The agreement designates California law as governing and specifies that non-arbitrated disputes must be litigated in federal or state courts in San Francisco County, California. California's conflict of laws rules are expressly excluded from the choice of law analysis.
This analysis describes what Coursera's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision establishes that California substantive law governs all disputes and that non-arbitrated claims must be brought in San Francisco County courts. For users located outside California, this may create a practical barrier to pursuing litigation-based remedies.
Interpretive note: The enforceability of the California forum selection clause against non-California and EU/EEA consumers may be limited by applicable consumer protection law in those jurisdictions.
The updated refund policy establishes a new condition under which Coursera may deny refund requests: when a significant portion of the course content has been accessed prior to submitting the refund request. This addition does not replace existing denial grounds such as policy violations, repeated refund requests, or chargeback activity, but adds an access-based threshold alongside them. The terms do not define what constitutes a significant portion of content, leaving that determination to Coursera's discretion. Learners who access substantial course materials before requesting a refund may find their request denied under this provision.
View change record →The updated terms establish new procedural requirements for refunds on Coursera subscription plans. According to the revised language, canceling a subscription will stop future billing but will not automatically issue a refund; refunds must be requested separately. The terms now explicitly state that refunds will not be provided for renewal charges on annual subscription plans. For Specializations purchased through subscriptions, users may request a full refund within the applicable 7-day refund period or before earning a certificate, whichever occurs first. You can request a refund separately through Coursera's Support Services, but the updated terms indicate this is a manual process rather than an automatic one upon cancellation.
View change record →The updated terms no longer specify refund eligibility for users in India who prepay for specializations or Coursera Plus plans. Previously, these customers could request full refunds within 7 days of payment or before earning a certificate for any course included in their purchase, whichever occurred first. The removal of this language means refund terms for Indian prepaid customers are no longer explicitly defined in the publicly stated agreement, leaving refund policies unclear for this user segment.
View change record →Reworded to simplify language ('claims, cause of action, or dispute' changed to 'disputes' and 'excluding' changed to 'except that'), and removed specific reference to 'United States District Court for'.
View full change record →Under this clause, all disputes with Coursera that are not resolved through arbitration must be brought in courts located in San Francisco County, California, applying California law. Users located in other states or countries who pursue litigation-based claims are subject to this geographic forum requirement.
How other platforms handle this
In the EU and EEA, the choice of Texas governing law shall not apply only where a mandatory consumer protection law explicitly prohibits such choice of law provisions.
For any claims that are not subject to arbitration...U.S. Residents: Delaware law; venue exclusively in the state or federal courts in New Castle County, Delaware
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California and the United States without regard to conflicts of laws provisions
"These Terms and any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms or use of our Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, except that California's conflict of laws rules will not apply. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or our Services that is not subject to arbitration will be resolved in the federal or state courts located in San Francisco County, California.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Choice of law and forum selection clauses in consumer contracts may require evaluation under applicable state and federal law.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find your state's direct complaint form
Get the research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.
This provision establishes that California substantive law governs all disputes and that non-arbitrated claims must be brought in San Francisco County courts. For users located outside California, this may create a practical barrier to pursuing litigation-based remedies.
Under this clause, all disputes with Coursera that are not resolved through arbitration must be brought in courts located in San Francisco County, California, applying California law. Users located in other states or countries who pursue litigation-based claims are subject to this geographic forum requirement.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 267 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coursera.