Brandwave

Capella University vs Coursera:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Capella University had more branded searches than Coursera among university online degrees worldwide. Capella University had about 135,000 branded searches, while Coursera had 2,570. Capella University made up 6.2% of all university online degree searches we track, and Coursera accounted for 0.12%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about university online degrees, neither Capella University nor Coursera appeared in any of the five answers.

Among university online degrees worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Capella University, about 53 searches for every 1 for Coursera

Capella University 135K searchesCoursera 2.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 0 of 5 answers.

Capella University in 0 of 5Coursera in 0 of 5

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Top university online degrees in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Capella University nor Coursera showed up in any of the five answers.

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
  • SNHU3 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
  • University of Florida Online3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • University of the People1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 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
  • Capella University0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Walden University0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Coursera0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+4 more

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 Capella University or Coursera more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Capella University and Coursera by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 university online degree brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Capella University and Coursera among university online degrees worldwide, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthUniversity of PhoenixOpen UniversityWestern Governors UniversitySNHUCapella UniversityUniversity of the PeopleWalden UniversityArden UniversityPurdue GlobalStrayer UniversityArizona State University OnlineUniversity of Florida OnlineCourseraedX
Nov 202522.3%22.3%14.9%8.2%5.5%6.7%6.7%5.5%3%3%1.3%0.4%0.22%0.03%
Dec 202520.2%16.5%20.2%9.1%6%6%7.4%5%4.1%3.3%1.5%0.44%0.21%0.03%
Jan 202622.4%18.3%18.3%10%5.5%5.5%6.7%4.5%3.7%3%1.3%0.49%0.12%0.02%
Feb 202621.9%17.9%17.9%9.8%6.6%5.4%6.6%5.4%3.6%2.9%1.3%0.59%0.13%0.03%
Mar 202624.5%16.4%16.4%9%6%4.9%7.4%6%4%2.7%1.5%0.99%0.12%0.02%
Apr 202625.3%16.9%16.9%9.2%5.1%6.2%6.2%5.1%4.2%2.8%1.5%0.56%0.1%0.02%
May 202624.2%16.2%16.2%8.8%5.9%7.3%7.3%4.8%4%2.7%1.8%0.65%0.11%0.02%
Jun 202626%14.2%17.4%9.5%5.2%7.8%6.4%5.2%3.5%2.9%1.6%0.38%0.08%0.02%
Jul 202624.5%20%16.4%8.9%4.9%6%6%4.9%3.3%3.3%1.5%0.29%0.07%0.02%
Aug 202624.9%16.7%16.7%9.1%6.1%6.1%7.5%4.1%4.1%2.7%1.5%0.37%0.08%0.02%
Sep 202624.4%20%16.3%8.9%4.9%6%6%6%3.3%2.7%1.2%0.29%0.08%0.02%
Oct 202625.4%20.8%13.9%7.6%6.2%6.2%6.2%5.1%3.4%3.4%1.3%0.25%0.12%0.01%

Coursera sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “coursera degrees”.

How has branded search for Capella University and Coursera changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In October 2026, Capella University overtook Arden University and 2 others to rank 5th among university online degrees worldwide, with 6.2% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Coursera worldwide fell 42.8% over 12 measured months, from 4.5K to 2.6K in October 2026.

How are Capella University’s and Coursera’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Capella University’s and Coursera’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.

Capella University

1 branded search term

  • capella university

Coursera

3 branded search terms

  • coursera degrees
  • coursera masters
  • coursera online degree

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among university online degrees

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