The agreement limits Coursera's liability to exclude indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of data, profits, or revenues, arising from platform use, third-party conduct on the platform, content obtained from the platform, or unauthorized access to user data. This limitation applies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
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 limits the categories of damages users may recover from Coursera in the event of platform failures, data loss, unauthorized access, or third-party misconduct on the platform. The carve-out for applicable law means the limitation may not apply in full in jurisdictions that restrict such exclusions for consumer contracts.
Interpretive note: The enforceability of consequential damages exclusions against consumers varies significantly by jurisdiction, particularly in EU/EEA and UK markets, and depends on the specific nature of the claim.
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 →Current version adds 'INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL' content as specific examples of third-party conduct covered by liability exemption.
View full change record →Under this clause, Coursera's financial exposure for platform-related harms is limited to direct damages only, excluding consequential, indirect, or punitive damages arising from service outages, data loss, unauthorized access, or third-party conduct. The agreement states this limitation applies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
How other platforms handle this
If you knowingly misrepresent that any activity or material on our Services is infringing, you may be liable to ActiveCampaign for certain costs and damages.
A party's liability for any Liability under these Terms will be reduced proportionately to the extent the relevant Liability was caused or contributed to by the actions (or inactions) of the other party...
The Netflix service and/or some of the Netflix content may not be available at any time as a result of events beyond our reasonable control...we will not be held liable should such events occur.
"TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COURSERA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD PARTIES; (C) ANY CONTENT OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICES; OR (D) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Limitation of liability clauses in consumer contracts may require evaluation under applicable consumer protection law.
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This provision limits the categories of damages users may recover from Coursera in the event of platform failures, data loss, unauthorized access, or third-party misconduct on the platform. The carve-out for applicable law means the limitation may not apply in full in jurisdictions that restrict such exclusions for consumer contracts.
Under this clause, Coursera's financial exposure for platform-related harms is limited to direct damages only, excluding consequential, indirect, or punitive damages arising from service outages, data loss, unauthorized access, or third-party conduct. The agreement states this limitation applies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 287 platforms. See the full comparison.
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