Udemy rules and policies explained in plain English

By FastBuySale Newsroom · 9 Nov 2026 · 13m ago

Why the rules matter for instructors

Udemy provides a huge marketplace, payment processing and hosting, which makes it easy for instructors to reach students. In return, instructors work under rules designed to protect students, keep quality consistent and prevent abuse. Breaking the rules can mean course removal, lost earnings or account suspension, while understanding them helps you plan launches and promotions confidently. This guide explains the main policies in plain English and points to Udemy Instructor Support for current details.

Becoming a premium instructor

Anyone can publish free courses, but to charge for courses you must apply to become a premium instructor. That usually involves providing payout details, completing tax information and agreeing to the premium instructor terms. Udemy reviews applications before you can set paid prices.

Course quality standards

Courses must meet minimum standards before publishing. These include a minimum amount of video content and a minimum number of lectures for paid courses, video and audio quality thresholds and a clear structure. Udemy's review team checks submissions, and courses that fail must be improved and resubmitted. Read the quality checklist before recording.

Content and intellectual property rules

You must own or have rights to everything in your course, including video, slides, images, music, code and downloadable resources. Copying another instructor's course, using copyrighted material without permission or reselling purchased content breaks the rules. Udemy responds to infringement claims by removing content and may take action against repeat offenders.

Pricing rules

Instructors set list prices within ranges allowed by Udemy. The platform frequently runs sitewide promotions, and depending on programme participation, your course may be sold at promotional prices set by Udemy. Understand how programme opt-ins affect pricing before choosing.

Coupon rules

Instructors can create a limited number of coupons per course per month, including discounted and free coupons. Coupons have rules about minimum prices, durations and maximum redemptions, and free coupons may be limited to protect quality. Coupon sales through your links typically earn a much higher revenue share.

Worked example: refund impact

This is an illustrative example. Ravi earns 600 dollars from course sales in a month. If students refund 8% of those sales, his earnings fall by 48 dollars, to 552 dollars. Reducing refunds through clearer course descriptions and previews can protect income. The percentage calculator on this site helps track these figures.

Announcements and messaging rules

Udemy allows instructors to send educational announcements and a limited number of promotional announcements to enrolled students each month. Educational announcements should provide learning value, such as new lectures, resources or tips. Promotional announcements can mention other Udemy courses using allowed coupons. Messages must not send students to buy products outside Udemy or collect contact details for outside marketing. Direct messaging with students has similar limits. Read the current rules before planning a launch email to your students.

Promotional content inside courses

Courses must focus on education, not advertising. Udemy generally restricts links and promotions inside lectures, resources and course descriptions that direct students to paid offers outside Udemy, such as your own website, coaching or products. Some limited information, such as a bonus lecture mentioning other Udemy courses, may be allowed within rules. Check the guidance on what counts as promotional content.

Reviews and ratings rules

Students rate and review courses, and these strongly affect visibility. Instructors must not offer incentives, such as free coupons or extra content, in exchange for positive reviews, must not post fake reviews and must not pressure students. You can encourage students to leave honest feedback in a neutral way. Responding politely to reviews is allowed and often helpful.

Refund policy

Students can generally request refunds within a set window after purchase, often subject to conditions designed to prevent abuse, such as downloading most of a course and then requesting a refund. Refunded amounts are deducted from instructor earnings. Clear descriptions, accurate promotional videos and preview lectures help students choose correctly.

Revenue share and payouts

Udemy's revenue share depends on how the sale happened, with the highest share for sales through instructor coupons and referral links, and a lower share for marketplace sales and other channels. Subscription programmes pay instructors from a revenue pool based on consumption. Payouts are generally made monthly, after a delay for refunds, to supported payment methods once a minimum balance is reached. Tax may be withheld depending on your tax information and country.

Trust and safety enforcement

Udemy's trust and safety team investigates reports of rule breaches, such as fraud, infringement, review manipulation and inappropriate content. Consequences can range from warnings and removal of content to withheld earnings and account closure. Respond to notices promptly through official support channels.

Rules for co-instructors and shared revenue

Courses can have more than one instructor, and Udemy lets the main instructor add co-instructors and set how revenue is shared between them. Agree the revenue split, responsibilities and ownership in writing before adding anyone, because disputes after a course becomes successful are difficult to resolve. Each co-instructor must have their own account, payout details and tax information. Remember that the main instructor is usually responsible for the course meeting all rules, including content belonging to co-instructors. If a partnership ends, read the support guidance on removing instructors and changing revenue shares, as changes may not apply to past sales.

Account security and identity

Instructors must provide accurate identity and payout information and keep their accounts secure. Use a strong unique password and two-step verification, and never share login details. Creating multiple accounts to get around limits, such as coupon allowances or promotional message caps, breaks the rules and can lead to closure of every linked account. If you suspect your account has been compromised, change your password and contact support immediately through the official help site.

Planning promotions within the rules

Before a launch, map out your promotional plan against Udemy's limits. Decide which coupons you will create that month, which educational and promotional announcements you will send and what you will share on your own channels outside Udemy, where you can link to your course using your referral link or coupon. Spreading promotions across the month and focusing on genuine learning value tends to work better than a burst of sales messages. Keeping a simple calendar of coupons and announcements also helps you stay within monthly allowances and avoid accidental breaches.

Common mistakes instructors make

Instructors often skip the quality checklist, use unlicensed music or images, include promotional links inside lectures, overuse promotional announcements, offer coupons in exchange for reviews or forget to complete tax information. Each can cause delays or penalties.

Rules for course landing pages

Your course landing page, including the title, subtitle, description, image and promotional video, must describe the course accurately. Avoid exaggerated or misleading claims, such as guaranteed jobs, income figures or becoming an expert in a few hours, which can mislead students and break both Udemy's rules and wider advertising laws. Do not include prices, coupon codes or external links on the course image or in the promotional video where rules prohibit them. Use keywords naturally rather than stuffing them into titles. An honest, clear landing page attracts students who are likely to finish the course and leave positive reviews.

Rules on student questions and community

Udemy's Q and A section lets students ask questions within each course. Instructors are expected to respond helpfully and respectfully. Use the Q and A for course-related support, not for collecting contact details or promoting outside services. Keep discussions on topic, remove spam where tools allow and report abusive behaviour. Fast, thoughtful replies improve student satisfaction and can improve reviews over time.

Updating courses

Keep courses current, especially for software, technology and regulation topics. When you update content, make sure new materials still meet the quality standards and content rules, and tell students about significant updates through educational announcements.

Reader questions

Questions about teaching online? Send them through the Ask page on this site.

Disclaimer

This article is for general information only. Rules and revenue shares change; check Udemy Instructor Support.

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