The primary purpose of student reviews on Udemy is to help prospective students evaluate if a course is a match for their learning goals. Our review system empowers students to find and enroll in the courses that are most likely to fit their needs. Written reviews also provide instructors with direct feedback which can help them improve their content.
In order for the review system to be effective, students must trust that the system is fair and that Udemy is a neutral party. Instructors can flag reviews, but Udemy will only remove them if they meet the specific, objective criteria outlined below.
Udemy removes reviews in several scenarios:
1. Reviews removed by the Automatic (Spam) Review Filter: If a review, along with the behavior of the reviewer, scores high in our algorithm as potentially spam, the review will not appear. Udemy scans all student ratings and reviews to identify those that are likely to be inauthentic. We incorporate many data points to ensure course feedback reflects the engaged, unbiased opinions of learners with a genuine interest in the course material.
Occasionally, reviews left by friends and family have been hidden by this filter. If you believe that a review has been removed incorrectly, you can let us know at policy@udemy.com. While we are unable to provide any details about the filter, we will investigate to confirm that everything is working as intended.
2. Negative reviews reported as policy abuse: Anyone on Udemy can report a review as an abuse of Udemy’s policy, at which point our policy team will examine whether the review meets one of the criteria that warrants removal. Learn more about when a negative review is against policy here.
3. Reviews acquired improperly: Instructors are expected to follow Udemy’s rules against manipulating or influencing reviews, as well as the spirit of the review system as a tool for students to help each other evaluate courses. Learn more about Udemy’s rules against manipulating or influencing reviews here.