Free Online Courses with free Certificates

 Free Online Courses: How To Find The Best Free Courses!

There are thousands of modern video courses, and new ones are emerging every day. Which of them are really free? And how do you like them best?

Which of the online courses are really free?

The course providers have to finance their course operations using various fee models. Nevertheless, with many online courses you can actually learn for free.

There are 2 options:

1. Modern video courses (MOOCs, massive open online courses) from international platforms (here for the current list)

2. Free video lectures from universities (here for the current list)

We'll show you how you can really learn for free with the courses.

Video courses (MOOCs) without fixed course fees

The video courses from international providers (= MOOCs) often offer free learning opportunities.

Basically the idea is:

The learning content of the MOOC (i.e. the video lessons and documents) is accessible free of charge.

A fee is only due if you want to receive a certificate for the MOOC (optional).

The MOOC providers therefore expect a mixed calculation: If only 2% or 200 learners of 10,000 course participants choose the voluntary paid certificate option, then the course is financed for all participants.

This is how you learn with MOOCs without paying

How exactly it works differs depending on the MOOC platform. There are also different course models and changes to the system (no guarantee for any information).

In general, free access works like this with the most important providers:

(You can also filter directly for free courses in our course directory)

Coursera:

Most Coursera MOOCs offer a free learning opportunity.

If you click on the Enroll or Register button, the selection Purchase Course or Full Course, No Certificate often appears. The latter variant without a certificate of participation is free of charge. (Sometimes the small audit stands for the free version.)

BUT: If the MOOC is part of a series of courses (= specialization), you may only be able to participate against payment. This is then displayed. You have to enroll in the Specialization (and can participate in a MOOC or in the whole series). There is often a free 7-day trial period.

Unfortunately a bit confusing: The exact cost options are only displayed after you click on Enroll or Login.

edX:

Most of the edX MOOCs are also free of charge in the version without a certificate.

When registering for a MOOC, you have two options: Verified Certificate or Audit this course.

Choose the audit option, then you can access the learning content at no cost.

Certain course series (MicroMasters, XSeries, Professional Certificate) are only accessible against payment. But this is clearly indicated to you.

According to our information, EdX plans to introduce further payment limits - so always check the current details on the course website.

OpenHPI

The openHPI MOOCs are usually free of charge, often even including a certificate (automatically issued, without proof of identity).

Exception: A fee is due for a qualified certificate (with photo and verified identity).

The choice of topics is significantly smaller here than with the large international providers.

FutureLearn

The FutureLearn MOOCs are also free in the basic version (by clicking on the Join course or Join free button).

Anyone who optionally selects the paid upgrade will not only receive the certificate but also unlimited access to the online courses.

onCampus

The oncampus courses (until recently this provider was called mooin) have free MOOCs and fee-based advanced training courses.

With individual MOOCs, automated certificates of attendance (so-called badges) are also included at no extra charge.

Any payment obligations are clearly shown on the respective course website.

Iversity

The iversity courses are also usually free of charge for learning (audit track).

Only those who want to receive a certificate have to pay a fee.

Exception: the pro courses for professional development, these are always chargeable.

Udacity

The specialist provider Udacity (which has courses on computer science and artificial intelligence) also offers some free courses.

Only the longer series of courses over several months (so-called nanodegrees) are chargeable.

OpenVHB

The openly accessible MOOCs of Bavarian universities via OPEN vhb are also free of charge.

For some courses there are even free downloadable certificates of attendance available.

iMooX

The online courses at iMooX are free.

As a rule, an automated confirmation of participation is also issued here free of charge (but without identity verification).

Studyflix

The Studyflix platform offers educational videos for students. Unlike the more extensive online courses from other providers, these are only short explanatory videos lasting several minutes.

The videos are free, but there are short commercials.

You should always check the current status on the respective course website.

Online lectures from universities: always free!

In addition to the MOOCs from the list above, there are many freely accessible online lectures from universities.

The difference: These are different from the MOOCs without exams, without discussion forums and without certificates. In addition, the video quality is not always optimal due to the live recording.

But they are always accessible free of charge.

Important universities with free video lectures include:

• Harvard Medical School
• University of London
• University of Munich (if necessary, activate Flash Player to play the lectures!)
• University of Hamburg
• University of Frankfurt
• University of Tübingen
• TU Darmstadt
• Clausthal University of Technology
• Yale University (USA)
• MIT (USA)

You can find all online lectures here. There you can also filter by subject area.

And of course you can also complete a complete online course leading to an academic degree (but only for a fee).