What free courses are available on Coursera?

Coursera offers thousands of free courses across topics like data science , business , health , computer science , personal development , and more. While you can explore lectures and course content at no cost, some features—like assessments and certificates—may require payment.

Can I earn a certificate from a free Coursera course?

Yes, but certificates are typically not included in the free version of a course. To earn a certificate, you’ll usually need to pay for the course or apply financial aid if available. You can still learn all the material for free through audit mode.

How do I enroll in a course for free on Coursera?

To start a course for free, choose the “Audit the course” or “Enroll for free” option during sign-up. This lets you access video lectures and some assignments without payment. Look for courses labeled as “Free” or those that offer a free audit option.

What’s the difference between auditing a course and paying for one on Coursera?

Auditing a course gives you free access to the learning materials, like videos and reading content. Paying for a course unlocks graded assignments, assessments, and a certificate upon completion—which may be useful for showcasing your skills or professional development.

Are free Coursera courses from top universities?

Yes, many free courses are taught by instructors from top institutions like Stanford , Yale , University of Pennsylvania , and companies like IBM . These courses offer an accessible way to learn from leading educators and professionals around the world.

Top Free Courses - Learn Free Online

Find the Best Free Course for Your Goals

Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization, SQL, Supervised Learning, Feature Engineering, Plotly, Interactive Data Visualization, Jupyter, Data Literacy, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Mining, Data Cleansing, Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Unsupervised Learning, Generative AI, Pandas (Python Package), Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
143K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Meta Back-End Developer
Skills you'll gain: Django (Web Framework), Full-Stack Web Development, Version Control, Restful API, Data Structures, Unix Commands, Bootstrap (Front-End Framework), Git (Version Control System), Back-End Web Development, GitHub, Web Design and Development, Relational Databases, Front-End Web Development, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Database Management Systems, SQL, Database Design, Unit Testing, Algorithms, Web Development
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
9.2K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Meta Database Engineer
Skills you'll gain: MySQL, Database Design, Version Control, Database Management Systems, Database Management, MySQL Workbench, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Modeling, Data Structures, SQL, Unix Commands, Relational Databases, Databases, Git (Version Control System), Database Systems, Stored Procedure, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Unit Testing, Algorithms, Django (Web Framework)
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.1K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization, Generative AI, SQL, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Big Data, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), Data Manipulation, Excel Formulas, Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
92K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Science Fundamentals with Python and SQL
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, SQL, Descriptive Statistics, Jupyter, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis, Probability Distribution, Pandas (Python Package), Data Visualization Software, Statistics, Data Visualization, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Web Scraping, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Automation, Data Science, GitHub, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
71K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Python for Everybody
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Processing, Relational Databases, JSON, Database Design, SQL, Network Protocols, Web Services, Restful API, Data Modeling, Programming Principles, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Structures, Data Collection, Data Visualization Software, Data Manipulation, Computer Programming, Python Programming, Scripting Languages, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
277K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Query Languages, Jupyter, Data Manipulation, Data Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), Transaction Processing
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Web Scraping, Linux Commands, Database Design, SQL, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Apache Spark, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Data Store, Jupyter, Generative AI, Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Meta Full-Stack Developer
Skills you'll gain: Jest (JavaScript Testing Framework), Django (Web Framework), Version Control, Restful API, Responsive Web Design, Unix Commands, HTML and CSS, Git (Version Control System), GitHub, Relational Databases, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Database Management Systems, Bootstrap (Front-End Framework), React.js, Mobile Development, SQL, Database Design, Unit Testing, Web Development Tools, Web Development
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
23K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Introduction to Data Science
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Jupyter, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Peer Review, Data Modeling, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Data Science, Big Data, Query Languages, Data Cleansing, Data Visualization Software, GitHub, Business Analysis, Cloud Computing, Data Analysis, Digital Transformation, R Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
99K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Relational Database Administrator
Skills you'll gain: Data Warehousing, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Web Scraping, Linux Commands, Database Design, SQL, Database Administration, MySQL, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Transformation, Data Store, IBM DB2, Jupyter, Generative AI
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Database Design, SQL, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, IBM DB2, Extract, Transform, Load, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Jupyter, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Data Manipulation, Stored Procedure, Databases, Automation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
56K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months