Whether you’re gearing up for a big career change, or you’re just looking to learn something new, free online courses can help jump-start your journey.
What is the value of free online courses? Well, they can’t replace a traditional educational program, but these courses still offer a variety of benefits. Our guide explores a selection of the top top free online course providers to help you choose a new educational experience (without breaking the bank). Let’s get started.
What Are the Benefits of a Free Online Course?
One of the best parts of a free online course is that it’s—well, free. When you don’t have to weigh the cost, there’s less risk involved with trying out a new subject. You can relax, enjoy and explore.
Free online courses can rekindle the joy of learning. They can also help you take concrete steps toward professional or educational goals. Learners can use free online classes to sample a new career field, build skills for a promotion or brush up on knowledge before going back to school.
Many free online classes are known as massive open online courses (MOOCs). MOOCs allow hundreds or thousands of learners to take a single course, usually for free or at low cost. Because of their affordability and lack of formal entrance requirements, MOOCs offer an accessible, low-risk way to learn.
Who Should Consider Taking Free Online Courses?
- Career-changers. Free online courses can help you learn about new industries and potentially qualify for entry-level positions. These courses can’t replace traditional degrees, but they can help you stand out in the job market.
- Working professionals. Free online education makes it easier to stay on top of industry trends. You can also use free online courses to showcase your drive and dedication when applying for a new role.
- Students. Learners can use free classes to prepare for exams, review difficult concepts and curb learning loss over breaks from school. Users can find study resources for elementary school through graduate school levels via MOOCs.
- Lifelong learners. If you want to gain perspective on world events, pick up a new hobby or explore a topic of interest, there are many online learning options available at no cost.
Online Platforms with Free Courses
edX
A pioneer of the MOOC model, edX began in 2012 with 155,000 enrollees. It now boasts over 42 million users.
This aggregate site offers free and paid classes along with micro-credentials, degrees and professional certificates. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), edX operated as a nonprofit until it was purchased by education technology company 2U in 2021.
edX provides diverse course content from over 160 partners, including Ivy League schools like Cornell University, international institutions like Oxford University, prominent companies like Google and nonprofits like the Smithsonian Institution.
Students can take courses in the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities. They can also study areas like law, tech and healthcare. edX’s micro-credentials and degrees focus on business, technology and social services.
Learners can audit most classes for free, but they must pay $50 to $300 per class if they want graded assignments and completion verification. Financial assistance is available to qualifying students.
Coursera
The world’s largest MOOC provider, Coursera delivers programs that reach over 100 million learners worldwide. Stanford University computer science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng founded the company in 2012.
Like many MOOC platforms, Coursera offers content from multiple educational partners. Users can access classes from universities like Yale and companies like Microsoft. Coursera’s learning pathways include standalone courses, degrees, short guided projects and micro-credentials.
Course topics span the arts and humanities, health, mathematics, business, sciences and technology. Learners can study several languages and delve into personal development topics like mindfulness. Coursera’s tech-related MOOCs are particularly robust, with classes in areas like web development, data science and cybersecurity.
Learners can take most courses at no charge. A certificate of completion costs $49 to $79 per class, or students can buy annual or monthly memberships. Coursera also awards scholarships and partners with organizations to provide educational access to underserved populations.
FutureLearn
London-based FutureLearn emphasizes social learning. Users can create a profile to interact with other learners. Courses typically include peer feedback and discussion opportunities.
This MOOC hub’s academic partners include several U.S. universities but primarily include international institutions, particularly those from the UK, Europe and Australia. Course content also comes from private and nonprofit organizations.
FutureLearn students can delve into STEM fields like computer science, engineering and mathematics. Individuals can sharpen business skills and explore literature, law, politics and history. Creative arts courses investigate areas like fashion and film, and language classes include less-common offerings such as Irish and Norwegian.
Participants can take most FutureLearn courses for free. They can also upgrade to gain certificates of completion and extended access to course materials. ExpertTracks, micro-credentials, and online degrees all require payment.
Canvas Network
Canvas is a widely used learning management system (LMS) for K-12 and higher education. With over 30 million users as of 2019, many students and parents may already know of Canvas. The company also offers free online classes, specializing in career development resources for education professionals.
Educators can learn strategies for helping at-risk students, teaching remotely, navigating copyright issues and using the Canvas LMS, among other subjects. Depending on the class, instruction is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
Courses on Canvas Network are mostly free and self-paced. The site offers only short courses and does not provide certificates of completion. Some individual instructors may include that option.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy, a nonprofit, focuses on elementary and high school education—unlike many other MOOC platforms. Embracing a mission to increase educational access worldwide, the platform boasts over 61 million registered users across more than 190 countries.
Khan Academy offers courses in subjects like language arts, science, economics, life skills and art history. Depending on the topic, levels range from pre-K through high school. Learners can also complete prep courses for the SAT, LSAT, Praxis Core and MCAT.
Classes are entirely free, and the site provides resources to help teachers and parents support their students’ success.
Udacity
Unlike aggregate sites, technology educator Udacity publishes its own courses. The for-profit site develops classes in collaboration with industry leaders like GitHub and Amazon.
Udacity divides its offerings among eight schools, each focused on a tech discipline like artificial intelligence, programming and development or data science. Students can enroll in short courses or longer nanodegree programs. Free options fall into the short-course category and last from two to 16 weeks.
Nanodegree programs require paid participation and include academic and career support, discussion forums and project reviews. There is no free certificate option, but credential-seeking students can save through Udacity’s discounts and scholarships.
Udemy
Many MOOC hubs offer only curated content from partner organizations. Udemy, however, allows anyone to create, upload and teach courses. For this reason, Udemy users may need to vet potential classes more carefully than students on some other MOOC sites. However, Udemy courses feature many highly qualified educators teaching a broad array of subjects.
Udemy divides its courses into 12 broad categories, including IT and software, business, lifestyle and design. Niche topics include TikTok marketing, tarot reading, day trading and aerial photography.
Most of Udemy’s over 204,000 classes require a fee, but the platform also offers more than 500 free options. Course prices range from $19.99 to $199.99, and the site runs frequent sales. Class fees include lifetime access and a certificate of completion. Udemy also provides a subscription option.
Cognitive Class
IBM’s Cognitive Class delivers free, self-paced online training in data science and cognitive computing. Learners can earn badges to showcase their skills in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, Python and JavaScript.
Cognitive Class offers individual courses, which typically run from three to 20 hours, along with 10 learning paths in areas like data science fundamentals and deep learning. These three- to five-course sequences allow students to explore subjects more in-depth. Learners can refine their class search using factors like topic, experience level, target skills and preferred language (English or Chinese).
To earn a badge, students must complete review questions and pass a one-hour exam. For many courses, Cognitive Class allows unlimited auditing before participants try for their badge.
General Assembly
This career education provider focuses on high-impact, in-demand skills training. General Assembly’s programs cater to both beginners launching new careers and professionals seeking to enhance their resumes. Offerings include career preparation bootcamps, available online and at over 30 campus locations worldwide.
General Assembly’s bootcamps cost $3,950 to $15,950. The platform also offers some free resources. Learners can attend live-streamed webinars to explore topics like data, design and digital marketing. Beginning coders can learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript basics through the free Dash web development course. General Assembly also offers no-cost career development classes and e-books.
MIT OpenCourseWare
Through OpenCourseWare, MIT has provided free online access to the university’s curricula since 2001. Published under a Creative Commons license, OpenCourseWare materials are free to download, use, share and adapt. Since launching its pilot website with 50 courses, OpenCourseWare has grown to include the entire MIT catalog.
OpenCourseWare does not issue credit or certificates, but learners can follow a self-charted path through a vast array of topics like sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities and arts. Students can search for courses by topic, department and level. Users can also filter classes by whether they offer features like exams, online textbooks or lecture videos.
The Open University
Chartered in 1969, The Open University is a pioneer in leveraging technological innovation to widen educational access. Originally reaching students through television and radio, The Open University began online instruction in the 1990s. Today, the UK-based public college offers degrees, diplomas, certificates and standalone modules and courses.
Launched in 2006, The Open University’s free learning platform OpenLearn provides over 1,000 courses ranging from one to 100 study hours. Users can also access videos, games, quizzes and articles. Over 6 million people use OpenLearn each year.
Course subjects fall into eight categories covering a variety of academic topics. Some courses allow learners to earn digital badges or statements of participation. Students can’t contact instructors, but they can communicate with peers through each course’s comments section.
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