Coursera is one of the top online learning platforms, offering everything from free Yale courses to career programs from Google. Here's how to navigate choosing classes or programs.

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• Coursera is an e-learning platform with thousands of free courses and professional certificates.
• Topics range from computer science to psychology and courses are led by top colleges and companies.
• Below, find answers to Coursera FAQs, reviews, and other information about the company so far.

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For many, online learning can be an attractive alternative to obtaining in-person university degrees. Top e-learning platforms offer free courses from the best schools in the world, famous companies like Google run short-term job training programs, and coding bootcamps are quickly becoming a means to quick and lucrative career switches.

Coursera is one of the most popular online learning platforms out there, offering a wide range of free courses, short certificate programs, and even online master's degrees.

What is Coursera?

Coursera is an online learning platform founded by two Stanford University computer science professors. It offers thousands of online courses in partnership with over 200 of the world's leading universities and companies, including Yale, Princeton, Penn, Stanford, Google, and more.

The site offers free individual courses as well as bachelor's and master's degree programs that reduce barriers to higher education. There are also professional certificate programs designed to aid workers in securing new roles or promotions.

How does Coursera work?

To use Coursera, you'll need to create a free account (or log in using your Facebook, Google, or Apple account). Once you're signed up, you can take free and paid courses in a few different ways:

• You can "Enroll for free" in one-off courses like Yale's Science of Well-Being or SUNY's How to Write a Resume.
• You can try out longer programs like Google's crash course in Python programming for free as part of a seven-day trial and then pay $39-$49 per month to earn a certificate of completion.
• You can also browse courses that are part of longer programs for free by clicking the enroll button and then "audit this course."
• You can pay to take official MasterTrack and degree programs, which can cost a couple of thousand dollars, depending on the program.

What kinds of classes does Coursera offer?

Coursera's education offerings run the gamut from personal development courses like its extremely popular Yale Science of Well-Being to workforce upskilling programs from companies like Google and IBM. Coursera also offers online degrees in industries such as public health and computer science.

Are Coursera courses free?

Many Coursera courses are free to audit, but students don't get access to things like graded homework assignments or certificates of completion when they're auditing a course.

Courses that are part of longer programs or specializations are usually free to try with a seven-day trial.

How much do Coursera courses cost?

Courses can range from $39-$49 per month to hundreds of dollars depending on the type and topic. The site also offers Coursera Plus, which is a $399 annual subscription that gives its members unlimited access to over 90% of the e-learning platform's online courses (over 3,000 classes).

Does Coursera offer degrees?

Does Coursera offer certificates?

Yes, Coursera offers certificates of completion for its courses if you pay for the course and complete the assignments.

Does Coursera offer financial aid?

Yes. However, programs like Coursera MasterTracks (partial master's programs) are not eligible for financial aid.

Mara Leighton is a senior digital culture reporter. If you want to get in touch, please send an email to mleighton@businessinsider.com, or send a DM on twitter to @maraleighton.

Julia is a senior health reporter on the Insider Health team primarily covering skincare and relationships. Prior to that, she was the education and personal development editor on the Insider Reviews team and a sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan and BuzzFeed, respectively. You can say hi to Julia at jpugachevsky@businessinsider.com or shoot her a DM on Twitter or Instagram (she is @jaypugz on both)