2022’s Udacity Review: Learning in Style

Udacity boldly stakes its claim in the e-learning platform market with its nanodegree program and expertly crafted courses with the help of technology giants like Microsoft and Google.

Tailored to meet the needs of the industry, the company claims its learning platform can equip you for a well-paid tech or business career in as little as three months.

In this Udacity review, we test those claims.

What Is Udacity Good For?

Since the launch of its first two programming courses in 2021, Udacity has been developing its highly-specialised portfolio for those who want to get critical tech or business skills for the jobs of the future. To that end, the company’s so-called ‘nanodegrees’ bundle together several courses that thoroughly cover various technical topics.

However, if you would like to improve some basic skills for free outside of the computer science niche, the virtual Udacity classroom might not be the best fit for you since it mainly offers specialised pay-to-learn courses. If that is the case, try out other comprehensive platforms. Moreover, the Udacity projects are not credit-bearing and accredited by any institution.

Despite this lack of accreditation, the Udacity certificate is still highly valued in the tech world and will definitely help job applicants find a job after completing a Udacity course. If you’d like to earn extra university credits, on the other hand, check out Coursera’s offering.

Content Quality

If you are considering signing up for Udacity, you can browse through more than 60 paid nanodegree programmes and over 200 Udacity free courses. Learn more about them below.

What Topics Does It Cover?

All Udacity projects are organised in nine separate fields, as explained by the table below:

The Udacity courses are available in three difficulty levels: from beginner to advanced. Depending on the topic’s complexity and study material, the course may be done within a month or last close to six months. Moreover, classes typically include quizzes, lectures, homework, office hours, and project review and feedback.

Note: If you use the pay-as-you-go option, your course might last longer.

Most Popular Courses

The popularity of Udacity’s nanodegree programs changes with the industry trends since students want to acquire in-demand skills. Currently, some of the best-reviewed courses include Product Manager, Data Engineer, Blockchain Developer, Data Scientist, and Data Analyst since those tech fields are on the rise. However, as the tech sector changes, Udacity will adapt its offering to continue providing the latest and greatest learning programmes out there.

Features

To find their favourite courses on the Udacity platform, students have to navigate the official website since the company does not yet offer a separate application or software. If you would like to study through an app, go with platforms like Pluralsight. Nevertheless, Udacity designed a sleek and straightforward UI that allows you to quickly find your favourite courses, as well as a host of other features.

Course Preview

To help you decide where to invest your Udacity subscription, the platform allows you to preview every course it offers. Also, you can filter the company’s entire catalogue by price, field, duration, topic, and difficulty. The results are presented in tiles that show this information and allow you to download the syllabus of any course.

Post-Graduation

After students graduate from a paid programme, they will continue receiving Udacity’s support. For instance, they will retain indefinite access to their classroom content, albeit in a limited fashion. Furthermore, they will be able to utilise the platform’s career services, such as optimising their LinkedIn profile, spiffing up their resume, and receiving GitHub reviews.

The Udacity Student Hub

First released in 2018, the Udacity student forum is a social platform for sharing knowledge, experience, and resources among students and mentors. The company created the student hub since it recognised some students might be struggling with the material of the more advanced classes. This way, they can get guidance from and nurture future relationships with other members. 

Note: Udacity offers a student hub mobile app as well, so you have access to the support you need on the move.

Udacity Support Options

Suppose an issue arises with your Udacity account or any of your courses, or you are simply curious about the platform’s features. In that case, you can scour Udacitiy’s thorough FAQ database for your answer. 

Moreover, you can start a discussion through the Udacity Support Community, where you will receive assistance from the staff or other members. Finally, for emergencies, you can also use the ‘Chat Now’ feature to get in touch with an official representative.

How Much Does Udacity Cost?

Udacity is a premium e-learning platform, and its prices reflect that. The overall subscription fees depend on your chosen course, its duration, and whether you pick a staggered or full payment option. 

For example, the pay-as-you-go monthly access currently costs $399, but if your chosen course lasts for longer than a month, Udacity allows you to pay the full price at a 15% discount. Thus, the 3-month access costs $1017, 4 months come to $1356, etc.

You can submit your Udacity payment via credit or debit card, PayPal, or even set up monthly payment plans for 3, 6, or 12 months with Affirm, which offers APR rates from 0%. You can also disenroll and get a full refund within seven days of starting the course if you are unsatisfied with your purchase. 

To cancel your Udacity subscription at a later date, access the corresponding section through your account settings page a few days before your next billing date, then locate your active nanodegree programme to stop its payments.

Note: If Udacity’s pricing plans are outside your budget, choose a more affordable yet comprehensive learning platform.

Udacity Free Trial

To capture and retain the attention of prospective students, the company offers a 30-day free trial period to review the learning material, as well as the videos and quizzes. However, some restrictions still apply. 

For instance, the free trial programme does not include all courses, and you will not get your nanodegree even if you complete the course within the trial month. For that, you will have to pay a 30-day subscription at least.

Udacity Scholarships and Free Courses

In collaboration with tech giants like Google and AT&T, Udacity has established ten scholarship programmes for students across the globe. So far, over 22,000 students in 48 countries have received the Udacity financial aid to enhance their careers with a top-notch education. 

Interested applicants have to track the scholarships’ deadlines through Udacity’s website. At this moment, for example, you can apply for the Bertelsmann Technology Scholarship and the OneTen + Blacks in Technology Foundation Scholarship.

Even if you are not one of the lucky few who receive the Udacity scholarship support, you can still peruse their portfolio of over 200 free courses. However, the freebies have certain limitations, like the lack of mentor support or a certificate upon course completion.

Is the Udacity Nanodegree Worth It?

If you are interested in starting a career in the tech or the business industries, Udacity’s courses are the perfect choice since they offer job-applicable skills developed in collaboration with industry leaders. Further coupled with the platform’s career services, you’ll greatly increase your chances to work in one of the industry’s leading companies despite the platform’s lack of accreditation, as testified by the numerous Udacity students.