Last updated: 2026-05-09

EduBracket Research

EduBracket publishes original research on the actual return-on-investment of online courses, bootcamps, and academic credentials. Our datasets combine first-party curriculum audits with public BLS, IPEDS, and platform-disclosed data.

Published research

2026-05-09 · published

Hours-per-Dollar: Ranking 50 Online Courses by Real Curriculum Density vs Tuition (Coursera vs Udemy vs Skillshare 2026)

Curriculum-density audit of 50 courses across 7 major learning platforms. Hours-per-dollar variance up to 14x between Udemy (sale pricing) and Coursera Specializations. Cross-references BLS Occupational Outlook, IPEDS, Class Central, Coursera SEC filings, and Reich & Ruiperez-Valiente 2019 MOOC research.

Dataset: 50 courses Primary sources: course-database.json, BLS, NCES IPEDS, Class Central, Coursera 10-K, Reich & Ruiperez-Valiente Science 2019

How we work

Every study ships with full methodology disclosure: dataset size, time range, exclusions, and source attribution. Surveys disclose sample size, recruitment platform, and demographic stratification. We publish raw data alongside the analysis under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license so researchers, journalists, and operators can verify our claims and build on the work.

We do not run sponsored research, paid placements, or vendor-funded studies. Every study is funded directly by EduBracket as part of its independent editorial mission.

Press and citations

Journalists, researchers, and operators are welcome to cite our findings under CC-BY 4.0 with attribution. For interviews, exclusive embargoed access, or additional data cuts, contact [email protected].

Each study includes a press kit at its /press/ subpage with quotable findings, downloadable charts, and methodology summaries. Embargo requests honored when received at least 72 hours before scheduled publication.

All EduBracket research is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Attribution required: link to the study URL or to edubracket.com/research/.