Last updated: 11 October 2026 (program page, syllabus and prices re-checked on Udacity; AZ-104 details re-checked on Microsoft Learn). Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.
Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you enroll through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change our verdict, and several of the alternatives we name pay us nothing.
The Udacity Azure Administrator Nanodegree (nd991) is a 64-hour, intermediate program built around the Microsoft AZ-104 exam. Udacity rebuilt it in August 2026: five project-based courses now map one to one onto the five AZ-104 skill areas.
QUICK VERDICT
Our rating: 4.2 / 5
- Best for: IT and sysadmin professionals moving into Azure operations who want graded, scenario-based projects alongside AZ-104 study
- Not for: anyone on a tight budget (Microsoft Learn is free), and people who only want to pass the exam quickly
Bottom line: a well-structured, current program whose five projects mirror the real job; it is new and unrated, its exam-prep module looked unfinished on 11 October, and you will still want practice tests.
See the Azure Administrator syllabus →
What Is the Udacity Azure Administrator Nanodegree?
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Udacity describes the program as teaching you to “deploy and manage compute, storage, and networking resources”, implement security and governance, automate infrastructure with ARM templates and Bicep, and apply backup, recovery and failover strategies, aligned to the AZ-104 certification.
| Detail | Azure Administrator (nd991) |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Length | 64 hours (Udacity estimate) |
| Structure | 5 main courses plus an exam-prep course, 20 lessons, 5 projects |
| Exam it targets | Microsoft AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator |
| Udacity learner rating | None yet (no reviews on 11 October 2026) |
| Last updated by Udacity | 28 August 2026 |
| Instructors | Rodrigo Alves, Gerry O’Brien, Brian Gorman, Jean-Sébastien Padoan, Dwayne Natwick |
| Credential | Udacity program certificate; the Microsoft certification requires passing AZ-104 separately |
The Syllabus, and How It Maps to AZ-104
Microsoft’s AZ-104 study guide (skills measured as of 17 April 2026) splits the exam into five areas. Udacity’s five courses follow the same split, so you can track exam coverage course by course:
| Udacity course | Hours | AZ-104 skill area (weight) | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manage Azure Compute | about 12.5 | Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20-25%) | Scaling a Web Application on Azure |
| Manage Azure Storage | about 14 | Implement and manage storage (15-20%) | Implementing Cloud Storage for Insurance Claim Processing |
| Manage Azure Access, Policies & Budgets | about 12 | Manage Azure identities and governance (20-25%) | Migrate a Retail Company to a Hybrid Azure Presence |
| Manage Azure Virtual Networking | about 16 | Implement and manage virtual networking (15-20%) | Implementing, Managing, and Scaling a Virtual Network in Azure |
| Manage Azure Resources | about 10 | Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10-15%) | Build and Monitor Resilient Resources |
1. Manage Azure Compute
Virtual machines (sizing, disks, availability, scale sets, moving and resizing), infrastructure as code with ARM (JSON) and Bicep templates, containers in Azure Container Registry, Container Instances and Container Apps, and Azure App Service with deployment slots, scaling and backups. The project deploys and scales one application across those services.
2. Manage Azure Storage
Storage accounts with redundancy, replication and encryption; Storage Explorer and AzCopy; access through SAS tokens, access policies, keys, identity-based access and firewalls; Azure Files and Blob Storage with soft delete, snapshots, tiers and lifecycle rules. The project builds storage for an insurance-claims workflow using ARM, PowerShell and the CLI.
3. Manage Azure Access, Policies & Budgets
Microsoft Entra users and groups, role-based access control across scopes, subscriptions and management structure, Azure Policy, tags, locks, budgets and Azure Advisor. The project migrates a fictional retailer to a hybrid Azure presence with Entra ID, RBAC, managed identities and cost controls across multiple subscriptions.
4. Manage Azure Virtual Networking
Virtual networks and subnets, peering and routing, network security groups and application security groups, Azure Bastion, service and private endpoints, public and private DNS zones, and internal and public load balancers. The project segments a company network and documents the final architecture.
5. Manage Azure Resources
Azure Monitor metrics and logs (with KQL), alerts and Insights, Network Watcher, backup vaults and policies, and Azure Site Recovery. The project implements backup and disaster recovery and responds to a simulated cyberattack.
The exam-prep course
Udacity also lists an “Azure Administrator: Exam Prep” course. On 11 October 2026 its public outline showed only a placeholder lesson, so we could not review it. Do not count on it as your practice-exam source.
Prerequisites
Udacity lists a single prerequisite, Azure basics, plus fluent written and spoken English. That is a light bar for an intermediate program. You will move faster if you already understand IP addressing, DNS and subnets, and if PowerShell or the Azure CLI does not feel foreign. If Azure itself is new to you, start with the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals material first.
How Much Does the Azure Administrator Nanodegree Cost?
Udacity sells its Nanodegrees as part of a subscription to the whole catalog, and for some programs as a one-time purchase. These are the prices on the Azure Administrator Nanodegree page on 11 October 2026:
| Plan | List price | With 40% new-member offer | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $249 / month | $150 / month | The whole Udacity catalog; cancel anytime |
| 4-month bundle | $846 ($212 / month) | $127 / month | The 15% bundle discount covers the first 4 months, then the plan rolls to month-to-month |
On 11 October Udacity was advertising 40% off any plan for new members, and the discounted figures above are what the program page showed with that offer applied. Our link carries the reader code onlinecourseing40, which is the same 40%. If Udacity is running a bigger sale when you read this, check that your cart shows the larger discount before you pay.
Udacity does not offer a one-time purchase for this program: on 11 October its page listed only the monthly plan and the 4-month bundle. At the 40% rate, four months on the bundle cost $507.60 ($846 less 40%), and each month after that is billed month-to-month, so the cost depends almost entirely on how fast you finish. The AZ-104 exam fee is separate: Microsoft lists it at $165 USD, varying by country.
Check the current Azure Administrator price →
AZ-104 Exam Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam | AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator |
| Price | $165 USD (set by the country where you take it) |
| Length and pass mark | 100 minutes; 700 out of 1,000 |
| Prerequisites | None required by Microsoft |
| Validity | One year; renew free with an online assessment on Microsoft Learn |
| Skills measured | As of 17 April 2026: identities and governance 20-25%, storage 15-20%, compute 20-25%, networking 15-20%, monitoring and maintenance 10-15% |
Sources: Microsoft’s Azure Administrator Associate page and the AZ-104 study guide (price and skills read on 11 October 2026); length, pass mark and renewal come from our AZ-104 guide, re-read on Microsoft Learn on 21 September. For a full exam walkthrough, see our AZ-104 certification guide.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Course structure mirrors the AZ-104 skill areas, so exam coverage is easy to track.
- Five graded, scenario-based projects (a web app, insurance storage, a retail migration, a segmented network, disaster recovery).
- Current: rebuilt in August 2026, with Bicep, Container Apps and Microsoft Entra naming.
- One subscription also opens Udacity’s other cloud programs.
Cons
- No learner reviews yet, so there is no track record for this version.
- The exam-prep course looked unfinished on 11 October 2026.
- Microsoft Learn teaches the same exam content for free.
- No one-time purchase option, so slow learners keep paying monthly.
Who Should Take It, and Who Should Skip It
Take it if you are a sysadmin or IT generalist moving into Azure, you learn best by building, and you want a reviewer checking real deployments rather than just passing practice questions.
Skip it if money is tight or you only need the certificate: Microsoft Learn plus a well-rated video course and practice tests covers AZ-104 for a fraction of the price. If your employer runs on AWS, look at the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Cloud Architect paths instead, or compare the two clouds in AWS vs Azure.
Alternatives for AZ-104 Prep
| Option | Format | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Learn AZ-104 learning paths + practice assessment | Official free modules and a free practice test | Free | Microsoft Learn |
| Scott Duffy: AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator, Complete Exam Prep (Udemy) | Video course; 4.5 from 58,490 ratings, updated June 2026 | Udemy course price (often discounted) | See the course |
| KodeKloud: AZ-104 Azure Administrator Certification Prep (Coursera) | 4-course specialization with labs | Coursera subscription | See the specialization |
| Udacity Azure Administrator Nanodegree | 5 graded projects | From $127 a month with the 40% offer | See the program |
See Scott Duffy’s AZ-104 course →
WHAT WE CORRECTED IN THIS UPDATE
An earlier version of this review, written in May 2026, described parts of this program that do not appear in Udacity’s published syllabus. We re-read the program page line by line on 11 October 2026 and fixed the following:
- The May version described a four-module outline with a single capstone. The program now has five courses, each with its own project, plus an exam-prep course.
- It said a “$200 Azure trial credit covers most of the program’s costs” and estimated “$30-80 a month” in Azure costs. Udacity’s page states neither, so we removed both.
- It listed “1+ year IT operations experience” as a prerequisite. Udacity lists only Azure basics.
- It quoted a salary range with no source. We removed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Udacity Azure Administrator Nanodegree prepare you for AZ-104?
It covers the same ground: its five main courses line up one to one with the five AZ-104 skill areas Microsoft measures. Udacity also lists an exam-prep course, but its public outline was a placeholder on 11 October 2026, so plan to add Microsoft’s free practice assessment or a practice-test bank before you book the exam.
How long does it take?
Udacity lists 64 hours. At 10 hours a week that is about six to seven weeks; at 5 hours a week, about three months.
What are the prerequisites?
Udacity lists one: Azure basics. In practice you will be more comfortable if you already understand basic networking (IP addressing, DNS, subnets) and can run commands in PowerShell or the Azure CLI.
How much does the AZ-104 exam cost?
Microsoft lists the AZ-104 exam at $165 USD, with the price varying by the country where you sit it. The exam fee is separate from the Udacity subscription.
Is Microsoft Learn enough to pass AZ-104 for free?
Many people pass with Microsoft Learn’s free AZ-104 learning paths plus the free official practice assessment. What a paid program adds is structure and graded projects; it does not add exam content Microsoft leaves out.
Do you need AZ-104 before AZ-305?
Yes. Microsoft’s Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification requires the Azure Administrator Associate certification as well as passing AZ-305, so AZ-104 comes first.
What is an Azure administrator?
An Azure administrator runs an organization’s Azure environment: identities and access, subscriptions and policies, storage, virtual machines and containers, virtual networks, backup, recovery and monitoring.
Final Verdict
The rebuilt Azure Administrator Nanodegree is a sensible, current program whose five projects track the five AZ-104 skill areas. We rate it 4.2 out of 5: strong structure and projects, held back by having no learner reviews yet, an exam-prep course that was not ready when we checked, and the fact that Microsoft gives the exam content away free. It is the right choice if you want graded, hands-on practice; it is not the cheapest route to the certificate.
Enroll in the Azure Administrator Nanodegree →
Related reading: AZ-104 certification guide · AZ-305 guide · AWS vs Azure · Best cloud certifications
Related guide: best Microsoft Azure courses.