Whether it’s for business or pleasure, being a lifelong learner is one of the most powerful, motivating, inspiring things you can do with your time. Luckily for Free Online Education – Harvard, MIT, CalTech, ASU, and many others provide free courses, no matter your interests. Thousands of courses are available.

 

29 Free Online Education Resources

Thousands of classes offered for free from these schools, colleges, and universities.

 

+Acumen

Global learning community for social change leaders with nearly 20 free online courses. +Acumen offers world-class online courses that empower you to think differently, learn collaboratively and join a global community of learners and doers with a burning desire to change the world.

 

Harvard University

Free online courses from Harvard University. Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Harvard University courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

For example, Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies is a class on how entrepreneurship and innovation tackle complex social problems in emerging economies. The self-paced class is 6 weeks long, requires 3-5 hours per week and is free. You can also get a verified certificate on the course for $125.

 

Kauffman Founders School

Lectures aimed at giving entrepreneurs the skills and tools to build their ideas into something big. Choose from Entrepreneurial Life, Legal, Marketing & Sales, Money, Planning & Strategy, and Talent & HR.

 

Caltech

Caltech MOOCs. Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Caltech courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps.

 

Dartmouth College

Free Online Education from Dartmouth College. Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions. Dartmouth has forged a singular identity for combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts and graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship in the Arts & Sciences and its three leading professional schools—the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.

 

Davidson College

Established in 1837, Davidson College provides one of the nation’s most intellectually rigorous undergraduate experiences. Davidson’s renowned faculty and innovative transdisciplinary programs have earned the college distinction as one of the most research-active liberal arts institutions in the country, as well as consistent national recognition for overall quality, faculty-student research collaboration, and teaching.

Davidson College can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

Georgia Institute of Technology

Free Online Education from The Georgia Institute of Technology. The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation’s leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report.

 

MIT OpenCourseWare

Online courses featuring nearly all MIT course content. OCW is accessed by a broadly international population of educators and learners. MIT OpenCourseWare receives millions of visits each year. These visits come from all over the world, with over half coming from outside of North America.

MIT OpenCourseWare has already had a significant impact and visitors expect an even greater impact in the future.

• 80% of visitors rate OCW’s impact as extremely positive or positive; 91% expect that level of future impact.
• 96% of educators say the site has/will help improve courses.
• 96% of visitors would recommend the site.

 

 

Columbia University

Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Columbia University courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

Primer

Free app featuring bite-sized marketing lessons you can take wherever and whenever you have 5 minutes. The Primer app delivers a fast, easy way to learn business and marketing skills. Its bite-sized, jargon-free lessons are designed for time-crunched business owners and ambitious professionals who want to stay competitive in today’s ever-changing digital world. Primer’s content is curated and created by a small team at Google. They partner with top industry experts to bring our users the latest and most relevant topics, tips, strategies, and tutorials.

 

Georgetown University

Free online courses from Georgetown University. Georgetown University, the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university, is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. Students receive a world-class learning experience focused on educating the whole person through exposure to different faiths, cultures, and beliefs.

 

University of Texas

UTSystemX Free online courses from The University of Texas System. Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities and six health science centers. 

 

Coursera

Coursera.org is a website that partners with universities and organizations around the world. This brings a wide variety of topics and perspectives to one searchable database. Coursera is a powerful tool for free online education and includes courses from many top universities, museums, and trusts. This gives the site an extremely wide range of in-depth courses. Coursera is extremely useful if you’re looking to study many different topics or want courses from different schools and groups.

 

Princeton University

Free online courses from Princeton University. Princeton University is a vibrant community of scholarship and learning that stands in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations. Its educational mission is to prepare students to pursue meaningful lives and to help address the challenges of the future. Free online courses in a variety of subjects from Princeton University.

 

Brown University

Brown University MOOCs. Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Brown University can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

University of California, San Diego

Free Online Education from The University of California, San Diego. The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) is a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public institution that provides an opportunity for all. This young university has made its mark regionally, nationally and internationally. Named in the top 15 research universities worldwide, UC San Diego fosters a culture of collaboration that sparks discoveries, advances society and drives economic impact.

 

Cornell University

Free online courses from Cornell University, a world-renowned and diverse Ivy League institution, is a community of scholars known for intellectual rigor and engaged in deep and broad research, teaching tomorrow’s thought leaders to think otherwise, care for others, and create and disseminate knowledge with a public purpose. Once called “the first American university” by educational historian Frederick Rudolph, Cornell represents a distinctive mix of eminent scholarship and democratic ideals. Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Cornell University courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

Open Culture Online Courses

The page highlights 1000 lectures, videos, and podcasts from universities around the world. The site features a lot of material found only on universities private sites, all in easy to browse categories. This means you can find hundreds of university courses, without having to visit and search each university’s own site. Open Culture’s list features courses from England, Australia, Wales and many state universities around the United States. A very helpful resource for finding many courses in one area of study.

 

Rice University

Free online courses from Rice University. Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Many Rice University courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley MOOCs. Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. University of California, Berkeley courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee

 

Alison

Unlike the previous sites on this lists, Alison is a free education site offering certification in some areas. Alison offers courses mainly in business, technology, and health, but also includes language learning courses. A great option if users need certification for their learning, Alison also offers school curriculum courses

 

Boston University

BUx Free Online Education from Boston University. Boston University’s impact extends far beyond our campus in the heart of Boston. Our students, faculty, and alumni travel around the globe to study, teach and become immersed in the communities in which they live. As one of the world’s leading research universities, Boston University is currently engaged in more than 340 separate research, service, and educational programs and projects. 

 

The University System of Maryland (USM)

Free online courses from the University System of Maryland. The University System of Maryland (USM) is the state of Maryland’s public higher education system.

 

Arizona State University

Online courses from Arizona State University. Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to excellence, access, and impact. As a comprehensive public research university, ASU is measured not by whom they exclude, but rather by whom they include and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities they serve.

 

University of Chicago

Free Online Education from the University of Chicago. One of the world’s premier academic and research institutions, the University of Chicago has driven new ways of thinking since its 1890 founding. Many University of Chicago courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

University of Pennsylvania

Free Online Education from the University of Pennsylvania. The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League institution with 12 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools in Philadelphia, serving a diverse community of more than 20,000 students from around the world. Ranked consistently among the top ten universities in the United States, Penn dates its founding to 1740 and is often considered the first university to offer both graduate and undergraduate studies. Many University of Pennsylvania courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

University of Washington

Free online courses from the University of Washington. The University of Washington is one of the preeminent public research universities in the world dedicated to preparing leaders of change, promoters of ideas, and creating a culture of collaboration. The UW is ranked number one among public universities nationally that receive federal research and training funds, and since 1975 has been in the top five for public and private universities.

Browse free online education courses in a variety of subjects. Many University of Washington courses can be audited free or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.

 

Wellesley College

Free online courses from Wellesley College. Since 1875, Wellesley College has been the preeminent liberal arts college for women. Known for its intellectual rigor and its remarkable track record for the cultivation of women leaders in every arena, Wellesley—only 12 miles from Boston—is home to some 2300 undergraduates from every state and 75 countries.

 

 

I know there are a lot more resources out there for Free Online Education. This post already links to over 2 lifetimes worth of learning. However, if I get enough requests for more I will do a second post. If you would like to see more or know of more that I missed please message us on our contact us page.