15 Best Free College Courses & Certification Online [2020]

Digital Defynd
Freeelearning
Published in
9 min readMay 9, 2020

--

Our team of global e-learning experts has done in-depth research to come up with this compilation of 10 Best Free College Courses & Certification Online. These free learning resources will help you learn about a variety of subjects, and are suitable for beginners, intermediate learners as well as experts. You may also be interested in checking out a compilation of the Best Free Online Courses and the Top 100 Free Ivy League Courses Online.

15 Best Free College Courses [2020] [UPDATED]

1. Free Online College Courses (MIT — Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the hallmark of science and technology education. The institute is dedicated to advancing knowledge and educating students in 33 academic disciplines that best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. MITx, the institute’s MOOC program, furthers its commitment to improving education worldwide. The course material for many of these courses is the same as that of the MIT residential courses. The course subjects you can pick from include Electronics, Computer Science, Economics, Management, and Public policy. You can choose to audit the courses for free or receive the verified certificate for a small fee. You can also have a look at more Free MIT Courses.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

2. Free College Courses (Harvard)

Harvard University is an Ivy League university and has the credit of developing leaders in many disciplines who are making a difference globally. By opting a course from HarvardX, you land an opportunity to learn from faculty who are committed to teaching and research to push the boundaries of human knowledge. HarvardX offers courses in a variety of subjects including Law, Religion, Mathematics, History, and Science. You can audit them for free or choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

3. Free University Courses (Stanford University)

Stanford University is reputed for its academic strength, wealth, selectivity, proximity to Silicon Valley, and ranks among the top universities in the world. Stanford Online is committed to creating and supporting a lifetime of learning opportunities for learners on campus and beyond. By taking up a course, advanced degree, graduate and professional certificates, or an executive education program, you move another step closer to meeting your goals for life and professional advancement. You can select a suitable course from subjects like Bio-science, Humanities, Engineering, and Philosophy. You can audit them for free or choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee. You may also want to check out Free Stanford Courses.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

4. Free College Certifications (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, with its 184 academic departments and programs, is committed to innovation in teaching and learning. UC Berkeley marks this commitment by facilitating online education initiatives including online degree programs, credit and non-credit courses, and MOOC projects. The University also works edX to promote Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) on campuses to enhance the learning experience of on-campus students. Some of the courses offered by BerkeleyX are Marketing Analytics, Data Science, Business Writing, Journalism, English Literature, Quantum mechanics, and Statistics. The online programs offered by UC BerkeleyX can be audited for free or you can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee. You should also have a look at Free UC Berkeley Courses.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

5. Open Courses (Open Yale Courses)

Yale University is an Ivy League research university. Yale Open Courses are set of selected introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale College, recorded and provided access to interested students, free of charge via the Internet. These courses span liberal arts discipline, including social sciences, humanities, and physical and biological sciences. The courses include class lectures, suggested reading material, and problem sets. Students get access to searchable transcripts of the lectures too. You may also want to have a look at our compilation of Free Yale Courses.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

6. Free College Classes Online (Columbia)

Columbia University is another Ivy League university, whose research and teaching connect to the vast resources of New York. The university has been a leader in higher education for centuries now and is still committed to attracting and engaging with the best minds who are spearheading new discoveries and service to society. ColumbiaX, or edX Columbia University offers courses in a range of disciplines, from humanities to sciences. These courses are taught by top instructors at Columbia University. The university’s MOOCs can be audited for free or you can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

7. College Certification Courses (University of Pennsylvania)

The University of Pennsylvania is also an Ivy League University. The university’s online initiative provides people around the world an opportunity to build professional skills, and acquire college credits. Master’s degree in Computer Science for students without a computer science background is a highlight of the university’s online learning initiative. Students can find courses from different disciplines including Entrepreneurship, Law, Economics, Philosophy, Journalism, Science, and Mathematics.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

8. BU College Courses Online (Boston University)

Boston University is one of the world’s leading research universities and is engaged in several research, service, and educational programs and projects. The university offers courses in the arts, science and engineering, health science, social science and humanities, and other professional disciplines. Boston University has been offering award-winning online learning programs. By pursuing a course offered by this university, you get to learn from world-class faculty and connect with other highly motivated students. The university’s MOOCs can be audited for free or you can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

9. Cornell Classes Online (Cornell)

Cornell University is also another Ivy League university and a partner of the State University of New York. The university contributes to all fields of knowledge with public engagement as the priority to improve the quality of life in the world. CornellX is the university’s initiative to provide online programs for busy professionals gain today’s most in-demand skills. The courses offered by CornellX are from disciplines like Marketing, Data science, Technology, Leadership, Nutrition, and Engineering. The online programs offered by CornellX can be audited for free or you can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

10. Free University of Michigan Courses (Coursera)

This top-ranked public university is often the preferred choice of college education for many students. Coursera offers a plethora of courses designed by this institution that allows students and professionals to learn from the faculty from the comfort of their homes. A lot of different fields like computer science, engineering, and management, public health, history, democracy, preparation for graduate study are covered.

Key USPs –

– Choose among specializations, individual programs, master track certificate, master’s degree.

– Instruction for any necessary setup is provided.

– Build professional skills and develop your portfolio with capstone projects.

– All the programs can be accessed for free, and the verified certification option is available.

Duration: Variable

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

12. Free University of Illinois at Urbana — Champaign Courses (Coursera)

The curriculum at this renowned institution is created to aid students in building the skills required to find solutions for real-world problems and create a positive impact. Begin by choosing the area that you are interested in and narrow it down by finding a course that matches your experience level. Follow the suggested order of modules and complete the assignments to get the most out of the journey.

Key USPs-

– Earn your master’s in computer science, accountancy, data science, or other fields.

– Classes available vary from science, economics to arts, and entrepreneurship.

– Best practices shared by instructors.

– Get answers to your doubts.

– Both free learning and purchasable options are offered.

Duration: Variable

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

13. Free Johns Hopkins University Courses (Coursera)

Established to cultivate the essence of life long learning in students, fostering original research that can be beneficial for the society, this institution continues to be a front runner in imparting quality education to individuals around the world. Health informatics, mastering software development, disease clusters, neurohacking in R, mathematical biostatistics are among the top choice of programs.

Key USPs-

– Learn for free.

– Prepare for job interviews and higher studies.

– Use the latest techniques and tools.

– Subtitles available for the video lectures.

– Each module has numerous quizzes and reading materials.

Duration: Variable

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

14. Free Duke University Courses (Coursera)

Duke university boasts of a huge student base and faculty with a strong will to explore different fields that can be useful in serving the society. On this platform, you will get the opportunity to explore new technologies, subjects, get up to date with the latest trends, or hone your existing skillset. Once you are done with all the lessons, you can attempt the final exam or complete the end project, as suggested by the curriculum.

Key USPs-

– Interact with your peers and share ideas or doubts.

– Filter through all the choices to find the class that suits you the best.

– Optional installation steps and software access are provided if required.

– Study whenever and wherever for free.

Duration: Variable

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

15. Free Online Courses (University of Adelaide)

University of Adelaide is one of the world’s top research and higher education institute. The Australian university is a multi-disciplinary university that offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and postgraduate research degrees. AdelaideX is the university’s initiate to offer free online courses in a variety of subjects including Data Analytics, Project management, Agribusiness, and Human Biology. These courses can be audited for free or you can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

You can Sign up Here

So those were some of the best free college courses and certifications available online. Hope you found useful training programs to help you grow in your career or add a new skill set to your life. We wish you all the best with learning and growing further, and in case of

--

--

Digital Defynd
Freeelearning

100s of global experts recommend the best courses and certifications online. 2 Million+ Learners, 75000+ Courses and counting. https://digitaldefynd.com