How to get financial aid and learn coding for FREE on Coursera

Getting the right course that is straight to the point can be tasking. Sometimes, some of these courses require you to pay. Finance should not deter your learning, at least not again. In this article, you will learn how to get into a course of your choice with the Coursera financial aid program. To enroll for free, follow these steps

Step 1: Find a course

Enter the skill you want to learn into the search bar and choose from the list of results shown.

Step 2: Check the enrolment requirement

After deliberating on your course of choice, see whether it's free or paid. Do not click Enroll for Free button unless you only want a 7-day free trial. If payment is required to have unlimited access, check whether financial aid is available just beside the Enroll for Free button***.***

Step 3: Apply for aid

(a) Click on Financial aid is available and a page with the original price will pop up. The course used in this demo is an 8-course series which implies that each of the courses costs $49.

To access the 8 courses, you must apply for financial aid for each course. The first course in the series is Introduction to building Web Pages using HTML and CSS3 as indicated by the radio button (You can change this selection by clicking on any of the courses, one at a time). Click the Next button

(b) Click Continue to the application button

(c) Fill in all the fields and ensure that the word count in the Reason you have applied for aid box is up to 150 words. Check the I've reviewed my information and everything is up to date box***,*** click the Next button.

Hints on what to write in the Reason you have applied for aid:

(i) 2 sentences about your background

(ii) 2 sentences about your learning ability

(iii) 2 sentences about the skills you need to acquire and why

(iv) A sentence about what the course would help you achieve

(v) Close with a sentence reiterating your financial need

(d) Enter the maximum amount you can pay for the selected course and be sincere about it (You wouldn't be penalized for putting $0 if you have nothing).

Fill in the field and ensure that the word count in the How will your selected course help with your goals box with up to 150 words.

Hints on what to write in the How will your selected course help with your goals:

(i) A sentence highlighting your goal

(ii) 2 sentences stating the problems you intend to solve

(iii) 2 sentences stating the gap between where you are and your goals

(iv) A sentence about how the course may bridge the gap mentioned in (iii)

(v) Close with a sentence emphasizing your passion for problem-solving

Check the Terms and Condition boxes, type the sentence I agree to the terms above as seen in the box, and confirm that you are not a robot then click Review

(e) Your application is now complete. You can edit your responses or submit your application. To submit, click the Submit Application button

After submitting your application, the success page pops up.

You also receive an application confirmation email

Finally, you get an approval email within a few days.

Conclusion

Now that you understand the nitty-gritty of how Coursera financial aid works, it's time you developed that skillset

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