Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
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
$3,600
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How to use this
- 1Enter course buyers.
- 2Enter price ($).
- 3Enter completion rate (%).
- 4Enter refund rate among non-completers (%).
- 5Enter support tickets per buyer.
- 6Enter cost per support ticket ($).
- 7Read your net revenue after completion drag on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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 $
Results
- 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: $3,600
What each field means
Inputs
- Course buyers
- The course buyers used in the calculation. Starts at 500 so you have a working example on load.
- Price ($)
- The price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 199 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Completion rate (%)
- The completion rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 12 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–100 %.
- Refund rate among non-completers (%)
- The refund rate among non-completers used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Support tickets per buyer
- The support tickets per buyer used in the calculation. Starts at 0.6 so you have a working example on load.
- Cost per support ticket ($)
- The cost per support ticket used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Net revenue after completion drag
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Buyers who finish
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Buyers who don't finish
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Refund risk from non-completers
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total support cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why is completion so low for self-paced courses?
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.
Does raising completion rate always pay off?
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.
How does completion rate affect reviews and future sales?
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.
Should pricing change based on expected completion?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Online Course Completion Economics Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/online-course-completion-economics
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/online-course-completion-economics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Online Course Completion Economics Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Online Course Completion Economics Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/online-course-completion-economics) (2026).