Udacity Review: 11 Pros & Cons That You Can’t Avoid in 2023

If you want to enroll in any of Udacity’s Nanodegree programs, the above verdict may not be sufficient to make a decision.

I know you must have certain questions running through your head about Udacity and its Nanodegree like whether a nanodegree is worth it. Is Udacity enough to get a job? Is Udacity better than Coursera? …and so on.

Today in this Udacity review, your all questions will be answered. In addition to that, I’ll also share how’s Nanodegree content quality, and how to save money on Nanodegree programs. Furthermore, I’ll share 11 Pros and Cons of Udacity that you must consider before enrolling in any Nanodegree program in 2023.

Excited?

Read also: Is Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate good?

Let’s start with an important question…

What is Udacity?

Udacity is an online learning or e-learning platform through which you can learn and develop some new skills from the comfort of your home. With Udacity courses, you can also upgrade your skills at work and reach a higher level.

Udacity was founded in June 2011 by Sebastian Thrun, David Stevens, and Mike Sokolsky. Udacity offers you 500 courses in only leading technology fields like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and many more. Currently, Udacity has 11.5M users.

Udacity has also partnered with top companies like Microsoft, AWS, Google, Intel, and more to offer you the best courses and placements. After pursuing a program, Udacity offers you a Nanodegree certificate that shows you have gained expertise in a particular field. I’ll tell you later all about Nanodegree.

Who is Udacity for?

Udacity is a platform that is made for everyone who wants to learn leading tech skills online and advance his/her career in it.

Whether you’re a student, housemaker, or a part-time employee if you have the zeal to develop some new skills (like; Programming or others) besides your profession or want to upgrade your skills in your tech profession then you may try Udacity.

Not only for individuals like you and me but Udacity also provides learning services for enterprises and governments. However, in this Udacity review, I will solely focus on Udacity for Individuals who want to buy and pursue any Udacity programs.

So, if you’re someone who doesn’t have any idea about Udacity content quality and support, the best Udacity programs, and a few other things, keep reading this detailed and honest review of Udacity.

Udacity for Enterprises:

If you’re running a business and want to educate your teams and upgrade their skills in programs like- Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Digital Transformation, Data Science, Financial Services, Corporate social responsibility, and Training-to-hire then Udacity has your solution.

You may have heard the name Airbus-An Aircraft Manufacturing Company, recently Udacity helped Airbus to upskill their employees and reach new heights. You may read its successful collaboration case study here.

To sign up for enterprises, Udacity provides a consultation form, in which enterprises are asked to indicate the name of the company and the number of employees; later Udacity will tell you about the pricing.

Udacity for Government:

Udacity also creates job opportunities with a GDP impact for nations embracing the global digital era. It is trusted by countries like the United States, Chile, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, and more.

Udacity for Government has two sections- for Nations and Federal. The sign-up process for the Government is quite similar to Udacity for enterprises.

Udacity for Individuals:

This is what you must be waiting for if you’re an individual looking for a Udacity review and whether a Nanodegree help you to get a job and advance your career.

For Individuals, Udacity offers 8 programs (i.e. subjects) in only leading tech fields. These programs are…

• Artificial Intelligence
• Autonomous Systems
• Business
• Cloud Computing
• Cybersecurity
• Data Science
• Product Management
• Programming & Development

You will be surprised to know that AI & Business Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and UX Design come under the 5 Most in-demand tech skills in 2023 for jobs that Udacity has programs in.

In these 8 programs, Udacity has 60+ Nanodegree programs in different topics like; Android Development, Digital Marketing, Cryptography, UX Design, Deep learning, Game Development, Machine learning, and many more.

After finishing any Nanodegree programs, Udacity offers you a Nanodegree Certificate. We will explore Nanoderee later and whether it can help you in your career.

Related: CodeGym review- Is it good for learning Java?

What are Udacity Schools?

If you decide to make a career in one particular field and want to pursue all its and related programs then you must check out Udacity schools.

Selecting one field will display all of Udacity’s courses and Nanodegree programs in that field. Udacity schools are nothing but a path for learning and becoming an expert in one area from all sides.

For example, if you choose the School of Programming & Development, you will find courses inside like Front End Web Developer, Full Stack Web Developer, Java Developer, Cloud Developer, Cloud DevOps Engineer, C++, Data Structures & Algorithms, Data Engineer, Introduction to Programming, and others programming based courses.

You can start learning any individual program but the School of Programming would help you to get started with fundamentals and explore all the programming sectors one by one.

Similarly, If you are into Cybersecurity and want to explore all cybersecurity courses like Security engineering, Ethical Hacker, and Data Privacy, you may look into the School of Cybersecurity.

As you can see from the above image, there are 8 programs in which Udacity has schools. Depending on your interest, you may explore different Udacity programs.

What is a Nanodegree Program?

Udacity is well-known for its leading tech programs and Nanodegrees. Nanodegree is comprised of 3 or 4 courses and takes a longer duration to complete. Udacity is currently offering about 60+ Nonodegree courses.

A Nanodegree program starts from $399/month (or, INR 22849) and you pay for as long as you take to complete a course. Later, I’ll tell you how to save money on any Nanodegree program.

After completing a Nanodegree program, you become eligible for a Nanodegree certificate.

Note: The recognition of Udacity's Nanodegree Certificate comes from tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and others. However, a Nanodegree is not recognized or accredited by educational institutions, it is issued by Udacity itself.

Now, you must be wondering, what’s the advantage of pursuing a Nanodegree then, or Is there any value Nanodegree will add to my career?

Allow me to tell you…

What’s the Value of Nanodegree Programs?

• Gives you the best skills and you gain expertise in a field.
• Pursuing a Nanodegree program allows you to use Student Community and Technical mentor support.
• Nanodegree programs are built with and valued by industry leaders like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Salesforce, GitHub, and more.
• With a Nanodegree program, Udacity also provides you with career services like- Resume support, Github review, and LinkedIn profile optimization.
• Many top tech companies look for Udacity Nanodegree graduates so it may help you to get a job.

You must be satisfied with these values of Nanodegrees but remember every coin has both sides. Udacity also has some cons that you’ll get to know later. For now, let’s discuss whether a Nanodegree help you get a job.

Can you get a Job with Nanodegree Certificates?

Nanodegree programs are great to enhance your skills or move to a different career path but I’m afraid a Nanodegree certificate alone can’t get you a dream job.

There are many things a company would consider before offering you a job. Your hard skills and soft skills, your academic grades, and more. If you have an academic degree, a Nanodegree can certainly accelerate your career growth then.

With a Nanodegree program, Udcaity also adds some career services like LinkedIn profile optimization, Resume support, GitHub support, and more. In other words, having a Nanodegree does not guarantee you a job, but it will definitely increase your chances.

Remember, Certificates and Degrees are fair enough but you must not lack knowledge and skill because these days big companies have prioritized these things.

Now let’s assess the content quality of Nanodegree programs…

How is the Udacity’s Content Quality?

If any of Udacity’s programs bring your interest, your next question would be how is Udacity’s content quality, or Is Udacity good for learning?

Well, If you want me to answer in one word, I would say it’s FRUITFUL but has some flaws also! This is what I’m saying based on the courses I pursued.

Before reviewing any online learning platform and its content quality, I first take a few courses on it, research deeply, and then provide my honest opinion.

From the beginning, Udacity is well known for its content quality in tech fields. It is because Udacity’s every Nanodegree program has built-in collaboration with top relevant companies. For example, the Digital Marketing Nanodegree program that I pursued was built in collaboration with Google, Hubspot, Mailchimp, Moz, and Facebook.

Likewise, its Machine Learning Engineer for Microsoft Azure is built in collaboration with Microsoft.

Not only that, All instructors and mentors at Udacity are highly educated and have been working already in a field that you want to join. In the Digital Marketing program, I found many instructors were Digital Marketers Professionals and Managers.

Later on, after finishing a Nanodegree program instructors also aid in career services like Resume Support, LinkedIn profile optimization, and more that I’ve told you already.

If you’ve no idea about what Udacity offers in content, It produces bite-sized video content only in the English language, reading exercises, and Quizzes that can brush up your learning. Its class content gives you real-world projects, project reviews, and Project feedback from experienced reviewers.

However, while researching I found some students were not satisfied with its AI programs and Deep learning Nanodegree programs. In addition to that, a few students also complained that lots of students just graduate by copying and pasting code from Github.

While some students also praised Udacity’s Programming and Data Analysts Nanodegree programs. The one thing that bothered most students was the price and it’s certainly true, Nanodegree programs are a bit expensive and not easy to afford.

Don’t worry! I’m about to tell you how to save money and grab huge discounts on Udacity Nanodegree programs. If you’re still confused about Udacity’s programs and content quality, you better try its free courses first and asses their content quality and how they teach.

Now allow me to tell you about Udacity Nanodegree’s prices…

How much do Nanodegree Programs cost?

Well, compared to other online learning platforms, Udacity doesn’t have any confusing prices but is expensive. Udacity offers you two price plans for every Nanodegree program- Monthly access & Pay upfront with an average time to finish the course.

A Monthly access plan costs you INR 22849 which is the same for all Nanodegree programs whereas if you choose to pay upfront, the prices may vary. When you select the buddle option, prices depend on the average time to finish the course.

For example, the Digital Marketing Nanodegree program costs you INR 58257,(for 3 months of access), and the Data Analyst Nanodegree program costs INR 77676, (for 4 months of access).

Similarly, in Udacity every course prices depend on the average time to finish the course while the monthly access price is the same for all courses.

As you can see in the above image when you pay upfront, you can save an extra 15%. Still, these plans cost an arm and leg to complete the full course. Isn’t it?

However, here I’m going to share 3 ways to save huge money if you decide to own a Nanodegree.

How to save money on Udacity Nanodegree programs?

• Finish Nanodegree as early as you can: As I told you already, Udacity Nanodegrees’ prices depend on how long it takes you to finish it. The earlier you complete the course the less money you have to pay. Opt for a monthly subscription and try to complete the course in a month, by this you can save 2 months of monthly subscription fees.

• Grab a Nanodegree at an offered discount: Udacity course prices may look expensive to you but the good news is it keeps offering huge discounts from time to time. For example, a few recently ago, a 70% Off Udacity Nanodegree discount was rolling out and many students grabbed the opportunity. To get notified about these deals and offers, you must subscribe to our newsletter. With this newsletter, you can also download our free study challenges e-book.

• Apply for Udacity Scholarship: Udacity also offers scholarship programs for financially poor students. These scholarship programs are sponsored by top companies like Google and others. With a scholarship, you’ll get an opportunity to complete any one Nanodegree that you want to pursue. However, these scholarships depend on your demographic location and are not regular.

Note: In my opinion, scholarships are not easy to obtain, you better focus on the first two ways.

Do Udacity’s Refund and cancellation policy work?

Yes! Udacity has a refund and cancellation policy for users who are not satisfied with the course or program they enrolled in. But I must tell you, Udacity’s refund policy also failed to satisfy some students, according to their feedback.

A student can cancel and unenroll within the first 2 days from the first month’s subscription purchase date in order to be eligible for a full refund.

I know 2 days must not be enough for you to make a decision but sadly that’s the policy.

However, Citizens and residents of the European Union (EU) are entitled to a full refund when cancellation is requested on or before the first fourteen (14) days following when the subscription begins.

Along with these conditions, there are quite more terms & conditions for refund and cancellation policies.

How to find the best Udacity course?

With offering too many courses, It might be difficult for you to find the best Udacity course that meets your need in terms of topics, difficulty level, duration, and prices with the best rating and reviews. Right?

Not at all!

The Udacity filter option has made it a very easy way to find a perfect course. Hit the Full Course Catalog and then you can set the course filter category that meets your needs. You can also search for any particular course with the above search box.

Be sure to follow these points before enrolling in any Nanodegree program…

• Once you come across any course check out the student’s ratings and reviews of it. Also, search for that Nanodegree program on Quora and Reddit, and read students’ reviews who have taken that program.

• If there is any free course available on Udacity similar to your Nanodegree program, make sure you first enroll in it to know how they teach. Most free courses come as prerequisites of Nanodegree programs.

For example, If you decide to pursue Data Analyst Nanodegree program, the prerequisite of this program is Python & SQL, which you can easily learn from the Free courses: Intro to Data Analysis and Intro to Relational Databases.

This way not only you can complete the prerequisites of a Nanodegree program but also can evaluate the content quality of Udacity’s courses and how their instructors teach.

Now allow me to tell you the top Nanodegree programs that I’ve researched and you may enroll. Later, I’ll tell you the best Udacity-free courses you may consider also enrolling.

Udacity’s Best Nanodegree Programs in 2023:

• Become a UX Designer: This Nanodegree program comes under the Business program on Udacity where you’ll be learning how to create a digital user experience that is ready to be handed off for development. The estimated time to finish this course is 3 months and there is no prerequisite to enrolling in this course.

• AWS Machine Learning Engineer: This program is built in collaboration with AWS and has good reviews by students who have taken and finished this program. It’s a 5 months course that can make you an expert at Machine Learning. But, this course is not for beginners in ML, you must have basic knowledge of machine learning algorithms and Python programs.

• Become a Data Analyst: If you want to advance your programming skills, learn to manipulate and prepare data for analysis, and create visualizations for data exploration, you may consider enrolling in this program. It’s a 4 months course that is built in collaboration with Kaggle. As I told you already, the prerequisite of this program is Python & SQL, which you can learn by taking a few free courses in it.

• Self-Driving Car Engineer: Self-driving cars are transformational technology, on the cutting edge of robotics, machine learning, and engineering. In this program, you will learn the techniques that power self-driving cars across the full stack of a vehicle’s autonomous capabilities. This Nanodegree program is built in collaboration with Waymo and Merecedes-Benz and you must have skills in Python, C++, Linear Algebra, and Calculus.

These are not the only courses available, do your own research and select the Nanodegree program that appeals to you.

Udacity’s Free Courses:

If you’re looking for some free courses on Udacity just to start your learning or for any other reason then Udacity offers you 200 free courses.

These free courses are enough to gain some fundamentals and necessary skills in any tech field but you can’t expect to get any certificate or any support with it. These free courses can also fulfill the prerequisites that you get asked for before enrolling in any Nanodegree program.

Some of Udacity’s free courses can also access on Udacity’s official YouTube channel. Let me show you a few best free courses…

Udacity’s best free courses:

• AWS Machine Learning Foundations: This is a beginner-level course that gives you the necessary skills to learn Machine Learning. In this free course, you learn Machine Learning Algorithms, best practices, and AWS AI tools, like Amazon SageMaker and more.

• Intro to Python Programming: If you want to learn to code and have no idea where to start, this course is made for you where you learn python and coding at a beginner level. This free course covers all the fundamentals you need before diving into the Data Analyst Nanodegree.

• Developing Android Apps with Kotlin: If you want to learn how to develop an Android app as a mobile developer with tools such as Room, Work Manager, and more then you can join this free course. This course will lead you to the Android Developer Nanodegree program.

• Intro to Data Structures and Algorithms: This course covers an in-depth look into common data structures and algorithms in Python. This course is the best way to establish a solid foundation before beginning the Introduction to Programming Nanodegree.

As you can see, Udacity’s free courses are aimed to give you the basic skills that you really need when you pursue a Nanodegree program. You can access any free course on Udacity without paying a single penny.

How’s Udacity User Interface?

Udacity has a very simple, easy-to-use, and easy-to-navigate interface. Its category pages for different sections allow users to find easily what they are looking for.

If you’ve not yet decided what you have to pursue then you can easily explore courses on Udacity schools and their programs.

Looking at Udacity’s entire program catalog will also allow you to find a specific course that meets your need in terms of Topics, fields, difficulty levels, durations, and prices.

Don’t you think, Udacity has a good interface?

Before enrolling in any course, Udacity gives you complete guidelines about the course, even you can download the course syllabus for free, which is important to know what you’ll learn.

Once, you make your account and enroll in any courses then you will land in the Udacity classroom. Now I’m not going to tell you how to open an account at Udacity as this is the very basic thing that you can do easily.

Udacity has a different location for its classes. If you pursue any course then you will have a student dashboard i.e. Udacity Classroom. And, you will be cut off from its main website. Here is a quick look at its student dashboard:

However, you get the ‘Cancel anytime’ option in both plans which is really good if you think you have enrolled in the wrong program.

Does Udacity offer any free trial?

Well, Udacity used to offer a free trial but now it’s once in a blue moon. In addition to that, It had certain requirements and many terms and conditions to be eligible for a free trial. In my opinion, It’s not worth it.

Even at the present time, there is no free trial available on Udacity. The best you can get is the Nanodegree Referral Promotion. However, you may check the Current Promotions and Trials page at Udacity or sign up for the Udacity Newsletter to get notified about free trials and other Udacity offers.

You can check out all the FAQs and terms & conditions for the free trial.

Scholarships at Udacity

Udacity has tough prices for its courses and if you can’t afford it then you may be eligible of a scholarship at Udacity. However, these scholarships opportunity comes in a blue moon.

Its Scholarships are sponsored by top companies like Google, Microsoft, AT&T, and more for the definite time being. Different companies offer different kinds of scholarships with a specific number of students and Nanodegree programs.

But, I must tell you similar to a free trial, scholarships are not easy to get at Udacity. Some scholarships can be also based on a particular region which means students from that region would be only eligible to apply.

To participate in a scholarship program, you will be required to fill up an application. You can check out Udacity scholarship programs.

How good Udacity support is?

As I said, Udacity is trusted and partnered with top companies like Microsoft, AWS, Google, Intel, and more so it’s obvious that Udacity has a good support system for its users.

Let’s discuss more about it…

Udacity provides two types of supports-one is customer support to get some help and one for learners support who have enrolled in its programs or courses.

If you want to contact or need any help then Udacity has its chatbot, FAQs, and Contact page. You can also ask and submit your question directly at Udacity in form of a message.

However, if you pursue any Udacity Nanodegree programs or courses then you get Technical mentor support, Student community, and Career support like resume support, Github review, and Linkedin profile optimization that helps you to land a job that you always dream of.

My views about Udacity Nanodegree programs:

Udacity is a great online learning platform that is well known for its quality courses and Nanodegree programs. Moreover, Udacity offers the most demanding programs in the tech field.

If you’re inclined to learn any tech course such as UX Design, Artificial Intelligence, Programming, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Product Management, or others, you may consider its Nanodegree programs.

Yes, It’s certainly true that Nanodegree does not guarantee you a job, but it will definitely increase your chances. In addition to that, learning skills from Udacity can help you to change your career or advance your career in any tech field.

To finish up this Udacity review, below you’ll find a summary of the key pros and cons of Udacity and some queries that you might have in your mind before making up the final decision.

My Rating: 4.4/5

As you can see clearly, the list of Udacity pros is higher compared to its cons, nevertheless, they are worth considering before making up your final decision. Hence, now I’m going to put some alternatives of Udacity that you may also take an eye for.

Alternatives of Udacity:

Udacity is not the only online learning platform available today, there are many more platforms that you should definitely check out before taking any Udacity courses.

The main competitors of Udacity are Coursera, Udemy, edX, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight Skills.

Even recently, we published an article on Udacity vs. Coursera vs. Udemy guide where I shared which one would be better for your learning.

These alternative platforms have a wide range of subjects and courses whereas Udacity focuses only on the leading tech field which makes it completely different and holds a great identity.

Coursera is a platform where you can pursue online degree courses and professional certificate courses from recognized universities and top companies. And, edX and LinkedIn learning platform provides you certificates like Udacity’s Nanodegree platforms but have comparatively lower prices than Udacity. You may also read our Coursera Plus review which gives you access to thousands of courses including professional certification and specialization programs along with valid certificates.

Udemy’s best-selling and high-rated courses you can grab as cheap as INR 529 only with lifetime access that isn’t offered by Udacity. Make sure you check out our Udemy review before trying Udacity.

If you’re on a tight budget and it’s difficult for you to afford Udacity programs then Coursera professional certificates courses or edX courses are worth checking out for you.

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