Pricing your course

When you are ready to publish your course, it’s important to consider your pricing strategy. This essential step involves deciding whether to offer your course for free, set a price yourself, or use Udemy’s optimization strategies for pricing. If you offer a free course, it can’t exceed 2 hours of video content and it will lose access to premium learner features such as Q&A and certificates of completion.

This article will guide you through our current course pricing options and the advantages of participating in the Udemy Deals Program.

Establish your pricing strategy

To set a price for your course, follow these steps:

1. First, make sure you are registered as a premium instructor. This allows you to set up payout options for your course.
2. Choose whether to participate in the Udemy Deals Program. This program uses our pricing data to set your course list price and issue promotional discounts to new and existing Udemy learners. If you choose not to participate in the Udemy Deals Program, you retain control over your pricing but miss out on the increased visibility that comes with our promotional activities.
3. Choose a price tier for each course. If you’re opted in to the Udemy Deals Program, we will set your course’s price and offer your course at a discount during occasional promotions. You’ll set a backup price, which may be shown in regions where we don’t use the Deals Program and in case of a temporary problem affecting the program. If you opt-out of the Deals Program, you’re setting your own price, so consider factors such as course duration, content depth, and your expertise to select an appropriate price tier. 

Become a premium instructor

If you’d like to set a price for your course, you must apply to become a premium instructor. 

There is no fee to become a premium instructor. Instead, Udemy keeps a percentage of each sale depending on the transaction source. Learn more about our instructor revenue share.

The premium instructor application process includes setting up your instructor profile, if you haven’t already done so, accepting the Udemy Terms of Service, and selecting your payout method. After publication, you will need to submit a valid tax form to receive payouts. 

Benefits of the Udemy Deals Program

The Udemy Deals Program allows Udemy to use marketing data to optimize your course’s list price and offer your courses at a discount in different markets around the world, which can be a powerful lever to drive revenue. Millions of learners enroll in courses through these promotions annually. There is no fee to participate in the program, and participation is optional. 

Here are some other key things to know about the program:

• Marketing support: Your course may be included in various marketing campaigns, including emails, paid ads, and affiliate marketing, thereby increasing its visibility and potential sales.
• Price optimization: Udemy uses advanced data science and market modeling to determine the best list price for your course, considering factors like category, length, and sales performance.
• Global reach at competitive prices: The Deals Program ensures your course is offered at competitive prices that take local context into account. Learn more about local pricing. 

Learn more about Udemy Deals.

Opt Into the Deals Program

All instructors are automatically opted into the Deals Program when they become  premium instructors. You can opt out at any time, but it may take up to 10 days for your courses to be removed from active promotions.

Note: If you opt in to the Deals Program at an instructor level, all of your courses, except free courses are included.

You can opt into or out of the program on your Promotional Agreements page.

Free Courses

Launching your course for free can be a strategic move. Free courses can help you build a following, test demand for a topic,  accumulate course reviews, or provide you valuable feedback. Then when you are ready to set a price for your course, you can update a free course to a paid course as long as you are registered as a premium instructor.

However, free courses have some limitations to keep in mind. 

• Free courses cannot exceed 2 hours in video content 
• Free courses do not offer premium learner features such as a certificate of completion or Q&A. 
• While the price of your course can be modified anytime, you can only convert a course from free to paid once. 

Learn more about free courses.

Key Takeaways

• Course Pricing Options: You have the flexibility to offer courses as either free or paid. If you opt in to the Deals Program, pricing on paid courses is determined and optimized by us. 
• Premium instructor status: To set a price for a course and earn revenue, you must apply and be approved as a premium instructor, which allows participation in promotional programs and revenue sharing, without any upfront costs.
• Udemy Deals Program: Participation in the Udemy Deals Program will apply to all your courses. It allows us to optimize and discount your course prices to enhance market reach and sales, taking advantage of our marketing campaigns and price optimization strategies for global audiences.
• Price tier considerations: When determining the price tier for a course, you should consider factors such as course duration, content depth, expertise, and market competition, aiming to provide additional value through resources, assignments, and feedback to justify higher pricing.

More Resources

• Learn how to become a premium instructor
• Learn about free courses
• Learn about revenue share
• Learn more about Udemy Deals
• Learn more about how to set the price of your course and about pricing tiers
• Making the most out of coupons and referrals