We know you want to know everything about how the USA Learns school works to decide whether or not it's worth enrolling on this platform.
To help you with this, our Papora experts evaluated all the course features and wrote a comprehensive review of its services.
Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of this English learning site, as well as some user reviews.
At the end, we'll tell you about an alternative to USA Learns that you can't miss. Let's get started!
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What is USA Learns and how does it work?
USA Learns is an online English school for adults, launched in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Education and LINCS. The platform promises quick results with courses in grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, reading, and writing. Content is split into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, each packed with activities to keep learners practicing regularly.
Main Features of Its Model
USA Learns says it can help you master both English and American culture by keeping lessons practical and centered on daily life. Most of the content is designed to build confidence in writing and speaking, with a few short grammar lessons included on the side.
The good news is that USA Learns lets you repeat lessons whenever you like. The bad news? The site tends to crash when too many people log in at once.
There’s also a team of tutors and volunteers to answer questions, but don’t expect quick replies—wait times are usually long.
Who is the USA Learns program for?
If you’re an adult starting from zero—or just looking to polish your English—USA Learns claims to have you covered. The program offers lessons for all levels, with practical goals for school, work, and daily life.
It’s especially popular among immigrants who want to adapt more easily to American society or boost their career options.
That said, while it’s great for self-paced learning, you should be aware of its drawbacks before jumping in.
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How much does it cost to study with USA Learns?
As a partner of the U.S. Department of Education and the national literacy program, USA Learns offers all its courses completely free of charge.
The program is government-funded, meaning students don’t pay any fees and there’s no premium version to unlock. The platform is built to be accessible to anyone who wants to improve their English, regardless of background—all you need is a phone or computer with internet access.
However, keep in mind that if the course requires additional materials or textbooks, those must be purchased separately by the student.
Advantages and disadvantages of learning English USA Learns
Let's talk about the benefits and drawbacks of using the USA Learns service in the United States:
Advantages:
The service is free.
Its main advantage is that users can receive information and practice English on the platform completely free of charge. The school is accessible to any student, regardless of their financial situation, although the platform has certain limitations to consider.
Teaches about American culture
Much of the course content is focused on helping international students learn more about the United States so they can better connect with native speakers.
Their courses are flexible.
Because it's an online platform, users have the opportunity to study from anywhere, as long as they have a device with internet access. Lessons can be repeated multiple times if necessary.
Disadvantages:
Very basic information
USA Learns offers courses at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. However, all of its content is very basic, especially if you're looking for a more specialized approach to English for your career or academic purposes.
Does not offer certification
Because the USA Learns school program is free, it does not offer a certificate like other English courses. Students only receive proof of enrollment in the program, but this is not officially valid.
Slow Platform
Due to the large number of active users, the platform often has trouble loading and operates very slowly. This greatly hinders the learning process and demotivates students.
User reviews
The best way to understand a course is through user feedback, so our team searched online for reviews. Since this school isn’t very well-known, finding them wasn’t easy. Still, we managed to collect opinions from review sites and teachers’ personal pages.
“It's free, engaging, allows both beginners and intermediate learners to practice all language learning domains, and makes it easy for teachers to create virtual classrooms.”
We see how students seem to like the course, although we also notice that they don't mention the advanced levels that USA Learns promises on their website.
“However, it would be even better if the student could save what he or she records and writes for later review by teachers or peers.”
This review highlights that the school's website often struggles to function at certain times of the day when many users are online. It even discusses features that could be improved.
“Notable features of USA Learn's approach to language instruction include story-based units, application of grammar and vocabulary in real-life settings and tasks, and explicit grammar instruction.”
At the end of the day, the lessons stick to an old-school style that just doesn’t inspire learners. Since the course isn’t very popular, reviews are scarce—but the ones we did find reveal the same issue: outdated methods that don’t really help students progress.
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In short, is it worth studying English with USA Learns?
For a free school, we believe USA Learns offers interesting benefits, but objectively speaking, it's not the best option if you really want to learn English quickly.
Its basic content aims to introduce you to American culture, but it won't help you achieve your professional, academic, or personal goals.
The school only provides content to help you learn to communicate your ideas, but without delving into authentic English and without considering your abilities as a student.
We must mention that its platform can be unintuitive and, due to its large number of users, it tends to load slowly at certain times of the day.
Now, we want to tell you about an online alternative that requires a minimal investment but offers unbeatable benefits. We're talking about the Papora course.
Why do we recommend learning English with Papora's online course?
The Papora platform is designed by native-level teachers, who created its content to offer you fun live English classes, plus a dynamic self-guided course that you can't miss.
Its system offers lessons with a variety of exercises (grammar, reading, writing, listening, and pronunciation) and classes with live teachers, all with the goal of stimulating the brain for better retention and simultaneous development of English skills.
With Papora, you can study anytime, anywhere—day or night. No pressure, no rush—just the freedom to learn English your way, at your own rhythm.
USA Learns FAQs:
On average, each course is designed to take approximately 80 hours to complete. However, this may vary depending on the student's ability and the amount of time they can dedicate to studying.
USA Learns does not offer certificates for its online courses. Although students can print a document indicating they have completed a course, this is not an official certificate and cannot be used for academic or professional purposes.
