course completion and skill acquisition but are different from accredited degrees. Besides, Coursera certificates highlight a commitment to lifelong learning, and many learners report career advancements or new job opportunities after earning them.
However, if a course leads to a bachelor’s or master’s degree, then after passing the final exams, the diploma itself will be accredited by the issuing university.
So, Coursera certificates can only demonstrate the acquisition of certain skills, while degrees on the platform provide a formal, university-recognized qualification.
The table below summarizes the key differences between Coursera certificates and diplomas. This will help you to clearly understand the difference between them.
| Features | Certificates | Diplomas |
| Recognition | Recognized by employers as proof of skills | Recognized as official university degrees |
| Issuing Authority | Provided by Coursera in partnership with universities and companies | Provided by accredited universities |
| Focus | Confirm course completion | Confirm completion of a bachelor’s or master’s program |
| Accreditation | Not accredited as official degrees | Accredited by the degree-issuing university |
Are Coursera courses accredited worldwide?
Courses on the Coursera platform are mostly not internationally accredited, although their content is often developed by authorized universities and institutions. Accreditation refers to an institution, not individual courses. This means that while courses on Coursera may be created by leading universities, they are not considered academic credits in and of themselves.
As a rule, Coursera courses are of high quality because they are developed by experts and professors from renowned universities such as Stanford, Yale, or the University of Michigan. However, their main goal is to expand their knowledge, not to obtain official academic certificates. Therefore, they can be seen as a great resource for self-development, professional growth, or learning a particular specialization.
If you need officially recognized credits or diplomas, you should focus on programs with full accreditation.
The verdict: Is Coursera accredited?
Coursera is not accredited as a degree-granting institution, but it partners with accredited universities and institutions to offer online courses and degree programs. Although the platform itself isn’t accredited, many still ask – is Coursera legit for formal education?
Coursera itself is a platform that provides access to online courses and programs, and it does not offer degrees directly.
However, the institutions that partner with Coursera to offer online courses and programs are accredited by recognized accreditation agencies. These institutions have undergone rigorous evaluations to ensure that their academic programs meet certain standards.
Before enrolling in any online program or course, it is important to research the accreditation status of the institution offering the program. Coursera provides information about the partner institutions and the accreditation status of their programs on its website, and you can also check the accreditation status of the institutions themselves through relevant accreditation agencies.
At the same time, the Coursera platform provides detailed information on the pages with degree programs. This way you can quickly find out about the course accreditation.
For example, the site has a bachelor’s program from the University of London — BSc Computer Science. On the overview page, you can read full information about admission requirements, instructors, tuition fees, how long the program lasts, what skills you will gain upon completion, and other details about the degree.
Computer science bachelor degree program on Coursera
Are Coursera courses accredited?
Coursera offers both accredited and non-accredited courses, so it depends on the course and the institution offering it. Coursera has a lot of partners who provide their own courses: Google, IBM, Meta, and other digital monsters create whole chains, from the very basics to specific and complicated tasks.
There are plenty of courses on Coursera that are offered by accredited universities and institutions and may be part of a degree program. In these cases, the course may be accredited and count towards a degree or other academic credential. Additionally, there will be corresponding university signs under your bachelor’s or master’s degree. After successfully finishing the program, you’ll have an actual uni degree. Don’t expect it to be much cheaper or more manageable than an actual university program, though.
To find accredited courses on Coursera, you can search for courses offered by accredited universities and institutions. Here is the list of accredited universities and institutions that offer courses on Coursera:
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Michigan
- Duke University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of London
- Johns Hopkins University
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- University of California, Berkeley
- Columbia University
But this list is not complete. To determine whether a specific course on Coursera is accredited, you should check the course description and the institution that is offering the course (you can also find its accreditation records on this site). Additionally, some courses may offer certificates or credentials that are recognized by industry associations or professional organizations, even if the course itself is not accredited.
Other courses on Coursera are not accredited and are intended for personal or professional development rather than academic credit. These courses may offer a certificate of completion or a digital badge, but these do not carry the same weight as an accredited academic credential. These are private companies and individual instructors.
It’s important to note that even if a course on Coursera is not accredited, it can still be valuable for learning and skill development. Many Coursera courses are taught by experts in their fields and offer high-quality content and interactive learning experiences. It’s up to the learner to determine whether a particular course will meet their needs and goals, and whether or not it is accredited.
So, now you know the main answer: Coursera is not accredited directly but provides courses from accredited institutions. Now, let’s touch on some related and important questions about Coursera.
Is Coursera legit?
Coursera Inc. is a legally registered company with a tax number and a long biography. It was founded in 2012, and its partner network has been growing ever since. Starting from Stanford – the founder’s university – it now includes dozens of prestigious American and British colleges and unis. Its revenue is also pretty impressive, more than 100 million US dollars, and steadily grew during COVID times.
The accreditation part has some issues, but the answer to this question is definitely yes. Coursera won’t disappear with your money paid for the courses.
Are Coursera certificates recognized and valid?
The bad news is that Coursera isn’t TOEFL and isn’t recognized worldwide, especially among old-school managers who don’t believe in online education. But the good news is that Coursera, unlike most other course portals, has rigorous requirements when it comes to its courses. While other platforms allow anyone to post their course, Coursera’s teachers must have a rock-solid foundation to be published.
So, even if you don’t buy the course from a particular company or university, the overall credibility of Coursera may work for you. Of course, no one guarantees that the certificate will be instantly recognized, but it may be a neat adornment of your CV. Also, the knowledge base of Coursera’s courses is (on average) pretty decent. If the certificate gets you through the HR department, the actual content of the course may be beneficial during the technical interview or test task.
Will the completed Coursera courses be recognized by the university upon admission?
Often, MOOC-type online platforms (such as Coursera, Udemy, Codecademy, EDx, Udacity, and others) are only intended for learning or acquiring certain skills and are not suitable for formal educational requirements. Coursera itself is not an accredited educational organization, except for those programs sponsored by universities.
If your university requires completion of courses on certain topics for admission, I recommend contacting them directly to find out if they accept courses from Coursera. In many cases, the qualifications required for admission must be accredited, so be sure to check before registering if your institution recognizes the course you’ve chosen.
Coursera is great for deepening your knowledge, but if you’re looking for an accredited course to fulfill university requirements, you’re better off looking at other platforms or schools with official accreditation.
Will Coursera help me get a job?
The Coursera courses themselves won’t get you any job (except the ones where the top-X students are hunted immediately – some companies provide such an opportunity, training the specialists they need). But it may be helpful, either as a source of skills you need or as a confirmation of skills you have. The first variant is much cheaper (actually, there are enough free courses for almost every field of knowledge), but the second one is more reliable. The big companies love seeing certificates issued by themselves; it looks like brand loyalty for them. So, if you are aiming for Meta or IBM, consider enrolling in their courses.
If you are searching for a full degree, prepare your wallet and a couple of years of your time. Getting a diploma on Coursera isn’t much easier than in the university directly, but having a diploma is definitely a significant boost to your career that opens new opportunities. Besides, studying through an online platform is much more cost-effective. For example, online MBA programs offered through Coursera, for example, at the Illinois Tech University, are accredited and have a much lower cost compared to traditional MBAs (about $15 000 versus $56 000 – $62 000).
Do employers look down on Coursera diplomas?
Employers’ opinions of Coursera diplomas and certificates depend on several factors:
- Program accreditation and reputation. Employers value certificates and diplomas that come from accredited universities or programs that have a good reputation. If a program on Coursera is delivered in partnership with a well-known university or organization (like IBM, University of Colorado Boulder), this gives the certificate more weight when it comes to technical or other professional fields.
- Application scope. In industries where certification is valuable (finance or medicine), employers are likely to require accredited degrees. In most other technical or creative careers, however, a Coursera certificate means a great deal because these programs are dedicated to skills that can easily be demonstrated by real projects.
In general, Coursera certificates and diplomas can be useful, but their value depends on the accreditation and reputation of the program, as well as how the employer evaluates the candidate’s practical skills.
Is Coursera worth it?
Depending on what you mean by “worth.” You may take free courses or have an expensive master’s diploma, spend one day (Coursera even has a special section of one-day courses), or several years learning something new. Everything depends on your goal.
But generally speaking – yes, it does. Though you can stumble upon a course unsuitable for you, too challenging, or just too dull to learn further, the best part of Coursera is that you may always find a substitution. The competition is immense, so use all your trials, check everything that catches your eye, and don’t worry that you will not find anything else.
Still, be aware of extremely long courses or serious commitments, like the master’s degree programs I wrote about before. Some of them allow paying only for the courses you enrolled in, one by one, but lots of them ask you to pay in advance. Think twice before starting an especially time-consuming course because you may lose your money and not get the certificate you need.
One-day or one-week courses, free or inexpensive, are the safest way to get accustomed to Coursera, get yourself a bunch of pretty certificates, and understand if you need something more to achieve your goal.
Coursera platform is good and easy wonderful platform that can help many of us with online studies. And my other reply is that is it possible for you as coursera and commonwealth of learning meet together to work on certificates that are authorized by Universities and institutions offered through Coursera because almost all certificates after completing the course are written ” an online non-credit course”,The certificate does not confer a university or college grade, course credit or degree and establish a relationship between this learner, is making our career so difficult to apply especially when you have choose health courses and you want to apply for licence for you to start training. The other thing that our employers are questioning about is that the time for courses are very short in times of the examinations are too short,the modules are too short, in simple the employers are saying the courses certificates should be equivalent to face to face studies. Thanks you, I will keep on sharing my experiences because our employers are questioning many things about courses certificates.