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Most Asked Questions
learner account
premium subscription
learning
certificates
payments
orders
career building tools
accreditation
affiliate programme
refer-a-friend programme
alison app
technical help
How can I export my course notes?
You can take notes at any point during your course. It's easy to do and can be added on every page. Once your notes are saved, you can either download them immediately or send them to your email.
See the step-by-step instructions below:
Click on See All Notes to open the full notes page.
A pop-up will appear showing all the notes you've added throughout the course. From here, you can view, edit, copy, or delete any note. You can also choose to download all your notes or email them to yourself directly.
Click on See All Notes to open the full notes page.
A pop-up will appear showing all the notes you've added throughout the course. From here, you can view, edit, copy, or delete any note. You can also choose to download all your notes or email them to yourself directly.
We apologise that this feature is not yet available in the App. However, we are doing everything we can to bring it to you as soon as possible. For now, you can access your course via a web browser and use Notes feature.
How to switch language of a course?
All Alison courses are available in English. We’re currently working on expanding access by translating our 6,000+ courses into Spanish, with more languages planned for the future. French is scheduled to be added in 2026. This is a major project, and while it takes time to meet our quality standards, improving language accessibility remains a top priority. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we make Alison more accessible to learners worldwide.
Take this course in your preferred language. Note: Your certificate will be issued in the same language.
If you would like to change the language of a purchased certificate, you’ll need to retake the assessment in the desired language. Please note that the certificate language will only update if you achieve a higher score than before.
Translated courses are clearly marked with a special note on the course page, as shown below.
If a course is available in another language, you can easily switch versions by:
Changing the website language before entering the course, or
Enrolling in the course and using the Change Language button to view the available options.
Translated courses are clearly marked with a special note on the course page, as shown below.
If a course is available in another language, you can easily switch versions by:
Changing the website language before entering the course, or
Enrolling in the course and using the Change Language button to view the available options.
Translated courses are clearly marked with a special note on the course page, as shown below.
If a course is available in another language, you can easily switch versions by:
Changing the App language before entering the course, or
To access course resources in the app, open the course and tap the Course Menu, then, select Language (as shown in the screenshot).
Please note that offline learning is currently available in English only. We understand how valuable offline access in multiple languages would be, and we’re actively exploring ways to expand this feature in future updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to improve the learning experience for all learners.
What is Alison Offline Learning?
Alison’s offline learning product enables you to download courses and study without needing an internet connection. Once you’ve downloaded a course, you can access all its content offline, including lessons, resources, and materials—identical to what you’d get online. An internet connection is only required for the initial download.
Currently, offline learning is available only for English-language courses and can be accessed exclusively through the Alison App. It is compatible with most smartphones, tablets, and laptops that support file downloads, so please ensure your device has enough storage space for the course files.
While you can review course materials offline, you’ll need an internet connection to complete quizzes, submit assessments, and earn certificates. This ensures your progress is accurately recorded.
Pricing Options for Offline Learning
Single Course Download – $1 (USD): Download an individual course to your device for offline access. Once downloaded, you can study it anytime without being online.
Unlimited Offline Access – $5/month (USD): Subscribe for unlimited access to download as many Alison courses as you want for offline learning. These courses remain accessible offline as long as your subscription is active.
Note: Downloaded courses are linked to your Alison account and are for personal use only. Sharing or distributing offline course content is strictly prohibited under Alison’s Terms of Service.
How can I get Offline Learning for my course?
Alison's Offline Learning feature is currently available only for English-language courses and can be accessed exclusively through the Alison App. It is compatible with most smartphones, tablets, and laptops that support file downloads, so please ensure your device has enough storage space for the course files.
Offline learning is an optional, paid feature with two package options:
Lite Plan: A one-time payment of $1 (USD) to download a single course.
Unlimited Plan: A monthly subscription of $5 (USD) for unlimited course downloads.
With the $1 (USD) Lite Plan, you can download a single course to your device for offline learning. Once downloaded, the course remains accessible for you to study anytime without needing an internet connection, until you delete it from your device.
The Lite Plan is a one-time payment, not a subscription. Once you purchase offline learning for a course, you will always have access to that course for offline study, anytime.
There are two ways to purchase offline learning for a single course:
Purchase the Lite Plan and select the course at any time in the future. After payment, you can download one course of your choice whenever you're ready.
Pay now and decide later!
You can also purchase offline learning directly from a course page. Click the download icon while viewing the course. The course will be linked to your order and immediately available for download after payment.
⚠️ Please note: Once purchased, the selected course cannot be changed.
By subscribing to the Unlimited Plan for $5 (USD) per month, you can download as many Alison courses as you like for offline learning. These courses will remain accessible offline as long as your subscription is active.
You will be automatically charged each month, with the option to cancel your subscription at any time. If you cancel mid-billing cycle, you will still have access to your previously downloaded courses until the end of that period.
Why is my course not available for Offline Learning?
Please note that offline learning is currently available for English-language courses only.
There are some Course Creators who have not granted Vimeo access. Therefore these courses are not available to download offline. In such cases, a banner on the course page will notify you that offline access is not available for that course.
If you are interested in offline access for a specific course, you can click the "Suggest Offline Access" button. This will help us track demand and inform the Course Creator that learners are interested in accessing their course offline.
Why can I not complete my course assessment with Offline Learning?
Course materials can be accessed offline, allowing you to study anytime, anywhere without an internet connection. However, assessments, including the final exam required for graduation, must be completed online. This is to ensure that your scores are properly logged and your achievements are recognised on your account.
If you aim to earn a Certificate or Diploma, make sure to plan for online access when you're ready to take the final assessment.
How do I download the course after purchase?
After purchasing the Lite Plan, you can download one course of your choice; with the Unlimited Plan, you can download as many courses as you like, without restrictions.
Ensure your device has enough storage space for the course files. If needed, you can download individual modules instead of the entire course.
Make sure you have a stable internet connection to complete the download process smoothly.
To download a course, go to the course you want and click on the Download icon as shown below.
Choose whether to download the full course or select specific modules for offline access.
Please note that downloaded courses do not update automatically. If a course is updated online, you will need to re-download it to access the latest content.
The downloaded courses are linked to your individual Alison account and are for personal use only. Sharing downloaded course content with others is prohibited under Alison’s terms of service.
Please note that after you download a course, you need to close the app and open it again without an internet connection to study offline.
Remove downloaded course
To free up space on your device for new downloads, you can remove completed courses in just three simple clicks.
Your course progress will remain saved even after removing a downloaded course, allowing you to continue studying online or redownload it later if your subscription is still active.
To manage your downloads, go to your dashboard and click View Your Downloaded Courses as shown below.
On the newly opened page, you’ll see a list of all downloaded courses. Click on the three dots next to the course you want to remove and select Remove Download.
That’s it!
If you remove a course downloaded with the Lite Plan or while your Unlimited Plan is active, you will still have the option to redownload it later.
How do I cancel my monthly subscription?
If you cancel your $5 monthly subscription, you will continue to have access to your downloaded courses until the end of your billing period. After that, the downloaded files will be automatically removed. However, your course progress will be saved, and you can still access and complete your courses online.
You can cancel your subscription anytime through the "Offline Purchases & Subscriptions" section in the Settings menu of the app.
If you have both a Lite Plan (one-time purchase) and an Unlimited Plan (subscription), canceling the Unlimited Plan will only remove courses downloaded under that plan. Courses downloaded with the Lite Plan will remain on your device/app until you choose to remove them.
Common Download Issues in Offline Learning
Below, you’ll find solutions to common issues when downloading courses for offline learning.
Some Alison courses are quite large and require a stable WiFi connection and sufficient storage space. If a course is downloading slowly, consider downloading individual modules instead of the entire course at once. You can do this by selecting the download icons next to each module.
We’re very sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. At the moment, offline learning is available for English-language courses only, so Spanish courses cannot yet be downloaded for offline study.
We understand how useful offline access in multiple languages would be, and we’re actively exploring ways to expand this feature in future updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve the learning experience for all learners.
If your course fails to download, try the following steps:
Check that your device has enough storage space. You can also download modules individually instead of the full course.
Ensure that you have a strong and stable internet connection.
If you have downloaded a course but are now unable to study offline, it is likely related to offline/online mode. Complete the following steps:
Close the Alison App
Make sure you are offline (this means no data or WiFi connection)
Reopen the Alison App offline - you should now be able to access your downloaded courses!
If the issue persists after trying these steps, please contact Customer Support for further assistance.
Can I make notes while taking a course?
You can take notes at any point during your course. It's easy to do and can be added on every page. Once your notes are saved, you can either download them immediately or send them to your email.
See the step-by-step instructions below:
You can access the Notes feature through the Help panel, located at the bottom of the page.
To add a note, simply enter a title and content, then click Save. Use this space to jot down key points, reminders, or anything you'd like to remember during your course.
To view your saved notes, click See all notes.
A pop-up will appear showing all the notes you've added throughout the course. From here, you can view, edit, copy, or delete any note.
You can also choose to download all your notes or email them to yourself directly.
You can access the Notes feature through the Help panel, located at the bottom of the page.
To add a note, simply enter a title and content, then click Save. Use this space to jot down key points, reminders, or anything you'd like to remember during your course.
To view your saved notes, click See all notes.
A pop-up will appear showing all the notes you've added throughout the course. From here, you can view, edit, copy, or delete any note.
You can also choose to download all your notes or email them to yourself directly.
We apologise that this feature is not yet available in the App. However, we are doing everything we can to bring it to you as soon as possible. For now, you can access your course via a web browser and use Notes feature.
What courses have free Certificates?
Below is a list of our courses that offer a free Digital Certificate:
What is the Alison English Vertical?
Our English Vertical is a series of courses created to guide our users through the English learning path. With Alison, millions of learners have learned the English Language in a step-by-step, structured way. You can too. No matter what level you're at, you can find out where to start by taking our free English assessment.
Our free English courses have been developed with the best English language standards worldwide, including Cambridge, Toefl, and TOEIC. This ensures that when you learn English on our Vertical, you learn it in the best way possible. The Vertical offers a wide range of courses, so you can easily find a course that’s suited to your current level of English. Start learning today and explore the possibilities with Alison's English Vertical.
How can I improve my English language skills using Alison’s courses?
To improve your English skills, start with an unbiased assessment of your current abilities. This will provide you with a snapshot of your current English level, so that you can make informed decisions about your future plans for improvement.
To start, try our free English assessment. It's an easy-to-use online test that takes 15 minutes to complete and provides instant results. At the end of the assessment, your composite score will be tailored to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the most extensive system used to grade English language ability.
Once you have your CEFR score, you can easily find the English courses that match your level and are best suited for your language development journey. Then, you can join millions of learners who have learned the English Language with Alison.
How do Alison courses work?
Alison has over 6,000 courses and learning verticals across nine core subject categories, at Certificate and Diploma levels. There is no time limit for completing a course. All courses are accredited by CPD UK, the continuing professional development institution in the United Kingdom.
The different course types can be defined as follows:
Certificate Courses
Average duration: 2 - 3 hours
There are times when you may wish to specialise in a whole subject area, and there are times where you may prefer to gain critical knowledge of individual concepts within a subject area. Alison’s Certificate courses will help you focus your learning on distinct topics. Our Certificate courses include an abundance of subjects, such as: languages, media studies, journalism and public relations, health and fitness, business studies, computer programming and networking, and many more!
Not all our Certificate courses have a Diploma equivalent.
Diploma Courses
Average duration: 8 - 10 hours
Diploma courses are specifically designed to give you a more extensive understanding of a subject area, by helping you master multiple concepts within a subject. Our Diploma courses span a variety of professional subjects, such as: workplace safety and health, business management and entrepreneurship, food safety, nursing and patient care, customer service, and many more! However, before you start learning, it's helpful to check if there's a Diploma version of your chosen topic to avoid any repetition in your learning journey. If you complete a Certificate course that's also part of a Diploma course, you will have to take it again within the Diploma programme. The completion from the Certificate course doesn't automatically count for the Diploma course.
To summarise, the Certificate courses are meant for light study. The Diploma courses are more extensive, helping you broaden your knowledge on a particular topic.
Alison courses are designed to be self-paced and self-taught. You can begin a course when you're ready and study whenever you have the chance. The duration of your study is entirely your decision.
You can complete our skills-based Certificate courses in under 3 hours. They are designed to focus your learning on specific topics in your field or industry.
You can graduate from our Diploma Courses in around 6-15 hours. These courses cover a range of topics and are great if you wish to broaden your knowledge on a particular subject area.
All Alison courses follow the basic structure of Course - Module - Topic - Assessment.
Typically, Certificate courses have one assessment at the end of the course and Diploma courses have multiple assessments throughout.
Assessments are designed to test your understanding of the content. They may include single or multiple-choice questions. You need to complete all modules and topics, and achieve at least 80% in your assessment in order to pass. The good news is that you can retake the assessment as many times as you like.
Not all courses contain videos. Some courses include video slides of text and some have animations or pre-recorded lectures.
Alison courses are designed to be self-paced and self-taught, so we do not offer tutoring assistance on course content.
We don’t currently offer undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses, nor do we plan to in the future.
We are one of the world’s largest certifying organisations, with over 15 million graduates. We offer Certificate and Diploma courses across a wide range of subjects, at almost any level, for free.
Why not take a look at our course options and see if there's one that is right for you?
About half of the content on Alison is under a Creative Commons licence. We always credit the publisher, so that if you want to find the content and download it yourself, we provide a means of locating it. No content is directly downloadable from our site.
The licences that are not Creative Commons or Public Domain are private. That means that we are allowed to provide the courses for free study, but only on the Alison website. They cannot be downloaded elsewhere. Often, these courses are commercially owned and Alison is the only way to access them freely. Then there are courses we own ourselves, and while free to use, they are not available off our site. This is because we have to monetise the traffic on our website through advertising and premium services to cover our expenses and continue growing our mission of providing free online learning.
Alison’s goal is to offer online courses on every subject, at every level. Our view is that access to knowledge and skills should be available to everyone, regardless of nationality. That’s why Alison is a non-institutional platform that directly bridges the gap between those with skills and those looking to gain skills.
It’s simple. Alison works with subject matter experts and experienced professionals who use their applied knowledge to create courses on our platform. We then open up these courses to the world for free. With over 6,000 courses on our site, we are able to offer free access to skills-based training to anyone who wishes to learn.
The Alison publishing team, led by a team of traditionally qualified pedagogic specialists, evaluate all courses published on the Alison platform to make sure they adhere to an appropriate high standard. They ensure the online courses are well-structured, easy to follow, and clearly communicate valuable information to the learner.
The proof of the currency of Alison courses is with the employers who recognise the value of the knowledge and skills of learners who pass our assessments. Alison’s system of accreditation allows any employer, anywhere, at any time, to verify what someone knows or does not know at Certificate or Diploma levels. With Alison, employers can instantly review the level of the course someone has done, or even review the entire course. This ‘here and now’ testing enables employers to take the tests that employees have taken, or to watch employees take these same tests again to show the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
This instantly demonstrates that someone who has an Alison certificate has the skills and knowledge that should come with such a Certificate. What this ultimately means is that an Alison Certificate represents current and up-to-date competency. An Alison Certificate is always current because it can always be challenged by an employer who wishes to test the Certificate holder. As such, an Alison Certificate serves as a representation of skills and knowledge that the user currently holds.
Do Alison courses have assessments?
Assessments are built into each course, generally in a quiz format. Some courses have assessments throughout and others just have one assessment at the end.
Alison Diploma courses have multiple assessments. Your final score is an average of all your individual scores from each assessment. Use your individual assessment scores to calculate your average overall score.
Your certificate will be issued in the same language you choose for the final course assessment, so please make sure to check and select your preferred language before starting the assessment.
If you have failed or wish to attain a higher score, you can retake the assessment as many times as you want to. Go to the assessment module, click on the assessment topic and you will be redirected to the start of the assessment.
If you retake an assessment, your new score will only be saved if it is higher than your previous result.
If you would like to change the language of a purchased certificate, you’ll need to retake the assessment in the desired language. Please note that the certificate language will only update if you achieve a higher score than before.
You can review your answers after you have completed an assessment. Simply click Review Your Answers, as shown in the screenshot below.
This will take you through the questions you answered incorrectly and show you the correct answer.
A course may have a selection of 50 assessment questions, however, you may only be asked 20. If you retake an assessment you will not necessarily be asked the same 20 questions again. This is why we encourage you to take notes.
How to start a course?
Alison courses are designed to be self-paced and self-taught. You can begin a course when you're ready and study whenever you have the chance. The duration of your study is entirely your decision. Most Certificate level courses take 2-3 hours to complete and Diploma courses take around 6-15 hours to complete.
Find the right course for you
Finding the right course on Alison couldn't be simpler. Everything depends on your interests or needs.
To start or improve your career, you can use Alison’s Career Tools.
Alison’s Career Guide helps you discover over 900 career paths with suggested courses to build the necessary skills.
The Career Ready Plan is a personalized program that creates a step-by-step learning schedule to enhance employability, including skill-building, resume tips, and job search advice.
Finding a course that will help you advance in your career starts with understanding who you are and what makes you unique. Our free Workplace Personality Assessment gives you a simple scientific report of your top skills and strengths. And, it offers personalised course recommendations to help you boost your strengths and work on potential development areas.
There are many options you can use to search for a specific course:
Using the search box
Choosing the course by Course Type
Choosing the course by Category
All learning on Alison is free. There is no payment required to enrol and complete any course on Alison and you can download your free Learner Record as proof of the courses you've completed. Once you complete a course, you have the option to purchase a Certificate. The paid Certificates allow us to continue creating courses that anyone, anywhere can access for free.
Select the course you wish to study and click Start Learning.
To enrol in a course and start learning, you need to be registered with Alison. Sign-up now!
At the moment, all Alison courses are available in English, and some are also available in Spanish. You can check which courses include translations by referring to the relevant article.
We plan to add more languages in the future, with French scheduled for 2026. This is a large project, and while it takes time to ensure our quality standards are met, expanding language access is a top priority for us. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to make Alison more accessible to learners worldwide.
How to find specific courses?
Finding the right course on Alison couldn't be simpler. You can do it in many ways:
Using the search box
Choosing the course by Course Type
Choosing the course by Category
At the moment, all Alison courses are available in English, and some are also available in Spanish. You can check which courses include translations by referring to the relevant article.
We plan to add more languages in the future, with French scheduled for 2026. This is a large project, and while it takes time to ensure our quality standards are met, expanding language access is a top priority for us. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to make Alison more accessible to learners worldwide.
The simplest way to find the course: type the name of the course you are looking for into the search box. You can do it on the Alison homepage as well as on any other page. Simply use the search box available on the top bar menu, as shown below:
Use the Top Bar menu to expand the Course Type menu. Choose the course type you are interested in: Certificate or Diploma.
Alternatively, choose the Course Category you interested in:
The simplest way to find the course: type the name of the course you are looking for into the search box. You can do it on the Alison homepage as well as on any other page on Alison. Simply use search box available on the top bar menu:
Use the Top Bar menu to expand the Course Type menu.
Choose the course type you are interested in: Certificate or Diploma.
Alternatively, choose the Course Category you are interested in:
The simplest way to find the course: type the name of course you are looking for into the search box.
Alternatively, choose the Course Category you interested in:
I want to retake the module/topic. How can I do it?
You can retake any module or topic anytime you want. The easiest way to do it is by opening the Module Tree.
Click the Module Tree icon to view the course’s list of modules and topics.
From the list, select the module and topic you want to study.
*Green checkmarks indicate the modules and topics you have already completed.
Click the Module Tree icon to view the course’s list of modules and topics.
From the list, select the module and topic you want to study.
*Green checkmarks indicate the modules and topics you have already completed.
Click the Module Tree icon to view the course’s list of modules and topics.
From the list, select the module and topic you want to study.
*Green checkmarks indicate the modules and topics you have already completed.
How do I continue a course?
Alison's platform is designed to provide a self-paced learning experience, enabling learners to balance their studies with other commitments while automatically saving course progress for seamless continuation.
You can continue any course you have enrolled in from your User Dashboard:
The first course you will see is the most recent course you have studied. Click the green Continue Learning button to resume your course.
If you want to continue any other course, click the Other Courses in Progress button, as shown in the screenshot below:
Select the course you wish to continue, and click the Continue Learning button.
The first course you will see is the most recent course you have studied. Click the green Continue Learning button to resume your course.
If you want to continue any other course, click the Other Courses in Progress button, as shown in the screenshot below:
Select the course you wish to continue, and click the Continue Learning button.
The first course you will see is the most recent course you have studied. Click the green Continue Learning button to resume your course.
If you want to continue any other course, click the View All Courses In Progress button, as shown in the screenshot below:
Select the course you wish to continue, and click the Continue Learning button.
Can I download/print the course contents?
As per our publishers agreements, course content can only be distributed through our website and app.
This means that we cannot offer downloadable or printable versions of our course material.
You can study offline using the Alison App, allowing you to learn anytime, anywhere—even without an internet connection. For more information on offline learning, visit our Offline Learning FAQs.
Where can I find my course Resources?
If a course includes additional resources, you can find them in the Resources section. However, not all courses offer extra resources.
You can access the course resources through the Module Tree. The Resources link is located at the end of the module list. Refer to the screenshot below for guidance.
You can access the course resources through the Module Tree. The Resources link is located at the end of the module list. Refer to the screenshot below for guidance.
To access course resources in the app, open the course and tap the Course Menu (as shown in the first screenshot). Then, select Additional Resources (as shown in the second screenshot).
Everyone's different, and so are their questions. Speak to our team directly and they'll personally answer all your questions, no matter what they are.
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