With over 16 million learners and partnered with industry leaders (such as Google and Amazon), Udacity is unprecedented when it comes to delivering in-demand tech knowledge.
But, how does Udacity’s pricing work, Does Udacity have a subscription?, Can I buy Nanodegrees individually, Can I try Udacity courses for free? And can I get a refund if I don’t like it?
In this article, I’m going to answer these questions and more. Namely, I’ll cover everything you need to know about Udacity’s cost. So, let’s get started.
Udacity Costs – Summary
As of September 2023 Udacity stopped offering individual enrolment in, and purchase of, its programs. It is now a subscription platform.
A Udacity subscription membership costs:
- $249 per month
- $2,390 per year (a saving of 20%)
A Udacity subscription membership includes access to the:
- Entirety of Udacity’s catalog of best-in-class content including 80+ Nanodegree and Executive programs and all their courses
- Talent Transformation Suite for tailored learning
- Support Forum to get answers and discuss ideas
Is Udacity’s price good value?
When compared to a college MBA, which is around $40,000, the cost of Udacity’s individual Nanodegrees was already excellent value for money.
With the new subscription model you are saving over $150 per month on the cost of an individually purchased Nanodegree.
And if you purchase the annual subscription the value you are getting is exceptional:
| Cost per month | Saving per month | |
| Average Nanodgree cost per month* | $399 | – |
| Monthly subscription | $249 | $150 |
| Annual subscription (billed annually) | $199 | $200 |
What’s more, the value of a Udacity Nanodegree is enhanced in the context of a subscription because you can supplement your learning at no extra cost.
For example, if you want to be a Product Manager, and have noticed many PM roles require SQL experience, you can take the Product Manager Nanodegree and incorporate content from Udacity’s Intro to SQL courses.
And it’s important to consider what Udacity can do for you in terms of your career, business growth, and earning potential. Udacity’s teachers are from world-leading institutions (including Google, AT&T, Microsoft, and Amazon).
So, you’re not just learning from competent and engaging teachers, you’re learning from the best in the business – and the very people that will be looking to hire you. In my opinion, this makes Udacity pretty unbeatable.
What are Udacity Nanodegrees?
Udacity’s Nanodegree programs are their trademark courses. Essentially, these are 3-4 month skills-based programs designed to equip you with the expertise needed to excel in digi-tech fields.
To date, Udacity boasts over 80 Nanodegree programs, with more being curated regularly to stay abreast of the modern tech workforce. Subjects include Data Engineering, Business Analytics, C++, and Digital Marketing.
While the course difficulties range from beginner to advanced, Udacity’s Nanodegree programs nevertheless require hard work and commitment to complete. So, with courses starting at one month, Nanodegrees include the following:
- Course units with video content and additional resources
- Technical mentor support with human feedback
- Career services so you can optimize your resume
- Personalized services including timely project feedback
What are the benefits of Nanodegrees?
In short, Nanodegrees bridge the gap between learning and career. Partnering with real-world leaders who understand the skills needed in the fields, Udacity’s Nanodegrees equip you with the competencies needed to excel in your career path.
Also, Nanodegrees allow you to develop a relevant portfolio to showcase to future employers. With over 205,000 certificates awarded and 73% of graduates reporting a favorable career change in the first 12 months, it’s clear that the platform delivers measurable results.
To find out more about Udacity as a platform, check out our Udacity review.
When they could be purchased individually, Udacity’s Nanodegrees averaged around $399/month (with an average course time of 3-4 months).
So as you can see, the new subscription model truly does offer excellent value – it being $150 less than the monthly cost of an individual nanodegree. And if you go for the annual membership, your savings are even greater.
Udacity Executive programs
Udacity’s executive programs are carefully tailored packages, with prices dependent on your company size and business goals. These programs are aimed to equip executives with the skills needed to become effective leaders in digital transformation.
These typically include:
- 4 Nanodegree programs
- 4 courses
- 4 unique projects
As businesses need increasingly keener digital knowledge, Udacity has a solution. Its School of Executive Programs is designed to lay the technical foundations for executives and to teach them to hold their own with experts.
Udacity business
Similarly, Udacity offers foundational technical training for all business levels. These programs are designed to upskill employees and offer learning opportunities for the whole workforce.
Like the executive programs, Udacity business is priced after a consultation. This takes into account your company size, age, and plans for growth, and is also carefully tailored to each company.
That being said, Udacity business typically includes:
- 9 Nanodegree programs
- 38 courses
- 35 unique projects
check out our Udacity review.
Top Nanodegree programs
We’ve listed the top Udacity Nanodegrees here with their original costs (when they could be purchased individually). This helps you to see what a great deal the new subscription model is:
| Nanodegree program | Length | Former Cost |
| AI Product Manager | 2 months | $718 |
| AI Programming with Python | 3 months | $1077 |
| Android Basics | 3 months | $1077 |
| Android Developer | 6 months | $2154 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 3 months | $1077 |
| Artificial Intelligence for Trading | 6 months | $2154 |
| Blockchain Developer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Business Analytics | 3 months | $1077 |
| C++ Engineer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Cloud Developer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Cloud DevOps Engineer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Computer Vision | 3 months | $1077 |
| Data Analyst | 4 months | $1436 |
| Data Engineer | 5 months | $1795 |
| Data Scientist | 4 months | $1436 |
| Data Structures and Algorithms | 4 months | $1436 |
| Data Visualization | 4 months | $1436 |
| Deep Learning | 4 months | $1436 |
| Deep Reinforcement Learning | 4 months | $1436 |
| Digital Marketing | 3 months | $1077 |
| Flying Cars and Autonomous Flight | 4 months | $1436 |
| Front-End Web Developer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Full Stack Web Developer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Intro to Programming | 4 months | $1436 |
| Intro to Self-Driving Cars | 4 months | $1436 |
| Introduction to Machine Learning | 3 months | $1077 |
| iOS Developer | 6 months | $2154 |
| Java Developer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | 3 months | $1077 |
| Marketing Analytics | 3 months | $1077 |
| Natural Language Processing | 3 months | $1077 |
| Predictive Analytics for Business | 3 months | $1077 |
| Programming for Data Science with Python | 3 months | $1077 |
| Programming for Data Science with R | 3 months | $1077 |
| React | 4 months | $1436 |
| Robotics Software Engineer | 4 months | $1436 |
| Self Driving Car Engineer | 6 months | $2154 |
| Senior Fusion Engineer | 4 months | $1436 |
| UX Designer | 2 months | $718 |
For reviews of the best Udacity courses, click here.
Is Udacity free?
Although Udacity doesn’t offer freebies when it comes to its Nanodegrees, it does have 200+ free courses.
Like its Nanodegrees and executive programs, Udacity’s free courses are taught by leading professionals – though they’re a lot shorter.
That being said, Udacity’s free courses serve as great introductions to the platform. So, if you find you’re invested in a particular topic after trying a free course, you can always upgrade to a subscription after.
Does Udacity have a free trial?
The new Udacity subscription has a seven day free trial.
How to get the most value out of Udacity
Getting the most value out of Udacity largely depends on what you’re looking for. But, in general, putting in the hours and making the most of all resources is a great way to get the best out of Udacity.
Whether you’re taking Nanodegrees, free courses, or business-tailored programs, it’s worth checking out teachers’ resources and engaging with the class projects to the best of your abilities.
Plus, Udacity recommends similar courses based on your current one, so branching out is a great way to cover other knowledge bases and increase your employability.
Helpfully, you can also sort courses by different criteria. These include the best match for you, most reviewed, and highest rated. So, this is a handy way to see which courses are most popular.
Udacity scholarships
With Thrun’s aim to provide learning opportunities for all, Udacity also has scholarships to help students from all backgrounds. These scholarships have helped tens of thousands of people globally to land the jobs they want.
You can see what scholarships are available by clicking here. Programs are open to global students aged 18+ with English comprehension. All you need to do is fill in the application form, followed by a tech assessment.
After this (providing you meet the deadline), Udacity will be in touch via scholarships-support@udacity.com or support@udacity.com.
How do I purchase Udacity?
Purchasing a subscription on Udacity is straightforward. So here’s how to do it:
STEP 1: Use any of our links to head on over to Udacity
STEP 2: Click on Join For Free in the top right hand corner and create an account using your email address, Google or Facebook
STEP 3: Click on Get Started Today With Your Personalized Discount and answer some questions about your job status and income. You may be entitled to a discount based on your answers!
STEP 4: Select your payment method and enter your payment details. Confirm this purchase by selecting the “Complete Order” button
Udacity purchasing options
To purchase a subscription on Udacity, you can use a couple of methods:
- Credit/debit card
- PayPal
- Affirm
With Affirm, you can create monthly payment plans – selecting how much you want to pay and when. You can make these payments by debit card, bank transfer, or check.
Udacity refund
If you’re not happy with your purchase, you can cancel your subscription within 7 days (14 days in the EU) to be entitled to a full refund.
This policy also applies to business subscriptions and bundle purchases. If you cancel after the refund period, you’ll have full classroom access to the end of the current period. But, there’ll be no refund for the remaining period of the month in which you cancelled.
Here’s how to request a refund:
- Go to “Account Settings”
- From here, select “Subscriptions & Billing”
- Click “Cancel” in the bottom right corner
- Follow the prompts to complete the cancellation
Conclusion: is Udacity’s cost worth it?
If you’re aiming for a career in the digi-tech field or are in the industry and looking to upskill, then Udacity’s cost is more than worth it.
Udacity’s teachers are trusted leaders in talent transformation, and if you aspire to the same, the value you get out is worth the time and money you put in.
Plus, with additional resources (which include career help), Udacity is an excellent springboard into the digital industries. They’re also curating new Nanodegrees and courses all the time – which is ideal for an ever-changing industry.
And with the new subscription model, plus the chance of a personalized discount, the value of Udacity is even greater.
On the other hand, if you’re a tech hobbyist that isn’t looking for a career change or promotion, Udacity’s costs might not be worth it.
But considering Udacity has helped tens of thousands of students land their dream jobs, the pay-off for hard work and money seems pretty clear.
So, if you’re looking to advance in your digital career, Udacity is easily the best option out there.
Relevant articles: Udemy vs Udacity, Coursera vs Udacity
Udacity Pricing Nanodgrees and Subscription – FAQs
Udacity Nanodegrees can no longer be purchased individually. Formerly the cost was between $718 and $2154.
Udacity is now a subscription model. A monthly subscription is $249 per month and an annual subscription is $199 per month (billed annually).
A monthly subscription is $249 per month and an annual subscription is $199 per month (billed annually).
Udacity has a number of free courses and offers a seven day free trial on its subscriptions
Rebecca graduated from King’s College university with a first class honours in English Language, followed by a Masters’ Degree in Eighteenth Century Studies.