edX Review 2024: Are Online Courses Worth It? 

The word "eLearning" was coined 20 years ago, and since then the industry grew by 900%. Flexibility and convenience make online learning a perfect choice for both students and people who work full-time. Did you know that 50% of students have taken at least one online course in the past year? Or that 80% of companies use online learning platforms to train their employees?

There are hundreds of online learning platforms, and choosing the best one can be challenging. In this review, I will talk about one of the largest massive open online course providers -  edX. You will learn about its pros and cons, key features, pricing, and whether edX is worth it. 

edX Pros and Cons

How Does edX Work?  

With edX, you can take thousands of online courses from top universities and organizations. The courses are taught by the world's leading experts and professors from UC Berkeley, Microsoft, The Smithsonian, Harvard, MIT, and more. All the course materials are available for free to everyone. If you want to earn a certificate to showcase your skills on your resume, you have to pay extra. You can take courses at your own pace. If you want to connect with other students, check out discussion forums. Most edX courses consist of video lectures, reading materials, assignments, quizzes, and exams. 

Besides courses, edX offers micro-credentials: MicroMasters, MicroBachelots, Xseries, Professional Certificate, and Executive Education. You can also get an online Master's Degree on edX.

MicroMasters

edX offers more than 60 MicroMasters programs. These programs offer graduate-level courses designed to help you achieve your career goals through in-depth learning experiences. The average price for a MicroMasters program is 700-$1,400. Most programs take approximately 1-1,5 years to complete. Anyone can enroll in MicroMasters programs as there are no requirements for eligibility and admission. Some programs have suggested prerequisites that are can be found on the enrollment page.

If you earn a MicroMasters certificate, you will be able to apply it to a full Master's program. If you get accepted into either the online or on-campus program, then you will be able to apply your MicroMasters credit toward the degree. In most cases, the credit is only granted by the university that offers the MicroMasters program.

MicroBachelors

Earlier this year, edX launched MicroBachelors programs - a series of college courses created in a partnership with universities, colleges, and corporations. There are currently five MicroBachelors programs available: Marketing Essentials, Computer Science Fundamentals, Information Technology Career Framework, Elements of Data Science, and Professional Writing. The average length of each program is 3-6 months, and the cost is between $500 and $1500. When you complete a MicroBachelors program, you will receive transferable college credit. The cost of each credit is around  $166 USD, which is much lower than the undergraduate national average of $594. 

Much like MicroMasters, MicroBachelors programs do not have applications and available to anyone. So even if you don't have any college experience, you can still enroll in the MicroBalchelors program. The programs are self-paced but you get personal coaching to help you stay on track.

Professional Certificate

Professional Certificate programs are a series of courses designed for professionals who want to enhance skills and grow their careers. There are 140 different programs on a variety of in-demand subjects.  You learn at your own pace and once you complete all the courses, you will be awarded a certificate. 

The prices range from $100 to $2,340. Most programs last 3-6 months. For instance, a Computer Science for Artificial Intelligence program created by Harvard University takes 5 months to complete and requires 7 - 22 hours of study per week. In consists of two courses: CS50's Introduction to Computer Science and CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python taught by HarvardX experts. The cost of this program is $260.

XSeries

XSeries programs are a series of courses created by top universities that explore a specific topic in depth. These programs are also self-paced and take several months to complete. Each one consists of several courses. You can earn a certificate by enrolling in the verified track and passing each course. The prices for the Xseries programs vary, but the average is between $100 and $450. The courses are taught by professors from MIT, Columbia, Harvard, etc.

Master's Degree

edX offers 12 accredited Master's degree programs from some of the world's best universities, including The University of Texas at Austin, Purdue University, The University of Queensland, etc. All courses are online, which is great for people who have a full-time job and don't have time to take classes on campus. You can earn your Master's degree within 1,5-3 years.

Each program has its own application requirements which can be seen on the individual Master's program page. The cost of Master's degrees on edX is much lower than the cost of similar on-campus programs. The prices range from $10,000 to $25,000 per program. The Master's degree that you will earn on edX is the same as the on-campus degree.

edX Free Trial

edX doesn't offer a free trial. However, you can audit most courses for free. Also, if you are interested in joining edX, you can start by enrolling in the Demo course https://www.edx.org/course/demox to see how the platform works.

edX Pricing

You can take any edX course, with the exception of professional education courses, for free. To enroll in the course without paying you would need to select the audit option on the course information page. You will get access to all course materials (lectures, videos, readings, and ungraded assignments) but you won't be offered a certificate of completion and graded assignments.

To earn a certificate you would need to enroll in the verified track. The fees vary, with each course costing between $50 and $300. You can share certificates on CV, resume, college or job applications, LinkedIn profile, etc.

edX Financial Aid 

If you want to enroll in the verified track but cannot afford to pay the full price, you can apply for financial aid. Most courses and programs are eligible for financial assistance of up to 90 percent of the total cost. You can be approved for financial aid up to 5 times each year.

Applying for financial assistance on edX is a simple, straightforward process. All you have to do it enroll in the audit track of the course and complete the financial aid application. Your application will be reviewed within 2-4 days. If you get approved, you will receive an e-mail with a financial aid code that you will need to apply to the payment form.

Professional Programs, XSeries, MicroBachelors, and some MicroMasters are also eligible for financial assistance. However, you need to complete a financial aid application for each course individually, and not for a full program.

Is edX Accredited?

Most courses do not award academic credit. However, there are some credit-eligible courses that allow you to purchase academic credit and apply it toward a university degree. If you want to get credit, you need to enroll in the verified track and meet all the course requirements. After that, you will have one year to purchase credit on edX.

edX Master's programs are fully accredited.

Is edX Certificate Worth The Money?

According to edX, some organizations and educational institutions may offer credit based on the verified certificate, so in this case, it is totally worth it. You can also add an edX certificate to your resume to show your expertise and attract potential employers.

To earn a verified certificate, you need to get a passing grade and verify your identity using your photo ID and a webcam. edX certificate doesn't show your grades, it merely indicates that you completed the course with a passing grade. Some certificates may also show the "Hours of Effort".

Is edX Legit?

edX was founded by scientists from MIT and Harvard and has connections with universities across the globe, so there is no doubt that it is a legitimate company. It has a 4.5-star rating on TrustPilot, and 75% of students left 5-star reviews. The majority of the reviews state that the quality of content and the variety of subjects is excellent. There are a few negative reviews, mostly from students who claim that the edX platform is not very user-friendly.