By Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO
We are devastated and outraged by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine and our ultimate concern is for the safety of the people in that region. Coursera believes learning is the source of human progress and we are committed to ensuring learners everywhere have access to the highest quality education. However, we will not support the financial or reputational benefit of Russian instructors or institutions on Coursera while this tragedy is taking place, nor will we look to profit from doing business in the region amid this humanitarian crisis. As a result we are suspending all business in Russia.
We are taking the following action in regards to business in Russia:
- We are suspending all content from Russian university and industry partners including courses, Specializations, and degrees. Content from Russian partners will no longer be discoverable or available on Coursera’s platform for new enrollments.
- We are halting further business with Russian institutions across Coursera for Business, Coursera for Government, and Coursera for Campus.
- We believe access to education is a human right. As such, Coursera will remain available in all regions where there is not a government sanction. However, we are suspending the ability for learners in Russia to enroll in paid course experiences and we will not be collecting payment from any learners or institutions in Russia.
We are supporting learners in Ukraine in the following ways:
- We are partnering with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to offer Coursera for Campus for free to all Ukrainian higher education institutions and their students. Universities and colleges in Ukraine can sign up to provide all of their enrolled students with access to more than 5,200 courses and 2,200 Guided Projects from Coursera’s top university and industry partners. Enroll your institution here.
- Our Coursera for Refugees program is available for free to nonprofits around the world including those actively working to support Ukrainian refugees such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee. To learn more about how to sign up, visit refugees.coursera.org.
- For individuals coming to the Coursera platform, most courses are free to audit and learners who demonstrate financial need can receive financial aid or a scholarship waiver through Coursera. To apply, click the “Financial Aid available” link on the course description page. You can learn more about Financial Aid in our Learner Help Center.
Impacted learners and institutions should expect to see these changes reflected starting today. To learn more about the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, enroll for free in University of Michigan’s Russian Invasion of Ukraine Teach-Out on Coursera, which covers the history of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the impact of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, and what you can do to support people on the ground.