Coursera has a massive inventory of online courses. While most are paid, very few are free. These costly courses need not limit your learning and growth.
To curb this, Coursera offers options that allow learners who may not afford a course to “Audit a course,” which helps them learn the course free of cost.
But not every course can be audited. To help you through the process, I’ll share gradual, step-by-step instructions on how to audit a course on Coursera and its conditions.
Scroll through to learn more!
How To Audit a Course On Coursera – Key Takeaways
- The “Audit the Course” option gives full access to the selected course material but doesn’t provide the same access for assessments.
- You don’t get competition certificates.
- You don’t need credit card details to audit a course on Coursera.
- Not every course can be audited.
What Is A Coursera Course Audit?
While auditing a course, you will have access to all course materials but will likely not be able to complete homework/assessments or take any exams.
If you are wondering if it is the best thing to do, here are some reasons why students often go for course auditing.
Auditing a course can be a very wise decision for certain students. Learners who don’t have enough time to enroll in all the courses or are struggling to decide on a major can explore a subject without worrying about their assessment scores.
Do You Get a Certificate When Auditing A Course On Coursera?
If you are interested in auditing a course on Coursera, you’ll be able to see most of the course material, but you won’t get a Course Certificate.
Yet, during your journey through the audited course, if you ever feel that you need a certificate, you can pay to get one at any time during or after the course.
But remember, If you pay for a certificate, you may be asked to complete more coursework that was not available/needed in the audited course.
How To Audit A Course On Coursera: Step-By-Step Manual
Below is the complete demonstration with a set of instructions on auditing a course on Coursera.
Step 1: You must create an account on Coursera. To do so, click here. You’ll be directed to their official page.
Step 2: Click on the “Join for Free” in the top right corner or in the middle of your screen.
Step 3: Next, you’ll see a “Sign up” window.
Step 4: You can either fill out the information, such as name, email, and password, and click on “Join for Free,” or you can link your Coursera account to your Apple ID, Facebook account, or Google account.
Step 5: After Signing up, the next step is to select the course you want to audit. To do that, type the course keyword in the “search option” and select the course.
Step 6. After selecting the course you want to audit, you’ll go to the individual course home page.
Step 7: Click on the “Enroll for Free” option present on the page of the course.
Step 8: After enrollment, search for the “Audit the course” link at the bottom of the window and click on it.
Now that you’ve opted to audit the course, you can watch videos, take notes, and read the course material for free.
Note: Sometimes, the audit option is unavailable if you want to join a Specialization or Professional certificate course. In such cases, you’ll have to search for individual course pages and check availability.
Pros And Cons Of Auditing A Course On Coursera
As you can see, auditing a course on Coursera is very easy. However, there are some benefits and drawbacks to this practice.
Pros
- Complete access to the course material and content
- Learn the subject you want for free
- Does not require any sort of payment details to learn
Cons
- Not all courses are available for auditing
- You won’t get a certificate even after completing the course
The primary objective of auditing the course is to procure more knowledge and self-improvement, and you should audit a course with that in mind.
Can’t Find The Audit Link, Do This!
You can do certain things if the audit link is not visible for the selected course.
Here is an example of a Specialization Course with no audit option.
You can not sign up for an audit through Specialization pages. You need to find the individual course page to audit courses for free.
Step 1: To find individual courses from Specialization, scroll down to see a list of all the courses in Specialization.
Step 2: You need to click on the individual course name to go to the single course page.
Sometimes, it might happen that even after taking the Specialization route, you won’t get directed to the individual course page.
Step 3: In that case, copy the name of the course and paste it into the search bar.
Step 4: When you are on the individual course page, click on the enroll and search for an Audit link.
In this way, even if you can’t find an audit link for an entire Specialization course, you can find it for individual courses offered in that Specialization.
Audit Course vs. Paid Course – Major Differences
Coursera’s online learning platform is accessible to anyone looking for high-quality education and skill development.
Apart from fees, there are other differences between audited and paid courses.
Here’s a comparison table for the Audit Course vs. Paid Course on Coursera.
| Feature | Audit Course | Paid Course |
| Access to course content | ✅ | ✅ |
| Graded assignments | ❌ | ✅ |
| Certificates | ❌ | ✅ |
| Deadlines | ❌ | ✅ |
| Peer-graded assignments | ❌ | ✅ |
| Course completion records | ❌ | ✅ |
| Access after course ends | Limited | Unlimited |
| Price | Free | Varies |
| Financial aid option | N/A | Available |
| Instructor Q&A access | Limited | Full |
| Career support services | ❌ | ✅ |
Let me walk you through additional details below.
- Academic credits: This is Coursera’s best feature. It offers courses that help you earn university or college credits, which are considered valid in online or offline degree programs at traditional universities. Paid courses offer academic credits, but audited courses don’t.
- Certificate: As mentioned earlier, paid courses offer verified certificates on completion, but audited courses don’t.
- Types of courses: Students enrolled in Coursera Audit can only access a few popular courses. On the other hand, since Certificate programs and online courses are paid, you can access over 7000 courses through a monthly subscription.
- Assessments: The audited version allows you to access the complete course and watch video lectures from industry experts for free, but you can not take assessments. On the contrary, paid courses offer everything audited courses have, plus you get to take assessments.
Bonus Tip: Coursera has three more options to get free courses.
- By accessing free courses available
- By utilizing a Coursera Plus 7-day free trial
- By using the Financial Aid option
Can You Get A Coursera Certificate For Free?
There was a time when Coursera used to provide free certificates when you enrolled in your favorite courses. Now, you do not get a certificate of completion on free courses.
There is an alternative available although, where learners can get a certificate at a minimal cost. On individual pages of many courses, you will see an option “Financial Aid Available.”
However, there is a downside to this Financial Aid option: You need to fill out and submit an application form, which Coursera will thoroughly review. Only if your application is approved and you finish the course will you receive the certificate for free.
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Conclusion: Audit A Coursera Course To Learn Without A Cost!
Courses offered on Coursera are created and instructed by University professors and industry experts. Therefore, they are valuable and are priced at a premium.
Auditing a course is one of the most convenient options for learning and growing, but it is not possible without access to assess your development or a certificate to show.
Make sure to follow the steps correctly, take advantage of the auditing course, and not let a price tag come between you and your learning!
FAQs
Coursera does not offer an audit option on all the courses, and users need to check the availability for each course individually.
The audit option for Coursera courses has not been removed, and you can still audit courses on Coursera. However, please note that the audit option is available for selective courses only.
The “Audit the course” option is at the bottom of the page. It opens upon clicking the course name.
If you are accruing the benefit of the course by auditing, you always have the option to unlock the complete course and pursue a professional certificate or specialization certificate at a cost.
