You may have noticed an abundance of free online courses lately. It’s a trend that has exploded over the past few years. As a result, many universities have begun to offer some of their most popular courses online. These usually consist of standalone classes that are part of a paid degree program. Although nearly all components of a school’s degree programs are offered in some cases.
Most free college courses for credit are called MOOCs. They were first introduced in 2008 but really took off in 2012. And we’re going to discuss them a whole lot in this article.
Our editors first reviewed free online college courses for credit in April 2015. This ranking was last updated in December 2023.
Free Online College Courses for credit
Choosing a course can be tricky because there are so many. One way to do it is to navigate to a MOOC platform and browse all its courses or use the search bar. But a simpler way to find and choose free online college courses for credit is with our list.
We’ve scoured thousands of MOOC websites for this information. And we’ve made a long list of free online classes for college credit. Hopefully, this will help to simplify your search. We even included several popular courses for the bigger MOOCs on our list. If a certain one grabs you, simply click on the platform title to link to their website. This list is not ranked in any order but it is listed alphabetically to make it easier for you to reference.
If you’re thinking about boosting your knowledge or learning a new skill, our list is a great place to begin.
I have personally worked with students who have taken free online college courses, and they often share the benefits of flexibility, affordability, and access to high-quality education. Many students choose free online education due to financial constraints or wanting to explore new subjects without committing to a degree program. Despite some challenges, such as self-motivation and time management, many students have found success in completing free online courses and using them to further their academic or professional goals.
Eric Eng, Founder & CEO AdmissionSight
Academic Earth
Academic Earth is based on the idea that everyone should have access to a good education. With excellent classes from 13 of the top universities in America. Academic Earth provides a way for you to get the education you deserve. Academic Earth organizes its courses into playlists curated by its staff. The courses cover 18 different subjects. Academic Earth also offers a series of one-off videos about specific topics. Visit Academic Earth to see the top universities offering free online college courses.
Alison
Alison is one of the world’s largest learning platforms. Students everywhere can access thousands of online courses. The platform is based on the United Nations Declaration, “everyone deserves free education.” Alison provides online college courses free for credit and a host of career training materials.
We love that Alison offers many complete programs with several courses put together. Students can sort classes by what’s trending, what’s most popular, or by what’s most certified. A career guide is also provided to Alison students. This guide will help them find a career based on their academic interests.
Alison also offers online certificate programs that are completely free. So you walk away with a certificate you can use on resumes or in your portfolio.
Free Online Classes from Alison
Advanced Parenting Skills
With this free online course, you can learn how to be the best parent you can be. It’s a tough job being a parent, and it can be overwhelming without the proper training. So much can go wrong in the younger years. You’ll go through a series of videos step by step to feel confident when it comes to raising your first child. Some of the courses included in this certificate program are:
- Introduction to Advanced Parenting Skills
- Parenting Skills and Tools
Dog Training Careers – Become a Professional Dog Trainer
This dog trainer course will teach you to answer ten of the most common questions about dog and puppy training. Plus, you’ll learn what to tell the client before, during, and after the dog training session. In this course, you’ll learn how to run a professional dog training business. You’ll get templates and handouts. Also included are videos that show how to fix many dog behavior problems. Some of the courses included in this certificate program are:
- Dog Language & Calming Signals
- Holding Dog Training Consultations with Clients
- How to Resolve Unwanted Dog Behaviors
- The Answers to 10 Frequently Asked Dog and Puppy Question
Food Safety and Hygiene in the Catering Industry
Learn food safety guidelines for the catering industry with this free online course. Contaminated and soiled foods can make you sick and leave you in the hospital. Everyone in the food industry needs to know about food safety and hygiene. In this program, you’ll learn how to keep food fresh and prevent disease spread. Some of the courses included in this certificate program are:
- Food Safety & Food Hygiene
- Food-Borne Illness
- HAACP
- Keeping Bacteria at Bay
Mental Health Studies – Suicide, Violent Behavior, and Substance Abuse
This completely free online mental health course will teach you about suicide, substance abuse, and violent behavior. Self-harm and mental health problems are rising worldwide. And mental health has become a significant concern. The course provides valuable insight to help reduce harmful actions and habits. Some of the courses included in this certificate program are:
- Immediate Danger Signs of Suicide Intent
- Mental Health Studies
- Myths and Facts About Suicide
- Substance Abuse
- Suicide and Types of Suicide Behavior
- Violent and Hostile Behavior
AMSER
AMSER stands for the Applied Math and Science Education Repository. It’s a project of the National Science Foundation called the National Science Digital Library. AMSER is a collection of completely free college courses and materials. The materials were initially designed for Technical and Community Colleges. This online program provides more accessible math and science resources. Through the AMSER platform, students have access to over 20 different main subjects.
Blackboard-Open Education
You can take college courses for free with Blackboard’s Open Education platform. There are more than 1,000 different courses offered by Open Education. They are powered by Blackboard via dozens of institutions. These programs range from undergraduate programs all the way up to doctoral programs. Students can choose self-paced programs or live virtual classes. In addition, the platform offers a wide selection of free online college courses. And they are all available for students worldwide. Blackboard is one of several online learning platforms that have gained massive popularity n the past few years.
Boston College Front Row
Boston College Front Row is a collection of filmed events at Boston College. Front Row is brought to you by Boston College Magazine. Boston College Front Row provides students with access to various cultural and educational talks held on campus. Boston College Front Row offers free insight into everything from poetry to religion. So it’s an excellent learning resource for just about anyone.
Brigham Young University Independent Study
The Brigham Young University Independent Study offers free college courses to students worldwide. Over 550 different programs are offered through the platform. Students can access these programs for free in the U.S. and more than 90 other countries worldwide. BYU Independent Study offers courses from middle school to undergraduate level.
Caltech Online
Caltech Online is a collection of Caltech courses that you can take for free. Most focus on science and engineering. They include courses like:
- The Evolving Universe
- Learning from Data
- Circuit and Systems
Caltech Online makes its resources available on both Coursera and edX. This is an excellent option for those who can’t attend Caltech. These free online college courses are the same as those offered on campus. However, they don’t count as college credits.
Canvas Network
Canvas Network has over 90 partners. So it’s one of the most extensive MOOC collections on the internet for educators. Teachers can take thousands of courses independently with this Learning Management System. Lesson plans, course materials, exams, and lectures help teachers learn about many new topics. In addition, through the partner school network, Canvas can offer many free online college courses.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through Canvas Network. While many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee, they have a basic option at no cost.
Free Online Classes from Canvas Network
BL-101 Beginning to Blend
During this course, you’ll learn all about blended and personalized learning and how to push yourself. You will see what blended learning is all about and how it’s changing how we teach and learn. Finally, you’ll go home with four blended teaching “recipes” you can use right now in your classroom.
Making MOOCs on a Budget
The course will show you how to make a massive open online course (MOOC), including plenty of tips and tricks. This course covers:
- What it takes to create content
- Content sourcing from the web
- Assessing at a large scale with quizzes and peer assignments
- Communication between learners
- How to design a course
The course won’t just teach you how to build a MOOC; it supports tutors and other students. The course is offered by a team of five European institutions.
The Art and Craft of Remote Teaching
In “The Art and Craft of Remote Teaching,” you can re-imagine a traditional live classroom experience. Then, you can reinvent it for a remotely-based modality. This visually-appealing course engages students who are used to standard teaching methods. In addition, it features the “Mentor in the Center” as a way to promote student engagement and make connected relationships with students.
Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
It used to be that Carnegie Mellon University was only open to a select group of students. Students worldwide can now take Carnegie Mellon classes online and free, thanks to the Open Learning Initiative. Students and teachers will find courses on many topics. Some of them include computer science, business, language, and speech. Many of these classes are offered free, while some are provided for a small fee. Students can enroll in self-paced courses and programs. Or they can choose classes built around a cohort style of engagement.
Class Central
With over 1500 different courses to select from, Class Central is one of the best places to find free academic credit courses. In fact, some of the research for this article actually comes from Class Central.
Class Central provides access to programs offered by the world’s top universities. In addition, students can choose from programs in:
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Business
- Humanities
- And much more
Class Central also allows students to sort programs by rating, relevancy, and recency. Each year, Class Central releases a review of the past year’s top college credit courses and MOOCs. This is an excellent resource for students looking for popular topics of study. Class Central also keeps a collection of other MOOCs across the internet. So class central essentially acts as an aggregator of free online college courses.
Code
Code.org is a nonprofit that offers high-quality online programs for students worldwide. It’s for anyone who wants to learn more about coding. You can create an account on Code.org and enroll in many different programs. Code.org is supported by major technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. In addition, the site offers special “Hour of Code” lessons. These are designed for students of all ages and can be completed in just under an hour.
Codecademy
Another place to learn about computer programming and coding is Codecademy. This platform offers a variety of free and paid courses. With Codecademy, students learn how to write their own code to learn by doing. Codecademy is known for its easy-to-use interface and the clarity of its lesson plans. On Codecademy, students can access entire lesson plans for learning computer programming. It’s one of the most comprehensive online sites for learning to code.
COMPLEXITY EXPLORER
The Santa Fe Institute created Complexity Explorer as an educational program. Online courses and educational materials about complexity science are available on Complexity Explorer. The platform was created by Ginger Richardson and Melanie Mitchell in 2010. They wanted to create an online learning platform about complex systems for people who want a deeper understanding.
COURSERA
Coursera is now one of the top platforms for free college credit online courses. The platform was created by two Stanford computer science professors. And it has grown tremendously over the last several years. Coursera has over 150 different university partners. And students can select from over 2,700 courses across 250 different specializations. Coursera also offers four degree programs through the platform. Coursera offers students free college courses plus many low-priced courses. And it is one of the best places for courses from prestigious schools like Stanford and Duke. Coursera is the best place for free online college courses from Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Duke University, and other well-known schools.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through Coursera. Many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee. But all of them have a basic option at no cost to you.
Free Online Classes from Coursera
Child Nutrition and Cooking
This course explores contemporary child nutrition and the impact of families’ individual choices. It also discusses the risks of childhood obesity. You will learn what makes a healthy diet for kids and adults. And it covers how to cook simple, delicious dishes that will inspire you to cook at home for life. In this course, you’ll learn to become the best health providers, teachers, and parents.
First Step Korean
First Step Korean is an elementary Korean language course. It consists of 5 lessons covering reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Topics include introductions, greeting, talking about your family, and more. There are also quizzes, role-plays, dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar in each lesson.
Science of Well-Being
This course will work on challenges to increase happiness and improve productivity. Professor Laurie Santos prepares you for these tasks by revealing misconceptions about happiness. These annoying mental habits cause us to think the way we do. She also shows why research can help. In the end, you’ll be well-prepared to apply wellness activities to your life. This is one of the most popular online courses on the platform.
Stanford Introduction to Food and Health
This course aims to give learners tips and tricks to start eating better. Instead of talking about nutrients in a reductionist way, it talks about real food and the natural environment. After attending this course, students will know what foods support their health and those that don’t. Finally, this course will show you a convincing argument for the return to simple cooking, an integral part of living a long, healthy life.
Writing in the Sciences
This course teaches scientists to write better, with practical examples and exercises. You will learn how to write faster and with less anxiety. You will also learn how to format a scientific manuscript. Lastly, it covers peer review, grant writing, and ethical issues in scientific publishing.
COURSESITY
Coursesity is not a MOOC platform itself. But it deserves a spot on our list for the seriously great tool that it is. Coursesity is a search engine for free online courses, certificates, and degree programs. It lets you search for free classes from most of the more prominent platforms without skipping around websites. You can find more than 50,000 courses through Coursesity, including Ivy League schools courses. You can search by course name, platform name, university, or subject. To be honest, we used Coursesity to help us write this article!
Duke Law Center for the Study of the Public Domain
Duke Law’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain has free online courses about public domain materials. These items are longer bound by intellectual property rights. So they are within the public domain and free for all to use and adapt. Students can choose from several free online college courses.
EdCast
EdCast is a technology-forward platform for improving the quality of online learning. The EdCast platform discovers and curates content. They do this through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Creating custom learning playlists, EdCast can adjust and augment itself to the needs of its users.
Edx
edx is an online learning platform through a collaboration between Harvard University and MIT. It is a huge provider of MOOCs with over 120 partners. Some of these partners include:
- MIT
- Harvard University
- University of California Berkeley
- University of Texas System
Since its founding, the platform has become a place where students can learn through multimedia. For students looking for a cutting-edge site filled with the latest college courses, edX is a great place to start.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through MOOC.Org and powered by edX. While many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee, they all have a basic option at no cost.
Free Online Courses from Edx
Beer: the Science of Brewing
Academic scientists and brewmasters will teach you the science behind beer brewing in this 12-module course. By the end, you’ll understand how beer is made and why it tastes the way it does! You’ll also get a glimpse inside Belgium’s most iconic breweries. Talks are given by Belgian brewers, maltsters, and some of the world’s best academics on crucial aspects of brewing and malting.
Buddhism Through Its Scriptures
This is an excellent course whether you are new to Buddhism or if you have been studying it for years. It’ll let you explore a variety of Buddhist teachings while helping you think about them differently. The course has carefully selected readings about different forms of Buddhist practice. You will learn how to interpret and apply the teachings of the Buddha to your daily life. With this course, you can deepen your understanding of Buddhism.
English for Journalists, Part 1
This course offers English language development for journalism students. Although it is open to working journalists or anyone who wants to improve their English. Any student with a basic understanding of journalism is welcome. The course is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe
You’ll learn about nine of the biggest unsolved astrophysics problems during this course. There’s no guarantee of answers, of course. However, you will learn what scientists know and don’t know right now. Plus, you will learn how to keep up-to-date on current research. This course is for people who want to learn more about these mysteries.
Hollywood: History, Industry, Art
This course covers Hollywood, and how it became the global powerhouse it is today. Learn how business and political figures are part of the art of film, TV, and new media. Students will also learn how Hollywood grew and reached out to the world starting in the 1920s.
Italian Language and Culture: Beginner
During this Italian language class, you’ll learn the four basic skills. These include speaking, listening, reading, and writing. And you will do it while studying significant themes in Italian culture. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to describe people, events, and situations, both past and present. In addition, you’ll be able to use everyday Italian vocabulary.
Landscape Ecology
This course introduces you to Landscape Ecology, which combines natural and social sciences. You will learn how landscape ecology uses cutting-edge plans to shape landscapes for future societies. You’ll learn about modern tools of Landscape Ecology that can be used to answer fundamental research questions. In addition, you’ll get valuable advice on how to solve real landscape problems.
Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology
This introductory course teaches the Giza Pyramids’ art, archaeology, and history. Pharaohs and high officials of the Pyramid Age are covered. Learn about how cutting-edge technology like 3D modeling is reshaping Egyptology. Follow in the footsteps of the great expeditions of the 20th century.
Science of Happiness
In “The Science of Happiness,” you’ll learn the cutting-edge science of positive psychology. This science basically explains how to live a happy life. The class covers some of the most advanced research from today’s science. And it teaches how to apply this science to your own life. “The Science of Happiness” course was created by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. The course is based on the idea that happiness comes from having strong social connections. You’ll learn about the research supporting this idea. This research includes psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and more.
Shakespeare Matters
Learn what Shakespeare’s plays are about through emotions like love, hate, and jealousy. This introductory course will teach you how Shakespeare uses emotions in his plays. Plus, it teaches how his characters deal with those emotions. Additionally, you’ll learn why the plays are universally relevant because they’re so emotional.
Smithsonian’s Objects That Define America
This course will give you an in-depth understanding of American history and culture. Discover the stories behind objects that have been and continue to be an essential part of U.S. history. You’ll also think about what these things mean to you and the role symbolic objects play in your own lives. This course is adapted from a Smithsonian video lecture series. The title is “ Experiencing America: A Smithsonian Tour Through History
Storytelling in the Workplace
This course will teach you how storytelling depends on situations, medium, and audience. We use more devices than ever to communicate. As a result, crafting a cohesive, professional, and easy-to-understand message is more important than ever. You’ll learn how to write for a target audience. Plus, you will determine the specific medium to use to communicate.
Theories of Media and Technology
In this course, students will learn how media and technology affect culture in a big way. First, this course will teach you essential concepts in media and technology. Then, you’ll be able to apply those ideas to current issues and trends in art and design. It’ll help you connect your thinking to a deep, evolving framework. You’ll also learn how people create, consume, and use media. Finally, you will learn about how games influence our lives. This includes how we think about platforms, software, and traditional media.
FreeVideoLectures
FreeVideoLectures is one of the world’s biggest repositories of video lectures. FreeVideoLectures collects video lectures from top universities so you can learn for free. Students can choose from topics like programming, web development, math, science, and more. Several of the programs are also offered by prestigious universities. Students can also access playlists that have been curated by experts. or they can blend lectures from different schools.
FUTURELEARN
FutureLearn offers students a range of online degree programs and course options. It lets students access both paid and free college courses. Then, learners can pursue an education that matches their schedules and interests. For the paid classes, students can pay as they go. You can also choose between long and short programs depending on how much time you spend.
Harvard Extension School
Harvard offers over 40 MOOCs through the edX platform. Some may be taken for free. And you can also pursue verified certificates for a nominal fee. If you want to attend Harvard University’s college programs, you should check out the Harvard Extension School. It’s home to all of Harvard University’s distance education programs, plus 40 MOOCs on edX. These programs are offered to students entirely for free. Students can get certification or university credit for a small fee after completing the programs. These Harvard University courses are available to people from all over the world for free.
iTunes U
iTunes U was developed by Apple and built on the iTunes platform. It’s a service that allows colleges and universities to upload audio and video podcasts of their lectures. Then, they can offer them to students worldwide. iTunes U also has updated capabilities that enable students to use the multimedia functionality of iOS devices. This helps to better engage with the course material. iTunes U is an excellent way for students to use their iOS devices to access an extensive library of free online college courses. All of them are offered by some of the top universities in the United States.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Many Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health courses are openly available. Students can access them through OpenCourseWare. The school allows you to repurpose your online courses. The courses are standalone and don’t involve interaction with the professors who designed them. Instead, programs are organized into collections. Each covers various topics, including ethics, public health, food, etc. You can learn more about public health for free at the school’s OpenCourseWare page.
KADENZE
Kadenze is an online education platform that focuses on the arts. Here, you can take online courses from some of the world’s best art institutions and universities. Ajay Kapur co-founded the company. He’s a classically trained Indian musician and computer scientist. Kapur was also an associate dean at CalArts. But he found he couldn’t do some of what he wanted with Coursera. So he created his own MOOC platform and named it KADENZE. Kadenze has also released its own certification program called Kadenze Programs. It’s usually free to take the first course. Several Kadenze courses and programs also offer academic credit.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is one of the most popular online platforms for learning. It’s a nonprofit organization that offers online classes to people worldwide. Currently, Khan Academy boasts one of the most robust and feature-rich platforms for online college courses. Khan Academy has interactive, multimedia-rich lessons. And some of the programs are pretty high-tech. Now, Khan Academy offers over 2,500 free courses for students to select from. This massive catalog covers courses designed by institutions such as MIT and NASA.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania provides online courses free to business students. They also give guidance and mentorship. Currently, over 90 different online courses are available for students to choose from. These online courses cover topics including sales, marketing, tax law, and much more for free. In addition, a few of the Small Business Development Center programs are offered in Spanish. So if you want to learn more about business, this might be the place for you.
MIT Open Courseware
Through OpenCourseWare, MIT offers free content from its School of Engineering. MIT has published over 2,400 different courses and has served over 300 million visitors since the program began. Students can study engineering, medicine, mathematics, humanities, and more.
Mooc-Ed.org
North Carolina State University’s College of Education has its own MOOC platform. It’s called MOOC-Ed.org. It offers MOOCs aimed at educators. There are courses like
- Teaching the Beauty and Joy of Computing Curriculum
- Teaching Foundational Reading Skills
- Teaching Remotely: A Practical Guide
The MOOC-Ed.org platform is a great place to grow for educators who want to continue learning. Many of these programs offer micro-credentials that act as a type of mini-certification.
Massive Open Online English Course
The Massive Open Online English Course is a collection of over fifty different English language courses. These programs are designed for non-native speakers to help them learn English better. The program involves more than 24 colleges. The Massive Open Online English Course is supported by the Queensland State Government. Courses offered are organized into five categories: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Short Courses. The Massive Open Online English Course is an excellent resource. Especially for people who aren’t native English speakers.
New York State University Computer Science Department
You can take free online computer science courses at the New York University Computer Science Department. It is maintained by the University Libraries at New York State University at Albany. Students are given access to fully online courses, class materials, tutorials, and lectures. University Libraries maintain this program over time by adding new materials to the course site. This website provides a lot of information and knowledge about computer science from one of the best universities in the country.
NOTREDAMEX
Hosted on the edX platform, the University of Notre Dame offers a focused selection of online courses that can be completed for free. Students can choose to enroll in programs and take them with a cohort, or they can choose to access the archived version of the course at their leisure. The University of Notre Dame offers courses in “Math in Sports,” “Jesus in Scripture and Tradition,” “Data Science Readiness,” and much more. Having the opportunity to audit classes at the University of Notre Dame is something many students could not do until now.
OEDb
Founded in 2007, Open Education Database (OEDB) provides users access to one of the largest collections of free online courses. At this moment, students can select from over 10,000 free online courses offered by Open Education Database. These are programs from colleges such as Johns Hopkins University, MIT, and more. If you don’t have access to these schools, you can take these online courses for free. In addition, the librarians’ program allows students to access playlists that cover topics from a wide variety of classes.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through the Online Education Database. While many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee, they all have a basic option at no cost.
Free Online Courses from OEDb
American History to 1865
This course will teach students about America’s social, economic, and political history. It covers the colonial period through the Civil War. You’ll learn about Spanish and British America, the American Revolution, the founding of the new nation, and the Civil War. You will also read authors like:
- Lincoln
- T Paine
- Jefferson
- Madison
- Garrison
- Fitzhugh
- Madison
College Writing
In this college-level composition class, you’ll compose, revise, and edit your way to a better writing style. You will also learn how to develop and write a thesis and do the research for it. This course will also show you how to use many different sources per the Modern Language Association guidelines.
Evolving Universe
There are 12 hours in this course, and you’ll learn what happened during the first minutes of the universe. Additionally, the course teaches skills like scientific notation and advanced calculations. Finally, students answer questions and do exercises to show their mastery.
The Science of Nutrition and Healthy Eating
If you want to know more about your food, this course is for you. Students learn things like:
- Food basics
- What food labels mean
- How hydration affects nutrition
It’s an eight-week course. Video lectures and diagrams are part of the course activities. Students can also find additional resources on the course website.
Writing What You Know
This free online college course will help you improve your creative writing skills. First, students will create stories based on their life experiences. Then, they will describe their sensory perceptions with different types of language. And they will detail everyday events. You can get a free certificate of completion after taking this eight-hour course.
Online Course Report
Online Course Report has one of the most extensive free online course listings on the internet. It was founded to help students get access to quality online programs. Today, Online Course Report has grown to offer students over 10,000 online courses. A large number of these programs are available to students free of charge. Online Course Report also reviews different online courses and learning platforms. On Online Course Report, students can find many free educational resources.
Open Culture
Open Culture is a massive repository of free educational media. And it’s all for students who want to take courses online. All the courses and resources offered on Open Culture are provided for free. While some websites on this list have a mix of free and paid content, students, Open Culture does not. You will never come across materials that cost money on this site. Currently, students can choose from over 1,300 online courses. They come from some of the world’s top universities. Open Culture also offers many helpful materials. These include free audiobooks, ebooks, and movies. Students who need some free courses should check out Open Culture.
Open Michigan
Open Michigan makes the research and resources generated at the University of Michigan available to all. Open Michigan was started as a place to collect all the research, teaching, and creative work at UM. Students can search through Open Michigan and find thousands of materials for free. And they can also use the Open Michigan platform to chat with others interested in similar topics. The school has even added social media aspects to this platform. That means Open Michigan delivers a collaborative environment for its users.
Open University Learning Space
Offered by the Open University, Open Learn is a platform that stores all the free online courses offered at Open University. Students who visit Open Learn can choose from over 1,000 free courses. The courses in Open Learn are organized by level, making it easy for students to see if they’re ready for the program they’re considering. Students can also access many different playlists. These are set up to take students through a variety of related courses. The program also awards badges. These badges are a neat way for students to view their accomplishments and compare them to others.
OpenUpEd
Open Universities Australia offers 300 different degree programs to select from. It allows students to choose from courses offered by 14 various universities and colleges in Australia. Covering over 1,600 topics of study, Open Universities Australia has been around since 1993. Open Universities Australia has worked to revolutionize the ways that students learn online. Students can select from single subjects or complete degrees. Currently, Open Universities Australia has over 400,000 users. Students looking for courses from the top schools in Australia should look to Open Universities Australia.
Open Universities Australia
Open Universities Australia offers 300 different degrees to select from. It allows students to choose from courses offered by 14 various universities and colleges in Australia. Covering over 1,600 topics of study, Open Universities Australia has been around since 1993. Open Universities Australia has worked to revolutionize the ways that students learn online. Students can select from single subjects or complete degrees. Currently, Open Universities Australia has over 400,000 users. Students looking for courses from the top schools in Australia should look to Open Universities Australia.
OPEN YALE COURSES
Yale University has made many of its courses available for free to all online students. They only offer introductory courses. However, students can download entire course materials or some of the course materials. Students are not required to register to access Open Yale Courses. The content on Open Yale Courses is also available to use, whatever students choose.
Saylor Academy
Saylor Academy is an online learning platform that gives students the chance to earn actual college credits for free. Students can choose from over 100 online courses that translate to real college credits. The programs offered at Saylor Academy are also designed for students to reuse and remix in whatever ways they see fit. By creating an account with Saylor Academy, students can track their progress in all their courses. Saylor Academy also offers an option that helps students become certified in a few different disciplines.
Stanford Engineering Everywhere
Stanford Engineering Everywhere gives students access to the school’s top classes free of charge. It also offers all the needed materials for the courses. These are provided by Stanford University’s engineering department. Students are given full access to course materials, including syllabi, homework, handouts, and tests. Lecture videos can also be streamed to PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Some courses offered are Introduction to Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and much more.
STANFORD ONLINE
Using the edX and Coursera platforms, Stanford Online offers many free online courses to anyone. You can learn new skills and study new and emerging topics by taking these courses. These courses are free and provided by Stanford faculty and industry experts. This is the best way to get an Ivy League-style education without the high prices. Some of the courses you can take are: Designing Your Career, Game Theory, How To Learn Math and Introduction to Internet of Things.
Study.com
Study.com is one of the biggest providers of free online courses. They claim to bring college education to everyone for free. The platform allows students to access their classes from any computer or smartphone. Study.com educates students on many different topics and teaches them skills such as taking tests and studying. The website offers programs ranging from middle school courses all the way up to post-graduate levels. Specific programs at Study.com also provide an optional certification.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through the site. While many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee, all of them have a basic option at no cost to you.
Free Online Courses from Study.com
English Grammar Rules
You’ll quickly learn the basics of English grammar with this course. In addition, this course will help you improve your grammar for English exams, essays, research papers, projects, and homework.
Philosophy 101: Intro to Philosophy
Over 2,000 colleges and universities will accept Philosophy 101 as 3 semester hours. This self-paced philosophy course has fun lessons. But It also has teachers who make demanding topics simple. As a result, it’s an excellent place to get a head start on your degree.
Social Studies for Kids
The Social Studies for Kids online course provides engaging lessons. This program can help your children learn social studies concepts. Thanks to the expert instructors, they’ll be prepared for social studies class in elementary school.
Spanish 101: Beginning Spanish
Over 2,000 colleges and universities will accept Spanish 101: Beginning Spanish. This course is widely accepted as a transfer course for 3 semester hours. You’ll learn Spanish from expert instructors at your own pace and master the basics. If you take this course, you’ll be able to apply for transfer academic credit and start your degree sooner.
SWAYAM
SWAYAM is a program by the Indian government that aims to drive access, equity, and quality in education. This effort seeks to make the best learning resources accessible to all students. This includes those who cannot afford a traditional education. In addition, SWAYAM aims to help students who haven’t been able to participate in the global knowledge economy. With this platform, anyone can access all of the courses taught in classrooms from 9th grade on. These interactive courses are prepared by some of the best teachers in the country and are free to everyone. The classes were designed by more than 1,000 faculty members and teachers from all over India.
The Writing University
Writing University is a collection of resources and MOOCs offered by the writing program at the University of Iowa. It gives students worldwide access to some of the university’s resources and lessons. In addition, you can see lectures from significant authors and podcasts on topics like “How Writers Write Poetry” and “How Writers Write Fiction.” Students can also use The Writing University to stay in touch with other site users. With the addition of social networking, The Writing University has helped connect many students. These students can then help each other learn.
UC Berkeley Edx
The University of California at Berkeley offers the opportunity to enroll in many free courses. They use the EdX program. Topping out at over thirty courses, students can enroll in statistics, computer sciences programs, etc. Many of the programs are self-paced, allowing students to take them at their leisure. The programs are free. However, you can pay a small fee to receive certification after completing many programs. If you want to learn from some of the best professors at the University of California, Berkeley, you should check out these free online courses.
UC San Diego Podcast Lectures
The University of California San Diego offers a podcast series of lectures available in audio and video formats. Students can subscribe to the UC San Diego Podcast Lectures page to listen to recordings of professors’ lectures. In addition, the podcasts come with links to extra readings and materials that students can use to further their studies. The University of San Diego offers almost every lecture in podcast form.
Udacity
Udacity is an online platform that allows students to enroll in over fifty different courses built from the ground up to be taken online. Focusing on technology-related topics, students can pursue what is known as “nano-degrees.” These programs allow students to pursue iOS development, web development, data analysis, and more. The online videos are available to students for free. But the extra content (such as the class assignments and certifications) incurs fees. Students can enroll in a monthly subscription to access these additional features. If you want to expand your knowledge about different technology topics, you should consider Udacity.
Udemy
Having served over six million students, Udemy is one of the largest collections of MOOCs on the Internet. Udemy offers students over 25,000 different courses to select from. These programs cover a variety of topics and different levels of difficulty. Programs are provided by various sources, including universities, corporations, and professors. Udemy also offers programs in over 80 different languages, which has allowed the platform to expand its reach. Students who want access to many high-quality online courses for free should visit Udemy.
Here are some of the top online single courses free through the Online Education Database. While many of these have an upgrade option for an added fee, all of them have a basic option at no cost to you.
Free Online Courses from Udemy
Discover Your Energy Body
How to master your chakras, reveal the secret world within, and have your mind blown. You’ll learn to understand that your energy body generates your life experience – and that it’s real. The 7 chakras will be explained practically so that you can understand what it takes to master each chakra.
How To Speak to Anyone & Be Fearless In Less Than 55 Min
Get better at dating, ace that job interview, and connect with strangers quickly. You’ll also learn to speak confidently and get your message across with better techniques in this course.
Mini-Course on Time Management
You can master time management and become more productive immediately by using the steps in this course. Learn how to manage your time better and master life.
UMass Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston has made many online courses available to students for free. They use the OpenCourseWare platform. Students cannot gain actual credits towards a degree by completing these programs. Students can enroll in topics in computer science, history, mathematics, psychology, and much more. UMASS also wants fellow educators to take advantage of their OpenCourseWare content. All OpenCourseWare content is free to use as long as the Creative Commons Share-Alike license is followed.
UCI Open
The University of California Irvine offers more than 100 courses to students online for free. These programs are hosted on the OpenCourseWare platform. Students can choose from courses into topics such as “Open Chemistry,” “Public Health,” “Sustainability,” and much more. UCI Open also offers students access to many lectures that have taken place at the University of California Irvine. The school also hosts some content on Coursera for students to choose from.
Free Online Courses from UCI Open
Political Science 126A: Mexican-Americans & Politics
This course examines state and national politics in America. And precisely how they are influenced by Mexican Americans and other Latinos. Also, this course teaches how they organize themselves politically today. Then you’ll analyze Mexican American empowerment strategies and evaluate their success and failure.
Psych 9C/Psy Beh 11C: Psych Fundamentals
This course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of psychology for first-year students. Course topics include biology, perception, perception, cognition, development, personality, and social psychology.
PubHlth1: Principles of Public Health
This course introduces basic concepts and principles of public health. Plus, it talks about the importance of health in communities. Finally, it looks at the connections and relationships between the natural and social determinants of health.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE
The 100% online, tuition-free degree programs at University of The People were created to fit your life. While you do have to pay a small application and assessment fee, this helps the university stay tuition-free for everyone. But still, this is the only school that offers so many complete degree programs without the cost of tuition. In addition, they offer certificates, associates, bachelor’s, and even master’s degrees! So if you are looking for a full college degree instead of a single course, University of The People may be perfect for you.
University of Washington OpenUW
Using Coursera and edX, the University of Washington offers many online courses at no charge. Some of the programs offered include:
- English for Business Networking
- Essentials of Cybersecurity
- IT Project Management
The OpenUW platform offers many programs for free or at a small cost. The additional cost gives students access to supplemental materials in the course. However, most courses are offered, at least partially, for free. In addition, students can apply for certification in different subjects after completing studies on UW Online.
Utah State University OCW
Utah State University offers over 75 free courses to students online. They also use the OpenCourseware platform. USU offers courses on sciences and many other topics and subject matters. Students have access to all the courses and materials, including:
- Quizzes
- Exams
- Video Lectures
- Lecture notes
- Readings
- Assignments
USU designed the platform to also be helpful to fellow educators. For example, they encourage other professors to use the materials in their own teaching. In addition, students can access Utah State University courses through the school’s OpenCourseWare page.
YouTube
YouTube is the largest provider of online videos in the entire world. It gives people the opportunity to access a fantastic amount of video lectures and video lessons from many of the world’s top schools. By just heading to YouTube’s site and typing in a particular subject, students can access thousands of videos on any given subject. With videos like the ones from Harvard University lectures, YouTube is always a great stop for courses and videos about any topic. Students can also use the ratings and comments section to discuss the merit of various videos found on YouTube’s site.
WORLD MENTORING ACADEMY
World Mentoring Academy offers everything from Kindergarten to college courses. They also offer some courses you won’t find in other MOOCs. These include foreign languages, deaf studies, and professional certificates. Even better, if you pay for the exam and materials, you can get a real bachelor’s degree. All courses are currently free. Content features on the website include video lectures, textbooks, assignments, and homework. Each lesson is designed based on the syllabus from each website.
What Is a MOOC?
Most of the courses on this list are offered as MOOCs. These are classes you can take from actual colleges and universities at no charge. Let’s discuss MOOCs in more detail.
When you search for free online courses for college credit, you’ll often see the term MOOC, but what is it? MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). It’s an online course that is open to anyone. As long as you can access the web and have an internet-enabled device, you can take a MOOC.
There are no restrictions on who can participate. There is no application or acceptance process. You don’t have to show your transcripts or test scores. In fact, you don’t even need to be a high-school graduate to take a MOOC. Best of all, these courses are entirely free.
Goal of a MOOC
The goal of Massive Open Online Courses is to connect learners from around the world with educators and each other.
Students can complete a MOOC all by themselves. Or, they can use only those parts of a MOOC they need and ignore the rest. They can interact with their peers via forums or social media groups if they choose to. For example, they may want to get immediate feedback on homework or quizzes. Or they might want a study partner. However, usually, this interaction isn’t always a requirement.
How To Take Free College Courses Online for Credit
If you take free online courses, you need to know if you’ll receive college credit. Some free online courses and MOOCs are not for credit. However, you can still benefit from them. Free online college courses usually fall into one of these categories:
- Completely free courses
- Pay for credit after completion
- Subscription-based program
You won’t have to pay a fee for taking these courses. But your credits will transfer to other schools.
Many classes are entirely free to take. But if you want to take these free college courses online for credit, you’ll need to pay. In other words, you can take them for personal enrichment and leave it at that. Or, you can pay upon completion for college credit. Then, you can apply the credit toward your degree or transfer the credit to another school.
In some cases, you pay a small fee each month with these programs. Then, you can take the courses you want and receive credit. You should always read the terms of these programs carefully before enrolling. After all, if you need free online courses for credit, taking classes that have no value to you doesn’t make sense.
Transfer credit policies and processes differ from school to school. An admissions advisor can help you determine if the school will accept your transfer credits. Most schools also provide information about their transfer policy on the school website. This will include how many credits they accept and other details.
No matter how you plan to earn free online college credits, do some research before enrolling. Make sure the program is accredited. And verify that the credits you earn will transfer to other institutions. Schools that are accredited meet a set of quality standards. Accreditation can make a difference when it comes to a school accepting the credits. And it can also affect your eligibility for financial aid.
Other Sources for Free Courses
Not all sources have free online college courses for credit. Some aren’t even offered through an academic institution. In many cases, learning resources are offered through non-academic sources. Here are some examples.
Digital Garage
Google offers its own free learning platform. The site is called Digital Garage. And it offers classes in things like online business skills and digital marketing. These courses are available to any individual who wants to learn. Digital Garage aims to help people learn skills for high-paying online careers.
Small Business Administration
Other organizations and businesses provide free courses too. For example, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers free online courses for aspiring business owners. And they even have classes specifically for women and veterans.
Whether you take one or two of the courses we’ve listed or find another source, there is so much available. In this post, we talked about close to 50 free college courses you can take online. Of course, we haven’t listed every available course. Instead, we’ve highlighted just a few of the hundreds of available options.
Related Resources:
FREE SCHOOLING ONLINE: THE BEST FREE COLLEGES
THE RISE OF NONPROFIT ONLINE SCHOOLS