In the recent years (particularly after the pandemic), the market has seen a surge in the demand of online courses as more and more students trade traditional classroom based studies to online courses particularly for gaining specialized knowledge and skills in a certain area of work. According to Syngene Research, 2019, it is estimated that around 30% of students in the US have enrolled for at least one online course in their life. The growth rate of this sector is expected around 9.1% till 2026, based on the data that in the US alone the e-learning market grew to USD 6.22 million from 2017 to 2021.
One of the primary reasons of the rapid expansion of the e-learning market is that the learning is customizable, cheap and runs concurrently with existing student academics offering flexibility and affordability.
The future growth of this market makes this one of the top 50 affiliate products to promote by affiliate marketers. The online course platforms partner with affiliate marketers to promote their courses and reach the target audience. In return, affiliate marketers earn lucrative commissions..
Listed below are the top 10 affiliate programs for online courses:
Top 10 Affiliate Programs for Online Courses
#1 - Teachable
Teachable is an e-learning platform that allows people to create and sell courses online. If you have experience or expertise in any area of education such as programming language or journalism or in fact any subject matter, you can create your own course and upload it on Teachable.
Teachable is an industry leader in online courses. The platform has over 100,000 creators who’ve sold over $1 billion in courses and online coaching. Teachable offers features like website builder, optimized sales pages (for the website and mobile), and customization tools to help educators drive higher conversion and better user experience.
For affiliate marketers, the platform provides unique code to track affiliate earnings in the form of commissions. Some affiliate marketers also have their own courses listed for enrollment.
How to sign up:
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
Edureka is a reputed certification training provider that offers online courses to professionals globally. The platform has e-learning courses that help professionals to take their careers to the next level. The courses are created by experts in the field such as programmers, economists, software engineers and data developers. The e-learning classes are taught by instructors who allow practice work on demo projects, where needed, to share their knowledge and expertise. There is round-the-clock support from the instructors to clarify doubts.
Rakuten Advertising houses the affiliate program run by Edureka. There are tons of marketing material and tools provided to affiliates to promote the programs for optimal conversion. There is an additional commission given to the people who generate sales by selling the tech and education content. On an average, the affiliates earn around USD 30 to USD 100 per sale.
Affiliate Commission: Up to 15% on every sale
How to sign up:
Affiliate Signup Link Click here
#3 - Pluralsight
Pluralsight is one of the leading technology e-learning platforms with around 7,000 courses. The platform helps professionals working in the technology industries to stay up-to date with the latest trends and technological innovations. The courses are developed and led by industry experts who provide necessary training and mentorship required to both students and professionals. Pluralsight courses are trusted by Fortune 500 companies and company has close to 17,000 business accounts.
The affiliate program is run by Impact Radius. Once affiliates join the program, they are offered marketing content, tips and analytical tools to understand and drive more conversions. There are some free trial courses available for affiliates to brush their skills.
Affiliate Commission: Up to 10 % to 50% on every sale
Cookie: 45 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link Click here
Udemy is the industry leader in e-learning courses. The platform is synonymous with online learning as it one of the first e-learning platforms to start and generalize internet based education. It also has one of the easiest user interface to navigate amongst all online course platforms. Professionals can login and buy courses designed by experts in any of their interested areas. There are many courses available to improve programming skills, network security skills, personal development, and photography.
Affiliates can promote the courses to their audience and earn commissions.
Affiliate Commission: 15% of all sales
Cookie: 90 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
Simplilearn is an online certification training provider that has trained over 1 million people globally. The platform helps professionals by providing advanced trainings targeted to give them the edge to excel in their jobs or careers. There are around 400 programs currently on offer and are diversified in the areas of data science, Salesforce, IT, project management, digital marketing, and big data. There are new courses added everyday to keep professionals and students on par with the latest trends in their area of interest. The company is recognized globally for its award winning content, team and customer support.
Affiliates can sign to promote SimpliLearn courses through Flexoffers. The average order value ranges between USD 300 to USD 1000.
Affiliate Commission: Up-to 10% for each sale
Cookie: 30 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
edX is yet another website that offers online courses for both students and professionals alike helping them provide an edge to scale up their careers. The courses are prepared by experts in the industry who have years of experience under their belt. There are around 3000+ quality courses on offer and the current membership stands at a staggering 700,000 students who are active subscribers on this platform. edX has also partnered with top universities such as MIT and Harvard, and software companies such as Microsoft to create quality courses rich in content and subject matter expertise. The courses pertain to computer science, mathematics, business and management, and STEM.
edX works with Awin to run the affiliate program. Affiliates are provided with appealing banners designed to drive a higher click-through and conversation rate. The affiliates are also made aware of the latest offers, deals, and new courses being launched.
Affiliates have to pay a small fee of USD 5 to join the program.
Affiliate Commission: Up-to 10% for each sale
Cookie: 60 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
#7 - Best My Test
Best My Test offers online TOEFL courses (Test of English as a Foreign Language) that helps determine if the student is eligible to pursue studies in English-speaking countries. TOEFL is also used in immigration programs to determine eligibility criteria for people looking to migrate in english speaking countries. The Programs tests the english writing, reading and listening skills of a candidate. Best My test offers around 2000 practice questions, lessons, and tests that users can use to practice while preparing for the TOEFL exam.
BMT has a high a conversation rate. The affiliate program is run with the help of ShareASale. The commission depends on the type of website used for promotion (see below).
Affiliate Commission: 5% commission is offered for coupon sites, 12% for review or blog websites, and 20% for teachers referrals
Cookie: 30 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
Skillshare is an e-learning community that has around 25,000 courses on offer. Both students and professional use this platform to develop their skills through online classes, peer conversations via dedicated chat and brainstorming sessions. The categories of courses that are available include journalism writing, photography, design, business, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Skillshare runs its affiliate program using Impact Radius. The affiliate program allows the affiliates to promote the courses and offers deals and incentives regularly to increase commissions. If a referral signs up for a free trail, the affiliate earns around USD $7.
Affiliate Commission: $7 commission for referring a new customer
Cookie: 30 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
LinkedIn Learning has courses designed to help you improve your business skills. There are around 10,000 courses online, prepared by experts who hold 20+ years of experience in their respective fields.
The affiliate program is run by Impact Radius. The program provides promotional content such as banners, Ads and email marketing tools along with real-time reporting analytics to help affiliates drive sales. Linkedin also gives opportunities to affiliates to share suggestions to help improve the affiliate program.
Linkedin Learning is one of the best affiliate programs for online courses. With the popularity of its professional network and massive user base, the marketers don't struggle to drive sales.
Affiliate Commission: 10% commission for every online signup
Cookie: 30 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here
Pearson IT Certification has a proven history of offering educational courses, targeted mostly towards professionals, who are looking for specialized certification courses to further their careers. Many programs, listed on their website, are from top companies such as IBM, Cisco Press, Adobe Press, and Microsoft Press. Students get access to online videos, product simulations, and course materials.
The affiliate program is run by Rakuten marketing. The affiliate marketers get marketing material and promotional opportunities to help drive conversions. There are special discounts and promotions shared with affiliates to increase conversation rates. Bonus is also offered for people who reach their monthly sales number.
Affiliate Commission: 8% for each sale
Cookie: 30 days
How to sign up
Affiliate Signup Link: Click here