Before submitting an application to graduate school, you might be eager to attend a Yale lecture or try out a University of Michigan course. In either case, online learning is a convenient way to find out more about your interests or learn useful new skills—and it’s often free. Free online certifications help you learn new skills and gain new knowledge. They also make your CV more appealing to government and private sector employers who are looking to hire people for jobs. You may get knowledge from subject matter experts through freeonline courses.
The major MOOC (Massive Open freeonline courses) platforms (Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, and edX) have modified their course models such that courses are now free but printable certificates are still subject to fees. Even so, there are still a lot of freeonline courses that come from trusted sources and offer certifications. But not all courses have course materials that are ready for the workplace or cover the subject in depth.
On e-learning sites like edX, Coursera, and FutureLearn, you can sign up for thousands of freeonline courses taught by reputable institutions. These courses cover everything from the basics of computer programming to neuroscience. Most of them also include optional paid certificates of completion that you may include on your resume or LinkedIn, or they’re a part of lengthier programmes that may be more reasonably priced alternatives to on-campus instruction.
Most Popular Freeonline Courses from top Universities
We made a list of the most popular online classes from the top 15 colleges, as chosen by US News so that you can see all the free options in one place. The most recent enrollments served as our gauge of popularity, and we also took into account courses that were a part of larger certificate programmes (as you can still audit them for free).
1# Harvard University — CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science
Length: 12 weeks
Related courses or programmes include CS50’s AP® Computer Science Principles, Computer Science for Web Programming (Professional Certificate), Computer Science for Artificial Intelligence (Professional Certificate), Computer Science for Mobile Apps (Professional Certificate), Computer Science for Game Development (Professional Certificate), and Computer Science and Mobile Apps (Professional Certificate) (XSeries). The fundamentals of problem-solving and algorithmic thinking are covered in this introductory computer science course, which has almost 3 million students enrolled. Abstractions, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development are some of the topics covered. You may read more about the free computer science coursework offered by Harvard here or look for more free Harvard freeonline courses here.
2# Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
Duration: 9 weeks.
Related programmes or courses Python-Based Computational Thinking (XSeries) More than a million people have signed up for the MIT course for people who have never studied computer science before. Students study some basic algorithms as well as the foundations of computer science and Python programming More free MIT freeonline courses are available here.
3# Stanford University — Machine Learning
Duration: 11 weeks
This introductory machine learning course has more than 4 million students. It gives a thorough overview of the subject, including data mining, finding statistical patterns, and the basics of machine learning. More Stanford freeonline courses are available for free here.
4# University of California, Berkeley — The Science of Happiness
Duration: 11 weeks
Programs or courses that are related to The Science of Workplace Happiness (Professional Certificate) This positive psychology class tells students what true happiness is and gives them exercises and tips for staying happy and healthy over time. More free UC Berkeley freeonline courses may be found here. You can read our evaluation of the course here.
5# University of Oxford — From Poverty to Prosperity: Understanding Economic Development
Duration: 6 weeks
This course looks at the political, social, and economic factors that affect a country’s growth, such as national identity, size, and international trade. It also looks at how countries can get rich.
6# Columbia University — Financial Engineering and Risk Management Part I
Duration: 8 weeks.
Related programmes or courses Part II: Financial Engineers and Risk Management. This course will teach students about financial modelling and give them a lot of background information on financial engineering. Financial engineering is a field that combines economics, math, statistics, and computer science. More free freeonline courses from Columbia are available here.
7# University of Washington — Machine Learning Foundations: A Case Study Approach
Duration: 6 weeks.
Programs or courses related to machine learning (specialisation) This course helps students learn useful information by giving them real-world case studies and activities that teach Python programming, data analysis, and other topics. Click “Enroll for free” and then “Audit this course” to receive a free audit of the course. More free freeonline courses from the University of Washington are available here.
8# University of Cambridge — Teaching English Online
Duration: 4 weeks.
Related programmes or courses Investigating the Field of English Language Instruction This course, taught by Cambridge English Assessment, a division of the University of Cambridge, is geared toward experienced English instructors who wish to begin teaching online. It covers everything from professional development to communication in virtual classrooms. More free University of Cambridge freeonline courses are available here.
9# California Institute of Technology — The Evolving Universe
Time frame: 10 weeks
Related programmes or courses The Solar System’s Science In order to assist students in getting a more comprehensive grasp of the physical universe as a whole, Caltech’s basic astronomy course covers planetary systems, stars, galaxies, black holes, quasars, and bigger structures. More free Caltech ffreeonline courses are available here.
10# Johns Hopkins University — COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Duration: 1 week.
Related programmes or courses A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out on Using Epidemiology to Measure and Maximize the Impact of COVID-19 Contact Tracing and to Fight COVID-19. The principles of contact tracing are covered in this brief course, which comes with a free certificate of completion, as contact tracing jobs become increasingly accessible globally (as well as the ethics behind them). More freeonline courses from Johns Hopkins may be found here.
11# Yale University — The Science of Well-Being
Time frame: 10 weeks
Related programmes or courses Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty or Stress; Introduction to Psychology. The Science of Well-Being, which was adapted from Yale’s most well-attended on-campus course ever, offers a summary of what really makes us happy, along with brief check-ins and exercises to help track your feelings as you progress through the course. Check out more free Yale freeonline courses here and our evaluation of the course here.
12# University of Pennsylvania — English for Career Development
Duration: 5 weeks.
English for Entrepreneurship and Business. This course leads students through learning English for work-related circumstances, from preparing a cover letter to acing an interview, thanks to a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More freeonline courses from the University of Pennsylvania are available here.
13# University of Chicago — Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life
Time frame: 10 weeks
This basic course will provide you with a broad introduction to how the human brain functions, including how the nervous system influences behaviour, how we utilise our brains, and how neuroscience may help us understand our issues. More freeonline courses from the University of Chicago are available here.
14# Princeton University — Algorithms, Part 1
Duration: 6 weeks.
Related programmes or courses Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines; Algorithms, Part 2 This course covers all the fundamental information about algorithms and data structures you’ll need to know, including elementary data structures, sorting algorithms, and searching algorithms, for anybody thinking about a future in programming. Here are some links to other freeonline courses from Princeton.
15# University College London — The Many Faces of Dementia
Duration: 4 weeks.
Related programmes or courses Sharing expertise, fostering understanding, and enhancing lives: Dementia and the Arts Aiming to demystify dementia care, this course explores four lesser-known kinds of dementia, their symptoms, and the experience of receiving a dementia diagnosis. Dementia affects about 44 million people worldwide.