By Contributor,Rachel Wells

Copyright forbes

You can start learning high-income skills from degree programs and certificates directly in ChatGPT through simply starting your chat with “Coursera”

Since ChatGPT was launched, professionals have used it for various use cases: drafting content, sending emails, building business plans, and even learning new skills and receiving coaching/tutoring. The output would be dependent on data from various sources online–some of which may or may not have been 100% reputable.

But as of this week, your path to a recognizable income-boosting career certification is literally a prompt away.

Following OpenAI’s recent announcement on OpenAI Dev Day about “apps in ChatGPT,” it emerged that Coursera would be its very first educational partner, onboarded to make upskilling opportunities easier, faster, and accessible for everyone.

I reached out to Coursera for comment, to find out more about how exactly this would work and how professionals might benefit from access to Coursera’s broad database of thousands of courses, to learn high-income skills like AI, software, and data analysis, and further their careers. Their spokesperson’s answers, revealed below in this FAQ-style Q&A, will help you understand exactly how you can access Coursera resources for free using ChatGPT, and how it can boost your career opportunities:

How To Use Coursera In ChatGPT

1. How exactly does Coursera integrate within ChatGPT, can you walk me through it?

ChatGPT users can access the Coursera app directly within ChatGPT by starting a message with “Coursera,” for example, “Coursera, can I learn data analytics?” ChatGPT can also suggest the Coursera app organically when it recognizes that Coursera content may be relevant to the conversation.

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For instance, if you’re discussing learning a new skill, ChatGPT might surface the Coursera app and a relevant video from the platform’s rich, trusted catalog. This makes it seamless for users to move from curiosity to credential , without ever leaving the chat.

2. How are learning journeys surfaced inside a ChatGPT conversation?

Once a learner connects with the Coursera app in ChatGPT built on OpenAI’s Apps SDK, they can access Coursera content. This allows high-quality courses, modules, and videos from top universities and industry partners to appear naturally in the flow of conversation, questions, and practice.

By bringing trusted educational content into ChatGPT, learners can explore new topics, preview lessons, and be guided to deeper learning on Coursera.

3. Are these full-length courses or snippets? Can learners “save progress” or pick up where they left off?

The Coursera app in ChatGPT showcases short, relevant video snippets and course information to spark discovery and provide context — for example, short clips or lessons from full-length Coursera courses. Learners can then click through to Coursera to continue the full course experience, track progress, and earn certificates.

This design ensures a lightweight, conversational experience inside ChatGPT, while maintaining Coursera’s structured, verified learning pathways for deeper engagement.

4. Is there a way to track what you’ve learned or link it to an existing Coursera account?

Yes. Learners can seamlessly continue their learning journey on Coursera, where they can track their progress, pick up where they left off, and earn certificates. The ChatGPT integration serves as a discovery and engagement layer, helping learners find the most relevant Coursera content based on their questions or goals.

Coursera’s new app is available today to all logged-in ChatGPT users outside of the EU on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, starting with English, with video subtitles and dubbing available in select languages.

5. How do you ensure that surfaced content is accurate, up-to-date, and not misinterpreted by the AI?

All educational material displayed within the Coursera app is sourced directly from Coursera’s rich catalog, representing content created by world-class universities and industry leaders. This ensures that learners receive accurate, expert-created content.

The integration dynamically references Coursera’s up-to-date course data, so learners can trust that surfaced content reflects the latest version available on the platform.

6. Can learners still earn certificates through this integration, or is it more of a “gateway to upskilling”?

The Coursera app in ChatGPT serves as a gateway to verified learning. Learners can explore trusted content, preview course materials, and then transition to Coursera to complete the full course and earn professional certificates, Specializations, or degrees.

In other words, ChatGPT makes the discovery of the right learning opportunity easier and faster, and Coursera ensures that learners have a credible pathway to career outcomes.

9. Are there specific job-relevant pathways or microcredentials being featured through ChatGPT?

The app highlights Coursera’s most in-demand content across GenAI, data, technology, and business skills, as well as emerging job-based credentials. Coursera’s catalog now includes over 1,000 GenAI-related courses from leading universities and industry partners, reflecting record global demand.

These short-form discovery experiences in ChatGPT help learners find high-value, job-relevant pathways more easily, from entry-level Professional Certificates to full degrees.

12. In practical terms, how should someone looking to switch careers or level up in their current role use this tool?

ChatGPT will surface relevant Coursera videos, course information, and next steps — helping you explore pathways quickly. Once you find the right program, you can move to Coursera to take the full course, practice with AI-powered learning tools, and earn credentials that employers value.

Why This Matters: My Thoughts

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Each week, more than 800 million people (including everyday professionals, students, and executives) use ChatGPT. What this integration means for you is that you’re now able to learn and acquire more career-boosting skills, for free, directly as part of your regular in-app experience. This is a new and innovative way to use ChatGPT to boost your salary and expand your access to career and business growth opportunities.

It also helps you because you’re able to get a sneak peak into the content that the courses on Coursera actually offer, which is useful before you decide to go all in and commit fully to that certificate for your learning journey.

Happy learning!

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