400+ Best Online Certificate Courses for Free (2023 Master List)

Did you know you can take online certificate courses for free and build your resume and career prospects?

With the increasing prevalence of online education, there are more options than ever to learn new skills without investing in expensive tuition.

You can even take free courses online and potentially earn certificates from some of the world’s most renowned universities like Harvard and Stanford, as well as from top organizations like Google and IBM.

Whether you’re looking to gain certifications in digital marketing, app development, computer science, business management, or something else, chances are you can find the right online course to meet your needs and take it for free.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a master list of free online certificate courses for 2023. We’ve compiled online courses from some of the world’s top universities and organizations so that you can find something that fits your interests and career goals.

This comprehensive guide will help you explore the best online certificate courses available, including:

• Harvard: From business to computer science, Harvard offers a range of free online certificate courses on edX.
• Yale: Coursera has partnered with Yale to offer comprehensive courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications.
• Stanford: Coursera has partnered with Stanford to offer comprehensive courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• Caltech: Coursera has partnered with Caltech to offer comprehensive courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• Arizona State University: Coursera has partnered with ASU to offer comprehensive courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• University of Michigan: Coursera has partnered with the University of Michigan to offer courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications.
• Duke University: Coursera has partnered with Duke University to offer courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• Georgia Tech: Coursera has partnered with Georgia Tech to offer courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• Dartmouth: Coursera has partnered with Dartmouth to offer courses in a variety of subjects that allow you to earn certifications
• Google: Offers hundreds of free and cheap certificate programs in subjects like app development, Google Analytics, and Google Cloud.
• LinkedIn Learning: Has an impressive catalog of online certificate courses for free in business and technology topics.

Let’s get started…

 

Harvard Free Online Courses with Certificates

Harvard has partnered with edX to offer a range of 140+ free online courses. These courses cover a wide range of subjects, including computer science, data science, business management, entrepreneurship, law, and more.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Harvard free online courses include:

• CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python
• CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
• Data Science: R Basics
• Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
• Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking
• CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Scratch
• Fundamentals of Neuroscience
• Managing Happiness
• Data Science: Visualization
• Justice
• Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
• Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract
• Data Science: Machine Learning
• Human Anatomy: Musculoskeletal Cases
• Principles of Biochemistry
• Data Science: Probability
• The Architectural Imagination
• Remote Work Revolution for Everyone
• Statistics and R
• Introduction to Data Science with Python
• Calculus Applied!
• Leaders of Learning
• Early Childhood Development: Global Strategies for Implemen…
• Data Science: Inference and Modeling
• Introduction to Probability
• The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches Us
• The Health Effects of Climate Change
• Principles, Statistical and Computational Tools for Reproducible Data Science
• PredictionX: Omens, Oracles & Prophecies
• Data Science: Linear Regression
• Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes
• Introduction to Family Engagement in Education
• Leadership: Creating Public Value
• Religion, Conflict, and Peace
• Masterpieces of World Literature
• Cell Biology: Mitochondria
• Data Science: ProductivityTools
• Data Science: Wrangling
• Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology
• Fundamentals of TinyML
• Super-Earths and Life
• Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens, and the Stuff Around You
• Using Python for Research
• Quantitative Methods for Biology
• Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market
• Energy Within Environmental Constraints
• Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice
• Bioethics: The Law, Medicine, and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies and Genetics
• Prescription Drug Regulation, Cost, and Access: Current Controversies in Context
• Innovating in Health Care

Click here to see the full list of Harvard courses available on edX.

 

Yale Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Yale have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options. These courses are designed to help you gain new skills and knowledge in a range of topics, such as finance, economics, science, and more.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Yale free online courses include:

• Connected Leadership
• American Contract Law I
• Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing
• Introduction to Breast Cancer
• Planetary Health for Nurses
• Roman Architecture
• America’s Written Constitution
• Introduction to Religions & Ecology
• Journey Conversations: Weaving Knowledge and Action
• Anatomy of the Chest, Neck, Abdomen, and Pelvis
• Anatomy of the Upper and Lower Extremities
• Moral Foundations of Politics
• Moralities of Everyday Life
• The Worldview of Thomas Berry: The Flourishing of the Earth Community
• The Global Financial Crisis
• Indigenous Religions & Ecology
• Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action
• The Nature of Genius
• American Contract Law II
• Understanding Medical Research: Your Facebook Friend is Wrong
• Tropical Forest Landscapes 101: Conservation & Restoration
• A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 – 1650)
• The Science of Well-Being for Teens
• Music and Social Action
• Overcoming Dyslexia
• Introduction to Psychology
• Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
• Introduction to Classical Music
• Christianity & Ecology
• Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life
• Essentials of Global Health
• America’s Unwritten Constitution
• A Law Student’s Toolkit
• Global Quality Maternal and Newborn Care
• Age of Cathedrals
• South Asian Religions & Ecology
• Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator
• East Asian Religions & Ecology
• Introduction to Medical Software
• Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress
• The Science of Well-Being
• Financial Markets

Click here to see the full list of Yale courses available on Coursera.

 

Stanford Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Stanford have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Stanford free online courses include:

• Antibiotic Stewardship
• Introduction to Mathematical Thinking
• COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
• Social and Economic Networks: Models and Analysis
• Introduction to Clinical Data
• Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity
• Transitions in Care from Survivorship to Hospice
• Game Theory II: Advanced Applications
• Organizational Analysis
• Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
• Graph Search, Shortest Paths, and Data Structures
• Stories of Infection
• Probabilistic Graphical Models 1: Representation
• Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare
• International Women’s Health and Human Rights
• Writing in the Sciences
• Stanford’s Short Course on Breastfeeding
• Introduction to Logic
• AI in Healthcare Capstone
• Child Nutrition and Cooking
• Supporting Families and Caregivers
• Game Theory
• Essentials of Palliative Care
• Probabilistic Graphical Models 2: Inference
• Advanced Learning Algorithms
• Health Across the Gender Spectrum
• Audio Signal Processing for Music Applications
• Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and Classification
• Cooking for Busy Healthy People
• Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
• Introduction to Statistics
• Divide and Conquer, Sorting and Searching, and Randomized Algorithms
• Symptom Management in Palliative Care
• Unsupervised Learning, Recommenders, Reinforcement Learning
• Probabilistic Graphical Models 3: Learning
• Cryptography II
• Introduction to Food and Our Environment
• Stanford Introduction to Food and Health
• Shortest Paths Revisited, NP-Complete Problems and What To Do About Them
• Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare
• Cryptography I
• How Technology is Shaping Democracy and the 2020 Election
• Rebuilding Our Relationship with Food
• How Software Ate Finance
• Giving 2.0: The MOOC
• Introduction to Healthcare
• Love as a Force for Social Justice
• Greedy Algorithms, Minimum Spanning Trees, and Dynamic Programming
• Teaching LGBTQ+ Health

Click here to see the full list of Stanford courses available on Coursera.

 

Caltech Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Caltech have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Caltech free online courses include:

• Pricing Options with Mathematical Models
• The Science of the Solar System
• The Evolving Universe
• Getting started in cryo-EM

Click here to see the full list of Caltech courses available on Coursera.

 

Arizona State University Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and ASU have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular ASU free online courses include:

• Master of Computer Science
• English Proficiency for Graduate Studies Certificate
• Cybersecurity MasterTrack® Certificate
• AI and Machine Learning MasterTrack® Certificate
• Software Engineering MasterTrack® Certificate
• Big Data MasterTrack® Certificate
• Arizona State University TESOL
• Business English Specialization
• Design of Experiments Specialization
• ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series Specialization
• Materials Science for Advanced Technological Applications Specialization
• Materials Science for Technological Application Specialization
• Sustainability Analyst Fundamentals Specialization
• TESOL Certificate, Part 1: Teach English Now! Specialization
• TESOL Certificate, Part 2: Teach English Now! Specialization
• Business English Specialization
• Factorial and Fractional Factorial Designs
• ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Capstone Project
• Teach English Now! Theories of Second Language Acquisition
• Phase Diagrams I & II
• Engaging ELLs and Their Families in the School and Community
• Response Surfaces, Mixtures, and Model Building
• Business English: Marketing and Sales
• Teach English Now! Lesson Design and Assessment
• Crystal Structures and Properties of Metals
• Phase Diagrams
• Teach English Now! Second Language Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation
• Foundational Sustainability Skills & Competencies
• Marketing & Sales
• Assessing Achievement with the ELL in Mind
• Hardening, Polymers, Properties
• Teach English Now! Second Language Reading, Writing, and Grammar
• Business English: Final Project
• Business English: Finance and Economics
• Electrical Properties and Semiconductors
• Teach English Now! Capstone Project 1
• Teach English Now! Capstone Project 2
• Teach English Now! Technology Enriched Teaching
• Introduction to Materials Science
• Random Models, Nested and Split-plot Designs
• English Communication for Tech Professionals
• Careers in Sustainability
• Finance & Economics
• Lesson Planning with the ELL in Mind
• Experimental Design Basics
• Learning How To Learn for Youth
• Teach English Now! Foundational Principles
• Management & Leadership
• Business English: Management and Leadership
• Ceramics and Composites
• Sustainability Challenges for the Planet and Employers
• Teach English Now! Teaching Language Online
• Shape and Property Control of Metals I & II

Click here to see the full list of Arizona State University courses available on Coursera.

 

University of Michigan Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and the University of Michigan have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular University of Michigan free online courses include:

• Master of Public Health
• Master of Applied Data Science
• Social Work MasterTrack® Certificate
• Sustainability and Development MasterTrack® Certificate
• Construction Engineering and Management MasterTrack® Certificate
• Addressing Racial Health Inequity in Healthcare Specialization
• Anatomy Specialization
• Applied Data Science with Python Specialization
• Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization
• Digital Technologies and the Future of Manufacturing Specialization
• Django for Everybody Specialization
• Exploring Piano Literature: The Piano Sonata Specialization
• Extended Reality for Everybody Specialization
• Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making Specialization
• Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting Specialization
• Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization
• Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health Specialization
• Leading People and Teams Specialization
• Python 3 Programming Specialization
• Python for Everybody Specialization
• Sports Performance Analytics Specialization
• Statistics with Python Specialization
• Survey Data Collection and Analytics Specialization
• The Influence of Social Determinants on Health Specialization
• Total Data Quality Specialization
• Translational Science Specialization
• User Experience Research and Design Specialization
• Web Applications for Everybody Specialization
• Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development & Coding Specialization
• Managing Talent
• Building Database Applications in PHP
• Web Design for Everybody Capstone
• JavaScript, jQuery, and JSON
• Applied Social Network Analysis in Python
• JSON and Natural Language Processing in PostgreSQL
• Problem Solving Using Computational Thinking
• Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes
• Python Classes and Inheritance
• Fundamentals of Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R

Click here to see the full list of University of Michigan courses available on Coursera.

 

Duke University Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Duke University have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Duke free online courses include:

• Blockchain Applications Certificate
• AI Product Management Specialization
• Building Cloud Computing Solutions at Scale Specialization
• Data Analysis with R Specialization
• Decentralized Finance (DeFi): The Future of Finance Specialization
• Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy and Innovation Specialization
• Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization
• Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization
• Introductory C Programming Specialization
• Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization
• Object Oriented Programming in Java Specialization
• Python, Bash and SQL Essentials for Data Engineering Specialization
• Programming Fundamentals
• Behavioral Finance
• English Composition I
• Think Again IV: How to Avoid Fallacies
• Dog Emotion and Cognition
• Advertising and Society
• Introduction to Chemistry: Reactions and Ratios
• Copyright for Multimedia
• Image and Video Processing: From Mars to Hollywood with a Stop at the Hospital
• Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Opportunities and Risks
• Scripting with Python and SQL for Data Engineering
• ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements
• Linear Regression and Modeling
• Sports and Society
• Cloud Data Engineering
• Machine Learning Foundations for Product Managers
• Introduction to Chemistry: Structures and Solutions
• Medical Neuroscience
• Open Source Platforms for MLOps
• Mastering Data Analysis in Excel
• Copyright for Educators & Librarians
• Human Factors in AI
• Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Primitives
• Chimpanzee Behavior and Conservation
• Financing for Startup Businesses
• Managing Big Data with MySQL
• Visual Perception and the Brain
• Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
• Nanotechnology: A Maker’s Course
• Civic Engagement in American Democracy
• Introduction to Probability and Data with R
• Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau
• Cloud Computing Foundations
• Writing, Running, and Fixing Code in C
• Increasing Real Estate Management Profits: Harnessing Data Analytics
• Space Medicine
• Python Essentials for MLOps
• Understanding 9/11: Why 9/11 Happened & How Terrorism Affects Our World Today
• Think Again II: How to Reason Deductively
• ART of the MOOC: Public Art and Pedagogy
• Music as Biology: What We Like to Hear and Why
• Electric Industry Operations and Markets
• Java Programming: Solving Problems with Software
• Managing Machine Learning Projects
• Python and Pandas for Data Engineering
• Tropical Parasitology: Protozoans, Worms, Vectors and Human Diseases
• Bayesian Statistics
• Introductory Human Physiology
• Interacting with the System and Managing Memory
• Inferential Statistics
• Cloud Virtualization, Containers and APIs
• Data Science Math Skills
• Introduction to Genetics and Evolution
• Oil & Gas Industry Operations and Markets
• Pointers, Arrays, and Recursion
• Cloud Machine Learning Engineering and MLOps
• Java Programming: Build a Recommendation System
• Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship
• Financial Risk Management with R
• Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies
• Linux and Bash for Data Engineering
• Art of the MOOC: Experiments with Sound
• Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively
• Introduction to Machine Learning
• Java Programming: Principles of Software Design
• Web Applications and Command-Line Tools for Data Engineering
• Blockchain Business Models
• Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs
• Think Again I: How to Understand Arguments
• Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Deep Dive
• Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Infrastructure
• Java Programming: Arrays, Lists, and Structured Data
• FinTech Law and Policy
• The Brain and Space
• Startup Valuation Methods

Click here to see the full list of Duke University courses available on Coursera.

 

Georgia Tech Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Georgia Tech have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Georgia Tech free online courses include:

• Machine Design Part I
• Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone
• Cloud Systems Software
• Introduction to User Experience Design
• Games without Chance: Combinatorial Game Theory
• Introduction to Electronics
• Linear Circuits 1: DC Analysis
• Material Behavior
• Applications in Engineering Mechanics
• Materials Data Sciences and Informatics
• Engineering Systems in Motion: Dynamics of Particles and Bodies in 2D Motion
• Sound and Sonification Design for Interactive Learning Tools
• Mechanics of Materials I: Fundamentals of Stress & Strain and Axial Loading
• Introduction to High-Throughput Materials Development
• Advanced Engineering Systems in Motion: Dynamics of Three Dimensional (3D) Motion
• Mechanics of Materials IV: Deflections, Buckling, Combined Loading & Failure Theories
• Cloud Applications
• Mechanics of Materials III: Beam Bending
• Write Professional Emails in English
• Network Function Virtualization
• Supply Chain Principles
• Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
• Fundamentals of Engineering Exam Review
• Take Your English Communication Skills to the Next Level
• Material Processing
• Better Business Writing in English
• Software Defined Networking
• Build Your Professional ePortfolio in English

Click here to see the full list of Georgia Tech courses available on Coursera.

 

Dartmouth Free Online Courses with Certificates

Coursera and Dartmouth have partnered to offer a selection of free online courses with certification options.

All of these courses can be taken for free. If you want to get a certificate for completing the course, you may need to pay a small fee in some cases.

Some of the most popular Dartmouth free online courses include:

• Digital Transformation Certificate
• C Programming with Linux Specialization
• Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning Specialization
• Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization
• The Engineering of Structures Around Us Specialization
• Engineering of Structures: Tension
• Engineering of Structures: Shear and Bending
• Question Reality: Matter
• Question Reality: Mind
• C Programming: Getting Started – 1
• C Programming: Language Foundations – 2
• C Programming: Modular Programming and Memory Management – 3
• C Programming: Pointers and Memory Management – 4
• C Programming: Advanced Data Types – 5
• Linux Basics: The Command Line Interface – 6
• C Programming: Using Linux Tools and Libraries – 7
• Lessons on Wisdom: Personal Leadership for Your Life
• Energy Justice: Fostering More Equitable Energy Futures
• Engineering of Structures: Response of Structures
• Question Reality: Cosmos
• Decision-Making: Blending Art & Science
• Engineering of Structures: Tension and Compression
• Why Smart Executives Fail: Common Mistakes & Warning Signs
• Superbosses: Managing Talent & Leadership
• Engineering of Structures: Compression

Click here to see the full list of Dartmouth courses available on Coursera.

 

Google Free Online Courses with Certificates

Google offers a variety of free online courses with certification options. Some of these courses are created by Google themselves while others are created by other organizations and universities.

At the time of this article’s publication, Google offers around 60 online certificate courses for free (other courses are available but require a paid certificate for completion):

• Fundamentals of digital marketing
• Connect with customers over mobile
• Promote a business with content
• Understand customers needs and online behaviours
• Build confidence with self-promotion
• Land your next job
• Understand the basics of code
• Machine Learning Crash Course
• Elements of AI
• Building AI
• Entrepreneurship: From Business Idea to Action
• Build a sales strategy for your freelance business
• Host a design thinking workshop
• Learn about Agile project management and SCRUM
• Build your first web pages with HTML and CSS
• Learn programming with JavaScript
• Learn Python basics for data analysis
• Improve your soft skills
• Use Google to Get a New Job
• Manage a Project with Digital Tools
• Use Digital Tools for Everyday Tasks
• Communicate Effectively at Work
• Negotiate Your Salary
• Build Your Online Business
• Give and Receive Feedback
• Plan Effective Meetings
• Start a CV
• Edit Your CV
• Prepare For Your Business Plan
• Connect and Collaborate Anywhere with Digital Tools
• Write a Business Plan
• Send Emails in the Workplace
• Google Ads Search
• Google Ads Display
• Google Ads – Measurement
• Shopping Ads
• Google Ads Video
• Grasshopper: Learn to Code
• Organize Files in Drive
• Create a Presentation “All About a Topic”
• Create Quizzes in Google Forms
• Annotate Text in Google Docs
• Research and Develop a Topic
• Create a Photo Journal in Google Docs
• Manage Project Communication
• Create a budget in Google sheets
• Track due dates and tasks in Gmail
• Google Cloud Computing Foundations
• Getting Started: Create and Manage Cloud Resources
• Perform Foundational Infrastructure Tasks in Google Cloud
• Perform Foundational Data, ML, and AI Tasks in Google Cloud
• Build a Website on Google Cloud
• Learn How to Create Google Search Campaigns
• Create and Manage Google Ads Video Campaigns
• Learn How to Create and Optimize Google Display Ads Campaigns
• Created by Great Learning
• Introduction to R
• Data Science with Python
• Java Training

Click here for the full list of Google courses that include free certificates.

 

Final Thoughts on Taking Online Certificate Courses for Free

Today’s access to quality education is wider than ever before.

There are hundreds of online certificate courses you can take for free, covering a broad range of topics from personal leadership to marketing to data science and a whole lot more.

Whether you’re looking to gain new skills, advance your career or just broaden your knowledge base, taking one of these free courses can be a great way to do so.

Not only will you save money and time, but many of the certificates that you earn after completion will help bolster your resume or CV.

So if you’re looking to expand your knowledge and certifications, taking online certificate courses for free is definitely worth considering!

Have any questions about taking free online certificate courses? Did we leave any off this list? Let us know by commenting below.