Coursera is a great platform for individuals who are looking to expand their knowledge and skill sets. Coursera provides a wealth of opportunities for students to explore a variety of topics and advance their knowledge thanks to its thousands of courses from renowned institutions around the globe. Although many of the courses on the platform are free, paying is usually necessary to receive a completion certificate. There are mainly two ways to get a certificate without paying.
Let’s explore these one by one
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Method 1: Scholarships
The first way to get Coursera courses with certificates for free is to get Scholarships. For particular Coursera courses, particularly those that are pertinent to their industry or field of study, some organizations and institutions offer scholarships. Do a search for the course you’re interested in, and then look for any potential scholarship opportunities. As an alternative, you can look for organizations and institutions online that provide financial aid for Coursera courses.
Method 2: Financial Aid
*Note: The option to receive financial aid may not be available for certain courses and in certain countries.
Applying for financial aid is another way to get free Coursera courses and certificates. Coursera provides financial aid to people who can prove they are in need. You must complete an application form and include details about your income and financial situation in order to apply for financial aid. You will be able to access the course materials and earn a certificate at no cost if your financial aid application is accepted.
Let’s explore this step-by-step.
Let’s take one of the most famous courses in Coursera, Machine Learning Specialization, taught by Andrew Ng as an example to explain the process.
To begin, navigate to the Coursera website and select a course of interest. For this example, we will choose the course that’s mentioned above.
The next step is to click on the link that is highlighted within the red box. That would make a dialog box appear with more instructions to proceed with the financial aid application.
As this is a specialization that includes multiple courses, it’s important to note that financial aid applications must be submitted individually for each course. Start by selecting the course you want to apply for financial aid for, and then click “Next.”
As you can see the application would take upto 15 days to get reviewed. Let’s proceed with the application by clicking on “Continue to the Application.”
In the next page you have to enter details like your highest level of education, annual income, employment status and also the reason for applying the financial aid.
Give believable justifications for why you require financial aid in order to enroll in the course when responding to the last question. The following are a few possible causes:
Financial difficulties: Describe any issues you are having that would make it difficult for you to pay for the course on your own.
Lack of resources: Explain if you lack the tools you’ll need to complete the course, like a computer or a steady internet connection.
Career advancement: Describe how enrolling in this course will benefit your present employment or your prospects for future employment.
Personal development: Describe how you will use the knowledge and skills you acquire in this course to better yourself or your community.
An example is given below:
After filling the above details click “Next” to continue the application
In this page, you will be asked to enter the maximum amount you can pay for the course and also about how this course would benefit you.
Describe your objectives in detail and explain how the course you have chosen will help you achieve them in your response to this question. The following are some ways the course might support your objectives:
Skill development: Explain how the course will assist you in developing particular skills that are crucial to achieving your goals. For instance, if becoming a data analyst is your career objective, you could describe how the course will help you hone your data analysis, statistics, and machine learning skills.
Career advancement: Describe how taking this course will help you advance in your career. For instance, if getting a promotion is your goal, you could describe how the course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to take on more responsibility at work.
Personal development: Describe how the course will help you develop personally. For instance, if your objective is to learn more about a particular subject, you could describe how the course will assist you in achieving that objective.
After filling in these details click on the “Review” button which would take you to a page where you can review your application to submit the application. From here, click on “Submit” to submit your application. You would see a success message as shown below.
Similarly you can apply for all 3 courses to get the complete specialization with certificate for Free!. After few weeks you would receive a mail which would let you know about the status of your application. If you did not receive the financial aid, try applying again by following all the guidelines as mentioned in the article. Good Luck!
Conclusion
In conclusion, getting financial aid on Coursera is a great way to get free access to courses that award certificates. Even though the application process can take some time, it’s worthwhile for those who want to advance their knowledge and abilities without having to spend a lot of money. Overall, Coursera’s financial aid program is a great tool for students who want to take advantage of the vast selection of courses offered by the platform and advance their careers.