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
Coursera Project Network
Getting Started with Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Spreadsheet Software, Productivity Software, Microsoft 365
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
12K reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Excel Basics for Data Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Data Cleansing, Data Analysis, Data Import/Export, Spreadsheet Software, Data Wrangling, Data Quality, Pivot Tables And Charts, Google Sheets, Data Manipulation, Data Visualization Software, Information Privacy
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
9.7K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Introduction to Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Spreadsheet Software, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, Data Mining
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
4K reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Johns Hopkins University
Business Analytics with Excel: Elementary to Advanced
Skills you'll gain: Risk Modeling, Operations Research, Regression Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Business Analytics, Business Modeling, Resource Allocation, Analysis, Process Optimization, Financial Analysis, Statistical Methods, Predictive Analytics, Transportation Operations, Linear Algebra
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
3.8K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Knowledge Accelerators
From Excel to Power BI
Skills you'll gain: Power BI, Dashboard, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Import/Export, Microsoft Excel, Data Visualization Software, Business Intelligence, Data Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Sharing
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
1.4K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Spreadsheet Software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft 365, Data Analysis Software, Gross Profit, Business Mathematics
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
2.3K reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Big Data, Data Visualization Software, Data Analysis, Dashboard, IBM Cognos Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Data Mining, Apache Hadoop, Tree Maps, Excel Formulas, Apache Hive, Microsoft Excel, Data Warehousing, Data Quality, Data Cleansing, Scatter Plots, Apache Spark, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
28K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Excel Formulas, Extract, Transform, Load, Power BI, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Copilot, Data Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Star Schema, Data Analysis, Data Presentation, Data Visualization Software, Spreadsheet Software, Data Validation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Transformation, Data Cleansing, Data Storage
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.4K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Interactive Data Visualization, Shiny (R Package), Data Wrangling, Exploratory Data Analysis, Relational Databases, Big Data, Data Visualization Software, Ggplot2, Database Design, Data Analysis, IBM Cognos Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Data Presentation, Data Mining, Dashboard, Excel Formulas, Data Manipulation, Web Scraping, Microsoft Excel
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
29K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Pennsylvania
Finance & Quantitative Modeling for Analysts
Skills you'll gain: Return On Investment, Financial Reporting, Capital Budgeting, Financial Statements, Financial Modeling, Mathematical Modeling, Statistical Modeling, Regression Analysis, Business Modeling, Income Statement, Financial Analysis, Risk Analysis, Cash Flows, Business Mathematics, Financial Planning, Corporate Finance, Predictive Analytics, Spreadsheet Software, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
17K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Business Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Requirements Elicitation, Risk Mitigation, Business Analysis, Business Process Modeling, Risk Analysis, Process Mapping, Process Optimization, Requirements Management, Risk Management, Business Requirements, Stakeholder Management, Work Breakdown Structure, Scope Management, Process Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Data Visualization Software, Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
13K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Storytelling, Data Warehousing, SQL, Database Design, MySQL, Presentations, Descriptive Statistics, Extract, Transform, Load, Business Intelligence, IBM DB2, Tableau Software, Relational Databases, Star Schema, Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Regression Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
14K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months