When you post anything on Coursera, including forum posts, peer-reviewed assignments, or uploaded files, you give Coursera the right to use, copy, share, and modify that content globally and for free, including by sharing it with other companies.
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 license is broad and sublicensable, meaning Coursera can pass rights over your submitted content to third parties such as content delivery partners or technology vendors, and the agreement does not clearly define expiration terms tied to account deletion.
Interpretive note: The agreement does not explicitly state whether the license terminates upon account closure or content deletion, creating ambiguity about the duration of rights granted.
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 →Content you submit to Coursera, including course assignments visible to peers, discussion posts, and uploaded materials, may be used, reproduced, and redistributed by Coursera and its sublicensees under a royalty-free license that does not require additional permission from you.
How other platforms handle this
we may closely review accounts that offer the following services, products, or content: Online trading, day trading tips, and stock market related content
Paid Subscribers can select whether Content is public or private.
If Your Content is prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction where our Services are available, we may remove it even if it is not illegal in your location.
"We don't own content you submit to us, but we need certain rights to it so that we can make our Services work the way they're supposed to. When you submit content to the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display, and distribute such content in any and all media or distribution methods now known or later developed.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR Article 6 for EU users to the extent submitted content contains personal data, as the license grant may constitute processing requiring a lawful basis beyond contractual necessity.
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This license is broad and sublicensable, meaning Coursera can pass rights over your submitted content to third parties such as content delivery partners or technology vendors, and the agreement does not clearly define expiration terms tied to account deletion.
Content you submit to Coursera, including course assignments visible to peers, discussion posts, and uploaded materials, may be used, reproduced, and redistributed by Coursera and its sublicensees under a royalty-free license that does not require additional permission from you.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 262 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coursera.