Education isn’t cheap, and keeping up with the current job landscape is no picnic either. Study.com is hoping to help you with both by offering a more affordable option to advance your education, and a work-at-home opportunity for those who need it.
When it comes to online programs though, it's not easy knowing which ones you can trust. There are a lot scams out there. In this review I’ll talk about the Study.com scam accusations and dive into the following topics…
- What Is Study.com?
- Is Study.com a Scam?
- How Does It Work?
- Study.com Pay
- Study.com Reviews and Complaints
- What I Like
- What I Don’t Like
- Next Steps…
Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for Study.com. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not to apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info
What Is Study.com?
Study.com is an online educational platform that helps students improve their grades, prepare for tests and even earn credits that can be transferred to thousands of colleges and universities.
They also provide a work-at-home opportunity for experts in various fields ranging from Math, Science and Physics… to Business, Psychology, and History… among others.
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Mountain View California, Study.com currently provides over 25,000 video lessons and 50,000 articles to 30 million students and teachers per month.
Tutoring has become a popular work-at-home hustle.
If you want to make extra money from home… maybe it's health issues, young children at home, or even economic hardship, you're looking for peace of mind.
Maybe it's just a few extra bucks at the end of the month…
Either way, if earning an online income is what you want, then a simple step-by-by step strategy is what you need to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
You can also make money doing online surveys with companies like Survey Junkie which are a great way to put some quick cash in your pocket. Inbox Dollars is another way to make some money online by doing things you already do online like searching, watching videos and visiting websites.
Is Study.com a Scam?
There seems to be some concern online about Study.com being a scam, but no… they are not. Study.com is 100% legit and whether you’re a student, teacher or a contract employee… they have legitimate products and services to offer.
However… even though they're not a scam, I don't want to candy-coat it either. There are some issues worth mentioning…
The complaint above is referring to a common bait & switch scam. They hook you with a free trial, get your credit card information and when the trial is over, they make it difficult for you to cancel or get a refund.
Meanwhile, they bill your credit card every month.
This isn't uncommon. I moved a while ago and switched gyms, but it was like pulling teeth to cancel my old membership. A simple phone call should have been enough, but instead they had me jumping through hoops.
There are companies out there that make money exclusively from this scam but the good news is Study.com is not one of them.
For the complaint above… here is their response.
So, Study.com did look after this customer, although I’m sure the customer didn't appreciate having to write to the BBB before getting a response.
There are similar platforms using this bait & switch scam, some intentional and some not. One way to avoid the hassle is by signing up with your mobile device. When you join using the Google or Apple app stores, your payment is not going to Study.com directly.
If you have any billing issues, Study.com is far more likely to help in this situation because the last thing they want are for your complaints to go directly to Google or Apple…
Selling Your Information???
Another issue that’s come up is the selling of your personal information. That doesn’t qualify them as a scam either, but it’s important to know.
Study.com is either owned or partnered with a company called Remilon LLC, who at one time operated the website educationportal.com.
I’m not sure when they came together (or if they were always the same company), but both remilon.com and educationportal.com now redirect to Study.com. And… the Study.com domain is currently registered by Remilon LLC.
Not that ownership matters, but it does provide us with a deeper look into any issues Study.com may have.
As I looked into Remilon I noticed an employee saying they were selling student information to for-profit colleges.
There’s no way to verify that Study.com is selling your personal information… but, as we’ve learned with Facebook in news recently, it’s fair to assume that someone is selling your information without your consent.
I also found it strange when I was going through the Study.com registration that they were asking for my phone number. Why do they need your phone number?
Advertising and marketing has definitely become hyper-targeted over the last few years… and this is a direct result of our contact information, interests and online habits being sold to agencies and private businesses.
But again… that doesn’t make Study.com a scam. Especially if you're comparing them with the real shady make-money-online junk out there like 100K Online Secret for example.
Also, to be clear… I’ve only focused on the negatives so far… There are a lot of positive reviews as well which I’ll talk about in a moment.
How Does It Work?
You may be signing up as a student or applying as a work-at-home contractor, so I’ll talk about both.
Students and Teachers (with Students)
I must admit, I was annoyed by the sign-up process. They don’t give you the plans and pricing up front.
Making your way to the payment page is like a choose your own adventure, picking various options from drop down menus.
You first option is to indicate whether you are a student or a teacher.
Once you’ve given them your name, email and your phone number (for what I don't know)… you’ll finally arrive on the page you're looking for. The one that tells you how much it's going to cost.
A 5-day free trial is offered followed by a $39.99/month membership for students, and $59.99/month for teachers. This gives you unlimited access to Study.com’s entire library of courses and resources.
Depending on your specific needs, those prices may be ridiculous, or they may be a bargain.
Work-At-Home Contractors
There’s not a lot of information provided for those interested in working for Study.com, but after digging around I was able to piece together enough for a partial picture. 🙂
Unlike platforms like Wyzant, Skillshare or StudySoup… getting hired by Study.com is a more traditional process.
They list specific job descriptions for positions such as Accounting, Mechanical Engineering or Finance for example, and you’ll have to apply by filling out an application and submitting your credentials.
Your application will also be job specific.
For example… if you’re applying for the Accounting position you’ll be asked questions like “what is the cash ratio?” “How do you calculate the cash ratio and why is it useful?”
For Physics, one of the questions you’re asked is to find the acceleration for a two-mass system… and for the Mechanical Engineering questions, well… I couldn’t understand them well enough to paraphrase them. 😀
You will also be asked about your highest level of education.
If you’re not able to get hired on by Study.com, there are other options to making money online.
Study.com Pay
Here’s another area where it was difficult to track down accurate information.
Local in-house employees report salaries that range from 50K/year to 100K/year and higher. However… work at home contractors are paid on a per-task or per-project basis and make significantly less.
Most of the contractor reviews complained about the low pay which seems to be in the minimum wage range.
One problem is that even when a project pays well, your work must be approved by reviewers who are not always consistent. If your project is not approved, you won’t be paid.
So, you’ll need to average your overall time to include work you have been paid for, and work you haven’t been paid for.
Your rate will also depend on how fast you can complete a project. If something requires more research than expected, a simple task like answering a question might take awhile.
The best way to make money online though is to not depend on one source. You can combine jobs like Study.com with other strategies. Surveys with companies like Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars for example and even building an online business.
Pay Method and Frequency
Approved payments are made twice per month via PayPal.
Examples of Study.com Jobs
Study.com isn’t always hiring for all positions, but some of the job descriptions you’ll find on their website as well as various job boards include,
- Lesson Plan Writer
- Quiz Optimizer
- Assessment Writer and Reviewer
- Video Editor
- Article Writer
- Curriculum Designer
- Statistics Expert
Those positions can be broken down into their respective fields of study.
Study.com Reviews and Complaints
The biggest complaints from customers were those related to billing and refunds as mentioned earlier. Pricing was also an issue for some, as well as some technical problems with the app.
Work-at-home contractors are pretty specific with their complaints…
- Low pay.
- Inconsistent reviewers and not having their work approved.
- Not enough work.
- Limited potential for advancement.
There are also many positive Study.com reviews. Although some students complain about the price, others say they are taking courses that would cost thousands in college.
I as I mentioned a moment ago… for the right person, Study.com could be bargain.
Contract employees are saying they like,
- The flexible schedule.
- Opportunity to advance their own education through teaching.
- Working from home, having more time with family and not dealing with a daily commute.
What I Like
- As a work-at-home opportunity (that is what this site is all about after all) 🙂 Study.com can be an additional stream of income. I wouldn’t recommend it as your only income, but full-time freelancers can certainly leverage Study.com with other freelance gigs and side hustles.
- I also like that I didn’t see any complaints from independent contractors not getting paid on time.
What I Don’t Like
- When it comes to remote jobs, low pay is often expected… although the limited income can often be justified by fewer expenses such as commuting costs, meals etc.
Having said that… it would be nice if Study.com was more transparent about earnings or had a proper pay schedule. It's hard to aim for a target that doesn't exist. - The other issue with jobs like these is that there is no passive income potential. Your biggest advantage working online is being able to create something once, automate the process and make money repeatedly from that single effort.
That’s not possible when you’re getting paid on a per-task or hourly basis.
Next Steps…
Whether you’re a student, a remote worker looking for an at-home job… or both, Study.com is worth your consideration.
The price may be a little steep for customers who can’t take full advantage of what they're offering… but for the right person I see no reason not to give them a shot.
As far as the work-at-home opportunity, the biggest challenge is the low pay.
Every extra dollar can make a big difference though, especially when it's a dollar here, and a dollar there when you combine it with other money-making strategies like Survey Junkie, Inbox Dollars or my top recommended strategy.
Since a lot of people struggle with things like health issues, being home with children, or difficulty finding work… Study.com can be a huge help, although it may not solve your money worries completely.
Peace of mind is probably what you want and creating “passive” income online is the best way to get what you want.
To learn how I did it, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by clicking HERE.
I hope my review has been helpful and if you have any comments, questions, or experience with Study.com… please share in the comments section below.
Thank you for reading 🙂
I signed up recently in the and have never used the site. It seems I was charged two fees I immediately tried to cancel within an hour. And I now cannot even find a phone number or an address or any way to make sure that my cancellation has been put into effect and my money returned. ✴️ If it’s legit and not a scam, when I cancel immediately within 1 hour, never have used the program at all, I should be able to get my money back and have it totally canceled. My email is: dedicatedsls1@yahoo.com
Phone: 602/ 481-****
Study.com is a huge waste of time for freelance writers, part time tutors and other contractors. I applied to for a business lesson writer back in December and passed the test and finally received an email from them that I have been accepted to work. I was very excited and shared with my colleagues who are also tutors to apply for positions that suits them depending on their expertise. Soon as it was time to start to work, their has not been any work since then, similar to my colleagues who were accepted. They keep on advertising for positions knowing very well that their is no job.
Its such a waste of time and would not advise it to anyone. Another thing I also heard is that they keep on closing accounts after working less than a month, don’t know why.
You were not successful at paraphrasing the Accounting skills. Put Accounting in the same category as Mechanical Engineering.
Other than botching the Accounting paragraph, this was a satisfactory review of Study.com. I’d like a one-time membership but all Study.Com memberships roll over into continuing scams.
On October 5, 2021 I purchased the Accuplacer Test Prep full-year study plan. The service period was for one year: 10/5/2021-10/5/2022. The total cost was $426.93 for a 1 year subscription. The website promised to automatically expire after one year and no longer be renewed. On 07/22/2022 I found out that my service had expired and they changed me to a free one month use! I immediately contacted customer service and called the management office. I finally got through to a lady in the answering service that replied that they could not contact the customer service staff. If I paid with paypal and did not choose automatic renewal, the customer service staff would not be able to charge the extra fee again, but on August 23 that is exactly what happened. I Received a bill from them. (please look at the attached picture). This learning site not only tried to steal my money but also they cut me off 2 months and 12 days of service! Then had the audacity to charge me repeatedly without my permission! The contact numbers for this company are never answered and the customer service staff are unable to help with any of the issues I have. All they did was send me a charge notification. This mmcompany has zero customer help or service! A willingness to cut your service that you already paid for and then try to charge you monthly for something you NEVER ordered. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL and just looking to SCAM YOU! Please keep your eyes open and beware of credit card theft! And finally YES I have reported them. Be safe and stay away from this horrific company!
Hi there,
Sturdy is a scam: attempting to join their Discord, the verification process opens MetaMask (why ???) and ask you your secret phrase !!!
UN-BE-LIE-VA-BLE
please erase my comment, it was about stuRdy.com not study.com 😉
I applied for a position with Study.com, and had to formulate questions on a couple of subjects, and then tell them how my questions related to an overall successful testing regimen. I told them that in a question with four possible answers, two were clearly wrong, one was correct, and one, though incorrect, was possibly the correct answer. This demanded that the student consider carefully between this answer and the correct answer. I also had to submit my resume, and offer other details.
They sent me an email today indicating that that they are prepared to bring me on as a test-writing contractor, at a rate of $8 – $12 per 5 questions submitted and approved.
Your review has been of great help. Thank you.
PS: my website below is my blog site at which I post original essays on politics and society. Go there and enjoy!
How much did they pay you? Can you sleep good at night knowing that they rip people off? They purposely charge and never give it a second thought about cancellation. The people that wrote reviews about them cancelling before the 30 days are A-holes for thinking they are helpful and think they are so much smarter than everyone else……good for you!!
I appreciate the feedback Andy. We have no affiliation with Study.com, nor do they pay us anything.
I used this site once and had no problems cancelling before the month was up. I used it for my ESL student interested in baseball as Study.com had a great lesson about the history of baseball, if I remember correctly – it’s been almost a year. Now, I am researching looking into the college credit side of the site. Has anyone earned college credits through Study.com? It seems like it would be less expensive to get a headstart on college credits.
I am teaching children
My experience is very good
Science subject is my favourite subject
I love him
One thing that people keep getting confused about is that it’s not a free trial. Nowhere does it say it’s a free trial. They say it’s a risk-free trial meaning if you don’t like it they will refund your money if you cancel within the first 30 days and request a refund. I can’t believe how many people don’t see the word RISK before the word free. They are not a scam and have I have told a lot of friends about it and they are all happy using it as well.
As of this morning, they are now charging you a full year immediately! Not only a monthly charge! Thought this was a free trial and I would only be charged 39. after 30 days, if not cancelled. Hope I get my money back!
I’m presently getting automated responses regarding my claim that this product “bugged out” for me.
Issue: I initially registered/paid for Study.com on my Android. Apparently, there’s a bug in the coding that prevented any p.c. I access (premium account) from recognizing that I should have access to my content area practice work. The p.c. login even shows I’m premium, and yet will not let me navigate through my coursework (Middle Grades ELA ILTS content test).
Study.com’s Response: I’ve made this clear for 2-weeks to study.com and even after I stated I’m getting automated responses to “look into my situation” I only receive yet another automated response.
Advice: My suggestion is to look at Study 240 – or some other alternative you feel comfortable with. (study 240 is $40 a month and I actually have a few cohort colleagues that have used it successfully).
So, point is, be careful.
Hi Adam,
Apologies again for the issues you experienced. We are so glad we were able to resolve this issue with you and that you are giving Study.com another shot.
-Study.com
I have never in my life left a bad review for anyone but I would like to ditto what everyone is saying. I was trying to practice for my teacher licensure exam and search for a practice test. Study.com was the first link that popped up and it asked me to make an account to view the test. I made an account and put my credit card on file – which I did think was strange but many websites ask you to do this in case you do end up purchasing something but I had every intention of canceling the subscription the next day.
I received a notification from my bank that I had been charged $59.99 from Study.com and I was furious. 20 minutes later I was charged another $59.99!! The questions on the practice test were also awful, they had nothing to do with the test I was studying to take. I am beyond frustrated and upset with this website. I have contacted there website and will be calling them tomorrow to get my refund. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS WEBSITE IT IS HORRIBLE.
study.com publish inaccurate courses. I notice them that their java codes are full of syntax errors. never got any respond.
I have never written a bad review, even though there have been many times that I swore I would after finding myself disappointed with a company’s service. This time I feel it would be irresponsible of me not to speak up:
One of the worst experiences. I would not recommend this company, in fact I would strongly discourage anyone (and have) from using this as a resource. The billing is a huge SCAM!!! Fraudulent charges have been made to my credit card account for 6+ months. I signed up for the trial period and cancelled immediately after watching one of their videos. The video itself was actually really great, but I cancelled because I felt I could get the same information elsewhere on the internet for free. I received a confirmation email stating that I did in fact cancel, that was in May 2018. I am currently still being charged the $39.99 membership fee.
It has been a nightmare trying to get a straight answer or even get someone on the phone to help. The last email I received (1/18/19) confirmed for the fourth time that my account has been cancelled; I still have not seen a dime and THEY CHARGED ME AGAIN THIS MONTH!!!!!! I have recently filed a complaint directly with my bank and hopefully they will have more luck resolving this matter.
With there being so many educational websites/resources online (many of which are even FREE!), it is not worth the trouble.
Hi Melissa, Wow… so sorry you’re going through that. Hopefully your bank is able to resolve that. I can’t speak directly to your experience but hopefully if others are having similar issues they can share their insight as well. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Jay
Hello. How many days did they process your refund? It was last November 30 when I signed up and I thought it was for free. When I e-mailed them, they immediately respond that they will process a one-time-refund. But its been 7 days.
Hi Genny, there may other readers who can respond to your request. When researching refunds seemed to be the most common complaint but I personally haven’t gone through the refund process so my apologies I can’t be of more help.
Jay
What a pain in the b…, I can’t login in my account,and Study.com is charging me for the past 3 months. I called 100 times and they are not helping me in anything. They said “I will call you back” never call me.