Brandwave

Coursera vs University of the People:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, University of the People had more branded searches than Coursera among university online degrees worldwide. University of the People had about 135,000 branded searches, while Coursera had 2,570. University of the People 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, University of the People appeared in one of the five answers and Coursera in none.

Among university online degrees worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

University of the People, about 53 searches for every 1 for Coursera

University of the People 135K searchesCoursera 2.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

University of the People, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, Coursera in 0

University of the People in 1 of 5Coursera in 0 of 5

Follow Coursera vs University of the People and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top university online degrees in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, University of the People was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Coursera did not appear 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 Coursera or University of the People more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Coursera and University of the People 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.

Coursera and University of the People among university online degrees worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for University of the People, 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 Coursera and University of the People 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 Coursera’s and University of the People’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Coursera’s and University of the People’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

3 branded search terms

  • coursera degrees
  • coursera masters
  • coursera online degree

University of the People

1 branded search term

  • university of the people

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among university online degrees

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free