Brandwave

Coursera vs Western Governors University:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Coursera had more branded searches than Western Governors University among university online degrees worldwide. Coursera had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Western Governors University had 165,000. Coursera made up 68.5% of all university online degree searches we track, and Western Governors University accounted for 3.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about university online degrees, Western Governors University appeared in all five answers and Coursera in none.

Among university online degrees worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Coursera, about 20 searches for every 1 for Western Governors University

Coursera 3.4M searchesWestern Governors University 165K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Western Governors University, mentioned in every answer we collected

Western Governors University in 5 of 5Coursera in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Western Governors University, the only one of the two named

Western Governors University first in 4Coursera never named

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Top university online degrees in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Western Governors University appeared in all five answers. Coursera did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Western Governors University1st
  2. University of Florida Online2nd
  3. SNHU3rd
  4. Arizona State University Online4th
  5. Coursera–
  6. University of Phoenix–
  7. Open University–
  8. edX–
  9. Udacity–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Western Governors University5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • University of Florida Online3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Arizona State University Online3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SNHU3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Coursera0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • University of Phoenix0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Open University0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • edX0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Udacity0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about university online degrees

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Coursera or Western Governors University more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Coursera and Western Governors University by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine university online degrees we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Coursera and Western Governors University among university online degrees worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Coursera, Western Governors University. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCourseraUniversity of PhoenixOpen UniversityedXWestern Governors UniversityUdacityUniversity of Florida OnlineArizona State University OnlineSNHU
Oct 202568.6%9.2%7.5%9.2%2.8%2.3%0.2%0.11%0.05%
Nov 202565.8%8.8%8.8%10.8%3.2%2.2%0.16%0.11%0.05%
Dec 202569.5%7.6%6.2%9.3%4.2%2.8%0.17%0.11%0.06%
Jan 202668%9.1%7.5%9.1%4.1%1.8%0.2%0.11%0.07%
Feb 202667.1%9%7.4%11%3.3%1.8%0.24%0.11%0.06%
Mar 202664.9%10.7%7.1%10.7%3.9%2.1%0.43%0.13%0.06%
Apr 202667.4%11.1%7.4%7.4%4%2.2%0.24%0.13%0.09%
May 202667.6%11.1%7.4%7.4%4.1%1.8%0.3%0.16%0.06%
Jun 202669.4%11.4%6.2%7.6%3.4%1.5%0.17%0.11%0.05%
Jul 202667.6%11.1%9.1%7.4%3.3%1.2%0.13%0.11%0.05%
Aug 202668.2%11.2%7.5%7.5%4.1%1.2%0.16%0.13%0.05%
Sep 202668.5%11.2%9.2%6.2%3.4%1.2%0.13%0.11%0.05%

How has the Coursera and Western Governors University comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for university online degrees worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Western Governors University lost share of searches among university online degrees worldwide, from 4.1% to 3.4%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Coursera worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.1M to 3.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Coursera’s and Western Governors University’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Coursera

1 branded search term

  • coursera

Western Governors University

1 branded search term

  • western governors university

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among university online degrees

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