Online Education Market Analysis for 2025

Contents:

• The Relationship Between the Average Check of Online Schools and Their Revenue
• Efficient Payment Processing Methods for Online Education
• The Effectiveness of Monetization through Club and Subscription Models: Analysis of Approaches
• The Most Profitable Niches with a High Average Check

Head of External Communications at GetCourse.

The year 2025 has become a real test for the online education sector. In these circumstances, those already operating in this field or planning to enter the market urgently need to understand which monetization approaches are proving most effective, as well as which educational areas are in greatest demand.

We examine the relationship between sales volume and average order value in online schools, as well as the evolution of the product range in the online education sector. To do this, we rely on up-to-date data collected from 19,000 educational institutions using the GetCourse platform. We will also consider which payment solutions are worth using.

The Relationship Between the Average Order Value of Online Schools and Their Revenue

The average order value in online education is an important indicator, showing the average amount generated by the sale of one course over a given period of time. This indicator allows one to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational project's monetization and analyze its financial stability.

The average transaction value is calculated as follows: total income or revenue for a given period is divided by the total number of transactions.

In 2025, a significant portion of online school revenue on the GetCourse platform will be generated by high-priced products, priced at 100,000 rubles or more. These are primarily long-term programs aimed at developing professional skills and training students in new specialties from scratch. The high share of such offers in total sales indicates their popularity. In addition, the availability of expensive courses to a wider audience is increased through the use of flexible financial solutions, such as installment plans.

In an effort to expand their business, many online schools are introducing expensive programs into their offerings, as there is a direct correlation between a high average check and an increase in overall sales. The data below clearly confirms this trend: large educational projects demonstrate higher average check values ​​in the context of their overall turnover.

A significant price is often justified by the value the product offers. Expensive courses typically offer participants benefits such as personalized support, live events, access to exclusive clubs, and a range of other additional benefits.

According to our observations, starting in 2023, viewers showed a willingness to invest significant sums in development, which, in turn, prompted the market to intensify the creation of high-value offerings. However, this trend was not without its excesses: for example, mentoring programs with prices reaching millions of rubles emerged.

Nevertheless, in 2025, compared to 2024, the share of high-priced courses in the total revenue of online educational institutions decreased from a peak of 75% in June 2024 to a minimum of 50% in March 2025. Products priced over 100,000 rubles remain the leading products, but the market has become more balanced, and the premium segment no longer exhibits such a pronounced gap.

The decline in the share of high-cost courses in total revenue is largely due to the increase in the share of mid-priced programs (ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 rubles), which amounted to 5-10% by 2025. Educational institutions that previously focused exclusively on expensive courses have begun to diversify their offerings, introducing products in different price categories.

Conclusions and suggestions: although large payment amounts still account for a significant share of revenue, for the stability of an educational company it is necessary to develop not only high-quality programs, but also Courses with a price range from 10,000 to 100,000 rubles. It should be noted that this does not imply a reduction in prices for existing products; the emphasis should be on developing new offerings that adequately reflect their value to students. This approach will make training more accessible to various categories of clients and expand the target audience.

Efficient payment processing methods for online education

In 2025, the share of mid-priced courses in total revenue increased, while sales of high-priced products decreased significantly. This is due to the fact that it has become more difficult for buyers to arrange installment plans. The reasons for this were the increase in the key interest rate and stricter conditions for approving such payments by banks. In addition, many clients already have a significant debt burden due to multiple loans, which also creates barriers to purchasing expensive courses. It is also worth noting that there is a self-prohibition on obtaining new loans, which continues for another 24 hours after its removal, which further complicates the possibility of a prompt purchase.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of BNPL services, which stands for "buy now, pay later". Among them, we can highlight such offers as "Yandex Split", "Share" from "T-Bank" and "Pay in parts" from "Sber". These platforms provide customers with the opportunity to make split payments, in which part of the amount is paid immediately, and the remaining part is debited from the linked card over several months. One of the key advantages of BNPL services is the absence of a credit check for the user and clear terms and conditions without the need to sign a loan agreement. Thanks to this, many buyers have begun to actively use such services.

The BNPL format is especially convenient for purchasing mid-priced goods, since individual payments are easy fits within most people's financial plans. However, when it comes to purchasing expensive courses, this model becomes less effective. For example, under the classic BNPL scheme, the cost of a 100,000-ruble course would be split into four biweekly payments of 25,000 rubles. Such amounts may be too high for many potential clients.

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Experts conducted a study on how Russians pay for online courses and analyzed the average costs for various fields of study.

On the GetCourse platform, more than 25% of all financial transactions are carried out through installments, loans, and split payments using BNPL services. Over the past year, this percentage has decreased by only 3%. If an educational institution integrates several installment services at once, the approval rate for applications increases significantly, which, in turn, allows more students to take advantage of the purchasing opportunity.

At educational institutions using the GetCourse platform, the majority of financial transactions—approximately 64%—are carried out using Russian bank cards. This percentage is steadily increasing, driven by the active adoption of various payment services such as SberPay, Yandex Pay, T-Pay, and others. Foreign payments account for almost 10% of all transactions processed through the Get Module payment system integrated into the GetCourse platform. This suggests that Russian online schools that aren't targeting an international audience may be missing out on up to 10% of potential revenue. Recommendations and Conclusions: To ensure sustainable development, online schools need to offer a variety of payment methods to ensure they don't miss out on any potential client group. It's also important to pay attention to the growing popularity of new services and formats, such as BNPL.

The Effectiveness of Monetization through Club and Subscription Models: An Analysis of Approaches

Studying the evolution of educational institutions operating on the GetCourse platform, we can see that the club system and subscription model are becoming increasingly popular among stable and predictable businesses in the online education sector. Such initiatives often utilize regular automatic debits from student cards.

Subscription and club models allow companies to maintain a stable level of income, even if the price of a single subscription is low. This is achieved through the presence of regular subscribers and a high level of trust from the audience. A number of successful educational institutions using these monetization models have impressive customer retention rates—over 90% month-over-month.

The average tuition for online schools operating under club and subscription systems is 2,592 rubles. This figure has remained unchanged since the fall of 2024. At the same time, there has been a steady increase in the number of automatic payments: from 90,000 transactions at the beginning of 2025, the number of payments increased to 118,000 by September.

The Most Profitable Niches with High Average Checks

In 2025, the courses with the highest average checks on the GetCourse platform were in the following subject areas:

• In the "Financial Literacy" category, total revenue reached 22,678 rubles. Courses on crypto trading and investments generated the highest profits in this segment. The maximum amount paid for training in this area was 2.1 million rubles.
• "Profit" is 16,433 rubles. This category includes courses aimed at converting knowledge into income (most often related to business), and the most profitable area is e-commerce entrepreneurship. The highest salary in this niche reaches 2.5 million rubles.
• The average salary in the "Profession" field is 15,573 rubles. The most popular fields in this field include design specialists (from landscape design to UX/UI, 3D modeling and animation), IT experts (especially in the field of no-code), accountants and coaches. The maximum income in this category reaches 2.2 million rubles.
• The cost of language training is 12,456 rubles. English and Chinese language courses generate the greatest profit. In this field, the largest income can reach 2 million rubles.

Since the beginning of 2020, the "Financial Literacy" sector has shown significant growth in the average bill, increasing from 8,427 rubles to 23,300 rubles in 2024. While there has been a slight decline this year, the average tuition for educational programs in this field remains the highest among online schools.

The "Earnings" segment has also seen growth: in 2020, the average amount was 4,596 rubles, and by 2022, it had increased to 12,756 rubles. Since then, the average check has stabilized within the range of 12,000–21,000 rubles. The high average check in this field can be explained by students beginning to use their new knowledge to increase their income, which allows them to quickly offset the costs of training.

Over the past few years, the average check in the "Profession" segment has almost quadrupled, rising from 4,257 rubles to 16,667 rubles in 2024, and is projected to remain at this level in 2025. This indicates sustained interest in programs that help acquire new professional skills.

Students continue to invest in foreign language learning annually. In 2020, the average cost of language courses and materials was 3,631 rubles, and in 2021, it increased to 12,099 rubles. After several years of price declines, they returned to their previous levels in 2024 and remain there.

Across various fields, the largest expenditures are typically associated with programs or specific plans that offer personalized support and mentoring from specialists.

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• In 2025, Russians will show interest in various online course topics. Among the most popular areas are IT and programming, where skills in software development, web design, and cybersecurity are in demand. Business and entrepreneurship courses, which teach the basics of management, marketing, and financial literacy, are also generating significant interest.

  Furthermore, languages ​​are being actively studied, especially English, due to globalization and the need for international communication. Topics related to personal growth and psychology also resonate with Russians seeking to develop their communication skills and emotional intelligence.

  Health and fitness courses are becoming increasingly popular as people increasingly recognize the importance of physical and mental well-being. In general, Russians in 2025 show a noticeable interest in self-development and improving their skills through online learning.

• What are the financial capabilities of Russians to invest in additional education in 2025?
• What real opportunities are opening up for Russian EdTech in the CIS markets?
• According to new data, there is a growing interest in courses that teach skills in the field of artificial intelligence.