Coursera Calculus versus Distance Calculus

Coursera is a consortium of various universities (University of Pennsylvania, University of Sydney, et al) where their various online course offerings are presented together in one central location for students to find courses to take online.

One Calculus I course from Coursera is from University of Pennsylvania - it is a set of lectures from one of their professors, which receives great reviews as shown on that page.

Can you get academic credits for this Coursera Calculus I ? It is free - definitely cheaper than Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University $1732 tuition fee.

This question is quite simply: no. But they mention this big "maybe"
compare coursera to distance calculus
A "certificate" of any form like this is not the same as accredited, transferable academic credits!

As far as we can tell, you cannot earn real, transferable academic credits by taking an Coursera Calculus course.

Earning Real Academic Credits for Calculus






Applied Calculus vs Calculus I






Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

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Date Posted: Apr 10, 2020
Review by: Benjamin T.
Courses Completed: Calculus I
Review: This course provided an excellent chance to learn about Calculus...again. I took calculus in high school, but I learned so much more with this course! It does take a good amount of time to do all the lessons, so definitely keep on top of them, but all the exercises helped me to really understand the material. And the nice thing is you can do it on your own time at home.
Transferred Credits to: Western University of Health Sciences: College of Optometry



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Date Posted: Apr 10, 2020
Review by: Benjamin T.
Courses Completed: Calculus I
Review: This course provided an excellent chance to learn about Calculus...again. I took calculus in high school, but I learned so much more with this course! It does take a good amount of time to do all the lessons, so definitely keep on top of them, but all the exercises helped me to really understand the material. And the nice thing is you can do it on your own time at home.
Transferred Credits to: Western University of Health Sciences: College of Optometry



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Date Posted: Feb 8, 2026
Review by: M M.
Courses Completed: Precalculus, Calculus I
Review: The courses were excellent. Very flexible and engaging and the platform offers a lot of upper-level courses. Dr. Curtis is an outstanding professor and very responsive. I would take again.
Transferred Credits to: None yet








Distance Calculus - Curriculum Exploration

Systems of Equations









Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

Emma C.★★★★★
Posted: Jul 22, 2021
Courses Completed: Linear Algebra
This was a great course. Flexible and informative with a great professor. It's a great option if you need to fill a prerequisite fast or if you enjoy working at your own pace.
Transferred Credits To: University of Virginia
Anonymous
Posted: Dec 31, 1969
James Holland★★★★★
Posted: May 3, 2018
Courses Completed: Calculus I, Calculus II
I needed to finish the Business Calculus course very very very fast before my MBA degree at Wharton started. With the AWESOME help of Diane, I finished the course in about 3 weeks, allowing me to start Wharton on time. Thanks Diane!
Transferred Credits To: Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
M M.★★★★★
Posted: Feb 8, 2026
Courses Completed: Precalculus, Calculus I
The courses were excellent. Very flexible and engaging and the platform offers a lot of upper-level courses. Dr. Curtis is an outstanding professor and very responsive. I would take again.
Transferred Credits To: None yet
Tanja B.★★★★★
Posted: Jan 28, 2026
Courses Completed: Calculus I
After two failed attempts at my university, this course helped me understand Calculus. The live maths tool along with Dr. Curtis were especially helpful, allowing me to visualize concepts and expand my understanding. The explanations were clear, the examples practical, and I could learn at my own pace, which built my confidence. Thank you.
Transferred Credits To: University of Namibia
Henry F.★★★★★
Posted: Dec 18, 2025
Courses Completed: Differential Equations
Transferred Credits To: Saint Joseph High School
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