{
  "slug": "online-course-completion-economics",
  "title": "Online Course Completion Economics Calculator",
  "heading": "Online Course Completion Value Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/online-course-completion-economics",
  "summary": "What low completion rates actually cost you in support load and refunds.",
  "description": "Self-paced online courses average completion rates around 3–15%, far below cohort programs. Low completion drives support tickets, refund requests, and bad reviews, all of which cost money even though the course was already 'sold.' This tool models how many buyers finish based on your completion rate, estimates the extra support cost per non-completer, and shows how much completion-driven refund risk sits on top of your normal refund policy.",
  "formula": "Completers = buyers × completion rate. Non-completer refund risk = non-completers × refund propensity × price. Support cost = buyers × avg tickets × cost per ticket.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=online-course-completion-economics",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "buyers",
      "label": "Course buyers",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 199,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "completionRate",
      "label": "Completion rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "refundPropensity",
      "label": "Refund rate among non-completers",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "avgTickets",
      "label": "Support tickets per buyer",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "costPerTicket",
      "label": "Cost per support ticket",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "netAfterRisk",
      "label": "Net revenue after completion drag",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "completers",
      "label": "Buyers who finish",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "nonCompleters",
      "label": "Buyers who don't finish",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "refundRisk",
      "label": "Refund risk from non-completers",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "supportCost",
      "label": "Total support cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Course buyers: 500",
      "Price: 199 $",
      "Completion rate: 12 %",
      "Refund rate among non-completers: 8 %",
      "Support tickets per buyer: 0.6",
      "Cost per support ticket: 12 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Net revenue after completion drag: $88,895",
      "Buyers who finish: 60",
      "Buyers who don't finish: 440",
      "Refund risk from non-completers: $7,005",
      "Total support cost: $3,600"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter course buyers.",
      "Enter price ($).",
      "Enter completion rate (%).",
      "Enter refund rate among non-completers (%).",
      "Enter support tickets per buyer.",
      "Enter cost per support ticket ($).",
      "Read your net revenue after completion drag on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "buyers": 300,
        "price": 120,
        "completionRate": 7,
        "refundPropensity": 5,
        "avgTickets": 0.36,
        "costPerTicket": 7
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "buyers": 500,
        "price": 200,
        "completionRate": 12,
        "refundPropensity": 8,
        "avgTickets": 0.6,
        "costPerTicket": 12
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "buyers": 800,
        "price": 320,
        "completionRate": 19,
        "refundPropensity": 13,
        "avgTickets": 0.96,
        "costPerTicket": 19
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why is completion so low for self-paced courses?",
      "a": "Without cohort deadlines, peer accountability, or a live instructor, motivation decays fast. Research on MOOCs consistently finds completion in the 3–15% range, versus 60–90% for structured cohort programs with deadlines and community."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does raising completion rate always pay off?",
      "a": "Usually, but the fix (drip content, accountability emails, community, live office hours) costs money and staff time. Compare the delta in refund risk and reviews against the cost of the intervention before investing heavily in completion features."
    },
    {
      "q": "How does completion rate affect reviews and future sales?",
      "a": "Non-completers rarely leave reviews at all, and when they do they skew negative because they never reached the payoff content. Low completion indirectly taxes future conversion even when it doesn't trigger a formal refund."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should pricing change based on expected completion?",
      "a": "Some creators price lower for pure self-paced content precisely because they expect low completion and want to reduce refund exposure, then charge a premium for cohort or coached versions where completion — and therefore results — is much higher."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cohort-course-revenue-refund",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lms-seat-pricing"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Online Course Completion Economics Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/online-course-completion-economics)"
}