How long can I access a course for free?

If you choose to take a course for free with the ‘Limited Access' option, you’ll have access for the duration of the course, even if you join after the course opens. You can see when free access to your courses expires in Your Learning.

[Image descriptor: The above image shows a course listing from within the Your learning section with the number of days left of free access shown in the top right corner of the course cover image. 35 days is the number of days left in this example, and it has been highlighted with a green square around the numbers.]

For example, when you join a 4-week course, you will be able to access it for 4 weeks (the duration of the course), even if you join after it first opened for enrolment. Once this period has finished, you'll see a message saying 'Access Expired'.

Weekly access limited courses

If you see a padlock symbol (see below screenshot for an example) when you try to go to the next week of your course then you are on a course with limited weekly access. This means you have to follow the course schedule with content unlocking week-by-week. 

Please remember that each week will open at the same time you initially joined; eg.: if you joined a course at 19.30 your local time, each week will open at 19.30 not earlier.

[Image description: A screenshot of the course view on week 2 of an example course, with a padlock symbol highlighted in the left-hand navigation panel]

If you'd like to study the material at your own pace, you can upgrade or become an Unlimited subscriber. You can find more information about the difference between free and upgraded courses in this article: Free courses, upgrades and courses you pay for