2U GETSMARTER review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
2U GETSMARTER is a university-type provider for working professionals who want a named institution on the certificate. It scores 8.7 overall on the site, and the trade-off is cost: prices are per course, there is no free tier, and 21 days is the refund window.
Key facts
- Best for
- Professionals who want a university name on the certificate and can pay a full course fee up front.
- Price from
- €853 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free tier
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 21 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Platform type
- University (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Number of courses
- 230 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- University partners
- 18 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Course languages
- English (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Graded assessments
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Offline downloads
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Team plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- 2U, LLC (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 2008 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Subjects
- Data, Business
- Certificate types
- Completion
- Official website
- getsmarter.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXfacebook.comyoutube.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Courses come from 18 partner universities, so the completion certificate names an institution rather than only a platform.
- Assessments are built into the course and offline download is available, so progress does not depend on a steady connection.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which is wider than email alone.
- A team plan is available, so an employer can cover several learners on a single arrangement.
Cons
- There is no free tier, so nothing can be sampled before committing to a course fee.
- Entry price of €853 sits far above the site median of €35.08, so even short courses carry a premium.
- Certificates are completion type only, per completion, with no credit or degree route.
- Course languages are limited to English, which narrows the choice for anyone wanting study in another language.
Who it suits
- Professionals who want a university name on the certificate rather than a platform badge.
- Employers buying seats for a team, since a team plan is available.
- Learners who can pay a full course fee once and value a clear refund window.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers on a small budget: DRCertifications lists certifications from $19.99.
- Anyone who wants to browse a marketplace of sellers cheaply: Hotmart lists courses from $0.
- Learners shopping on price alone: Academy for Health and Fitness starts at £25.
How it compares on our data
Ranked on price from, 2U GETSMARTER sits at 203 of 220 brands on the site, so entry cost lands in the dearer part of the field. Ranked on money-back period it stands at 62 of 159, and that tells you where the balance of the profile sits. It is not the cheapest way in, but it is among the more forgiving ones when a course turns out to be the wrong fit.
What you get free
The short answer is that there is no free tier, so the catalogue is paid throughout and there is nothing to browse for free. What softens that is the refund: a money-back period of 21 days runs from the point of purchase, so a course that does not fit can still be refunded inside that window. It is the closest thing to a low-risk look, and it is not the same as one, since the fee has to be found before the window opens.
Core features
The catalogue holds 230 courses drawn from 18 partner universities, which is the reason the certificate carries an institution name. Subjects listed are data and business, and courses run in English. Assessments are part of the course rather than a paid add-on, offline download is available for study without a connection, and a team plan is offered for employers buying seats for several staff. There is no free tier, and refunds run for 21 days.
The company behind it
The contract is with 2U, LLC, a company founded in 2008, so the party taking your payment is a named business rather than an individual course author. Support runs on email, phone and help centre: email, phone and a help centre. That phone line matters more than it might look, because a spoken channel to a support team is something plenty of course sellers skip, and here it sits alongside written help.
How 2U GETSMARTER compares
8.7 vs 9.0
8.7 vs 8.8
8.7 vs 8.6
8.7 vs 9.1
8.7 vs 8.7
Where 2U GETSMARTER is available
- Available
- Everywhere except Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free tier or a free trial?+
There is no free tier here, and nothing to sample before you pay, so a cautious buyer has to lean on refunds instead. The money-back period of 21 days starts from purchase, which gives room to open a course and still step back. A trial suits anyone unsure about self-paced study better than a refund window does.
How much do courses cost?+
The lowest entry figure is €853, which puts this provider well above the site median of €35.08 and in the upper part of the site's spread, where the top of the range reaches €17,432.74. Fees are listed per course, so a longer programme costs more than the entry figure suggests. Compare that with the 203 rank out of 220 brands for a sense of the field.
What certificate will I get?+
A completion certificate, which is the only type listed in completion. It comes from the partner university that runs the course rather than from the platform itself, so the name on it carries weight with employers who know the institution. Completion certificates are also the most common award across the site at 81.7%, so this is a mainstream outcome rather than an unusual one.
What is in the catalogue?+
There are 230 courses in total, delivered through 18 partner universities, with subjects listed as data and business and course languages as English. A data or business learner has room to specialise. A coding-first buyer will not find coding among the listed subjects and would be better served by a catalogue built around it.
Can I get my money back?+
Yes, the money-back period is 21 days, which starts from purchase rather than from completion. Ranked on that measure the brand sits at 62 of 159 brands, ahead of the site median of 14 days. Start a course early if you want to use the window, since it is short compared with longer refund promises elsewhere.
Can I study on a phone or offline?+
Offline download is available, so lessons can be taken outside a connection, which suits commuting and travel. The platform is listed as university type, meaning courses are delivered on behalf of named universities rather than by an open marketplace of sellers. Study is online throughout, so a stable connection still helps for the parts you cannot download.
Can I get help when I am stuck?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so you have email, phone and a help centre. The phone channel stands out here, since only 52% of brands on the site list it. For a course fee of €853 per programme, having a spoken line to a support team is worth having.
Can my employer pay for me?+
A team plan is available, so an employer can agree seats for several learners on a single arrangement instead of paying separately. That fits companies training staff in data or business skills, which are the subjects listed in data and business. Team buying is the norm rather than the exception in this category, at 99.4% of brands on the site.
Sources
- getsmarter.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Platform type, Subjects
“With certified online short courses from the world's leading universities”
- getsmarter.com/about-us checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Number of courses, Founded, University partners
“230+ Online short courses”
- getsmarter.com/faq checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Free tier, Offline downloads, Support channels
“You can pay your course fees in full before the course starts”
- getsmarter.com/products/uct-digital-marketing-online-shor... checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Graded assessments, Certificate types, Course languages, Price from, Team plan
“Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments”
- getsmarter.com/terms-and-conditions-for-students checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Money-back period
“as owned and operated by 2U, LLC”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
2U GETSMARTER
Professionals who want a university name on the certificate and can pay a full course fee up front.