In this article, we cover the Best Free College Courses Online and Classes with Credit.
Traditional college and university courses come at a high cost. Courses from top educational institutions are the most expensive.
The Internet is changing the way people learn and get high-level education. Free online college courses are growing in popularity. They are an amazing way to learn subjects of your choice at no cost.
You can find courses from a wide range of subjects: Science, Computer Science, Medicine, History and more. There are hundreds of college courses available online.
How do you choose the best ones?
We have collected the list of 10 best free college courses online that are free of charge. Below college courses are all from top universities of the USA.
1. Free College Courses Online from MITx
MITx courses are free courses from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They are available via the edX platform.
MITx offers free online courses in a variety of subjects. On the other hand, students will have to pay a small fee for a verified certificate.
MITx courses embody the inventiveness, openness, and quality that are hallmarks of MIT.
Many courses use materials developed for MIT residential courses in the Institute’s five schools and 33 academic disciplines.
MITx is offering one free online college course with credit:
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python.
Credit for this course is available through Charter Oak State College
You can find MITx courses on:
Business, Energy, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health and Medicine, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Society, Teaching and Education.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
2. Free Online Classes from HarvardX
HarvardX is a free online college courses from Harvard University. You have a chance to attend online classes designed by one of the best universities in the world. Available via edX platform.
HarvardX is the independent, faculty-led organization that complements Harvard faculty. It supports schools that wish to develop and create innovative digital learning content. HarvardX provides courses via edX platform.
Courses cover a wide range of topics: CS50 for Lawyers, Contact Law, Statistics, Calculus, Data Analysis, Data Science, Machine Learning, Using Python for Research, CR50 for Mobile Development, Entrepreneurship, History, Literature Courses and much more.
Harvard University courses are free to take. Students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
3. Online Courses from Stanford University
Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California. It’s famous for its academic strength, wealth, selectivity and is ranking as one of the world’s top universities.
Stanford University is known for its close relationship with Silicon Valley. Many entrepreneurial startups and the venture capital industry that has formed around it.
The free online courses available through Coursera platform are:
Machine Learning, Social and Economic Networks, Game Theory, Logic, Organizational Analysis, Writing in the Sciences, Cryptography and others.
If you are looking to learn one of the subjects Stanford offers, it’s worth checking the course details.
Courses are free of charge, but a certificate will cost a small free. A Course Certificate is an official Coursera credential that confirms completion.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
4. Free Online Classes from Yale University (Open Yale Courses)
Open Yale Courses (OYC) is a project of Yale University. OYC provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses. It’s available free of charge via the Internet.
The courses span the full range of liberal arts disciplines. They include humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences.
Online courses are designed for a wide range of students around the world, among them self-directed and life-long learners, educators, and high school and college students.
Each course includes a full set of class lectures produced in high-quality video. Accompanied by other course materials – syllabi, suggested readings, and problem sets.
The lectures are available as downloadable videos. An audio-only version is also another option.
Registration is not required. On the flip side, there is no credit degree or certificate.
Courses are available through the Open Yale Courses website.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Access Here
5. Free College Courses from ColumbiaX
ColumbiaX is a selection of free online courses from Columbia University. Offered via edX platform.
Columbia University is one of the world’s most important academic research centers.
ColumbiaX offers online MicroMasters, XSeries and individual courses on a variety of subjects. Taught by our top instructors at Columbia University.
MicroMasters and XSeries are a combination of courses that can be taken separately.
Teachers College, Columbia University’s affiliate graduate school of education, offers programs in:
Education, health, leadership, and psychology.
Two courses from ColubiaX are professional certificate programs: Corporate Finance and Data Science for Executives.
Columbia University courses are completely free. Students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
6. Free College Courses and Certifications from BerkeleyX (UC Berkeley)
BerkeleyX is online courses from University of California, Berkeley. BerkeleyX is the partnership between UC Berkeley and edX – a non-profit online learning initiative.
UC Berkeley is a public research university. Berkeley alumni have received 28 Nobel prizes, and there are eight Nobel Laureates, 32 MacArthur Fellows, and four Pulitzer Prize winners among the current faculty.
BerkeleyX provides online courses in a variety of subjects:
Marketing, Business, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Data Science, Statistics, Machine Learning and more.
5 great courses from BerkeleyX are professional certificate programs:
Agile Development, Blockchain Fundamentals, Business Writing, Foundations of Data Science and Science of Happiness at Work.
The courses are free of charge. Like in the case of other programs, students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
7. Free College Courses from BUx (Boston University)
BUx is free online courses from Boston University. It is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts.
BUx offers 2 MicroMasters programs, each costing $1,000:
1. Digital Product Management. More information here.
2. Digital Leadership. More information here.
They offer an online MBA as well, at a cost of $24,000. The Online MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business.
This MBA degree is 100% online and can be completed part-time in 21 months. More information here.
All other courses are free of charge. Like in the case of other programs, students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
You can find free courses on:
Product Management, Global Health, Digital Transformation, Social Media Marketing, Ethics and Business Analytics.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
8. Free Online College Courses from Carnegie Mellon University
Open Learning Initiative is a free course portal from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
CMU is a private research university based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It stands among the world’s most renowned educational institutions
You can find Open Learning Initiative free academic courses on topics:
Arts & Humanities, Business, Computer Science, Programming, Data Science, Langage and Speech, Life Sciences, Math, Engineering, Social Sciences and Technology.
There is no grading or college credit, certification available with OLI. Despite this, its a great resource for an independent learner.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Access Here
9. Free College Classes from the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (referred to as Penn) is a private university. It’s located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
You can find Penn courses on a variety of subjects:
Calculus, English History, Computational Thinking, American Law, Microeconomics, Design, Viral Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Business Analytics.
The courses are free of charge. Similar to other programs, students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
10. Free College Courses from CornellX (Cornell University)
CornellX is free online courses from Cornell University.
Cornell University is a world-renowned and diverse Ivy League institution. It is a community of scholars known for intellectual rigor and deep and broad research.
You can find courses on:
Big Data, Biodiversity and Conservation, Ethics, History and Networks.
The courses are free of charge. Students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Free / Paid: Free
Course: Register Here
This was our list of 10 best Free Online College Courses and Certifications. We hope you will be able to find the course you are looking for and enjoy learning it at no cost.
Most free online college courses do not have the option of earning academic credits. We have identified a few that do in the above list.
To find more free college courses, have look at our list of Best Online Learning Platforms.
This post will keep updating, reflecting changes in free programs from education providers.
Here’s The Next Step…
Which of the free online college courses above are you going to try?
Or maybe you have a question.
Either way, let us know by leaving a comment below.
Good list of free courses. Will I get a certificate upon completion?
You can get certificates on courses via edX and Coursera for a fee.