About Free and Paid Courses
This page contains general information about free and paid courses on UC San Diego Online. Individual course teams determine what materials are and are not available to all types of learners in their courses. Refer to the course About page for information about the differences between the free and paid tracks for a specific course.
Free and Paid Course Comparison
Course features differ based on whether you're auditing the course or pursuing a Statement of Accomplishment.
| Audit (Free) Track | Statement of Accomplishment (Paid) Track | |
| Discussion Forums | Yes | Yes |
| Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Readings | Yes | Yes |
| Practice (Ungraded) Problems | Yes | Yes |
| Track Your Progress | Yes | Yes |
| Graded Assessments | — | Yes |
| Statement of Accomplishment | — | Yes |
- Statement of Accomplishment (paid) track: With this track, you will have access to all course materials including graded assignments. You will pay a fee when you enroll to earn a Statement of Accomplishment. Your fee allows us to fund the running of the course, grade your work, and award you a Statement of Accomplishment upon successful completion. You can add the Statement of Accomplishment to your LinkedIn profile or resume.
- Audit (free) track: With this track, you will have access to all course materials except graded assignments, and you will not be eligible to earn a Statement of Accomplishment when you pass the course. You will be able to access the free content for the expected course length that you see on the course About page. If there is a time limit, it will start at the course start date or the learner’s enrollment date, whichever is second. After this duration, you will no longer be able to access that course material.
If you decide that you do want to earn the Statement of Accomplishment, you can pay to update your enrollment to earn a Statement of Accomplishment by the upgrade deadline and complete the graded assignments required to earn the Statement of Accomplishment. Financial assistance may be available for learners who need it.
Upgrade deadlines are clearly displayed in a course banner.
Access to Course Materials
Upgrading to earn a Statement of Accomplishment will give you access to all materials, including graded assignments, until the course end date. Upgrading will not change or extend the course end date. You’ll still need to pass the course before it ends in order to earn a Statement of Accomplishment.