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Users warrant upon each use of the services that they are not located in or subject to a sanctioned country, not on any government sanctions or restricted party list, and not using VPN or IP routing services to circumvent these restrictions. Users must immediately discontinue service use if they are placed on a Sanctions List.
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 frames sanctions compliance as a user warranty that is confirmed upon each service use, and expressly prohibits VPN or IP routing circumvention of geographic restrictions. Coursera may terminate service immediately for sanctions compliance breaches or where continued service provision may cause commercial or reputational harm, at Coursera's sole discretion.
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 →Under this clause, users in sanctioned countries or on government restricted party lists are prohibited from using the services, and use of VPN or IP routing services to circumvent geographic restrictions constitutes a terms violation. Users placed on a Sanctions List must immediately discontinue access, and Coursera may terminate service access unilaterally upon identifying a compliance risk.
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"By using our Services, you are warranting that you are not located in, under the control of, a national of, or ordinarily resident in, any country that is subject to applicable U.S. laws and regulations, or laws of your local jurisdiction, preventing Coursera from providing you access to the Services. Your location is determined by your physical location. Use of a virtual private network service, IP routing services, or other similar service for the purpose of circumventing these laws is strictly prohibited. By using our Services, you are warranting that you are not named on, or controlled by anyone named on, any government prohibited, denied, unverified-party, sanctions, debarment, or exclusion list or export-controlled related restricted party list (collectively, "Sanctions Lists"). You will immediately discontinue your use of the Services if you, or a party exercising control over you, are placed on any Sanctions List.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Export control compliance engages US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions programs, Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and analogous sanctions regimes in the EU and UK. Educational services provided to sanctioned countries or nationals may have specific carve-outs under applicable US export control law, which the terms do not explicitly address. The prohibition on VPN circumvention aligns with US sanctions enforcement expectations. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low for most users. Enterprise customers with international workforces should assess whether the sanctions warranty and immediate discontinuation obligation create operational gaps for employees in or traveling to sanctioned jurisdictions. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: Users in countries subject to US sanctions, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Russia, are prohibited from accessing the services. Enterprise customers with operations or employees in these jurisdictions face operational implications regardless of corporate location. The terms note that location is determined by physical location, which may affect users who travel to sanctioned jurisdictions. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise procurement teams should assess whether organizational compliance with US sanctions regimes is adequately documented and whether the user warranty creates individual user-level compliance obligations that the organization must manage. Coursera retains the right to terminate service immediately upon identifying a sanctions compliance concern, which may affect organizational access to learning resources. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should establish processes for monitoring sanctions list updates and assessing whether any organizational users may trigger the immediate discontinuation obligation. The VPN prohibition should be communicated to employees who use VPN services for network security purposes, as the prohibition is limited to circumvention of geographic access restrictions.
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This provision frames sanctions compliance as a user warranty that is confirmed upon each service use, and expressly prohibits VPN or IP routing circumvention of geographic restrictions. Coursera may terminate service immediately for sanctions compliance breaches or where continued service provision may cause commercial or reputational harm, at Coursera's sole discretion.
Under this clause, users in sanctioned countries or on government restricted party lists are prohibited from using the services, and use of VPN or IP routing services to circumvent geographic restrictions constitutes a terms violation. Users placed on a Sanctions List must immediately discontinue access, and Coursera may terminate service access unilaterally upon identifying a compliance risk.
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