If you are wondering whether you can take a free course on Coursera, the short answer is, yes, you can. It is possible to take free courses on Coursera for a variety of reasons. The most common reason that people take free courses is to complete a degree. If you are still in school, thatâs how you can usually take free courses. Then there are people who are looking to enhance their skill set. If youâre a developer, for example, you can take free courses to learn more about machine learning. Finally, there are people who are looking to learn a new skill for a job.
Even if your school blocks Coursera, you can still take courses for free.
While some of the most popular online courses are only available to enrolled students, there are many free courses available to anyone. You can find a list of free courses on the Coursera website. You can also search for free courses by keyword using the search box, and then narrow your results by choosing only free courses.
Coursera offers an option for free trials.
All courses on Coursera are free to try. You donât need to pay anything to access the course materials or take the tests. However, you might need to pay a subscription fee to get access to all course content after the trial period ends.
Some universities and colleges allow you to take Coursera courses for free if you are a student or recent graduate.
Since the company that offers these online courses is Coursera, itâs likely that the courses will be available on other platforms in the future. But for now, to take any of these free courses you must be a student or have recently earned a graduate degree. Additionally, you need to be enrolled in a degree program that is accepted by the college or university that offers the course. This is because they partner with Coursera to provide access to their educational content.
Look for an academic affiliation program.
While many courses offer free accounts, they often have restrictions. You can check the website to see if there are any restrictions for the courses youâre interested in, but that doesnât mean itâs a bad idea to take them for free. If you complete the course, youâll likely receive a certificate, which can be helpful when applying to graduate programs.
Volunteer to do pro-bono work for a nonprofit.
While some of the best online courses are offered for free, others, like MOOCs, charge a fee. For example, Udemy offers thousands of courses for free, but if you want to take a course for a certificate, youâll need to pay a fee. Likewise, the online course platform Khan Academy offers a lot of free courses, but if you want to get a certificate of completion, youâll need to pay a fee.
Work for Coursera as an independent contractor.
Coursera courses are free to watch and take as long as you complete any quizzes and exams before the course officially ends. You can also download the videos and course materials, but you wonât receive a certificate for completing the course. However, if you pay for a premium membership, you can access the course content indefinitely, even after the course ends.
Get a job with a company that offers benefits.
While some companies offer free courses as a perk to new employees, this is not a guarantee. For example, you can check out the Udemy course list to find free courses in computer and software, but you canât guarantee that your current employer will offer free courses in your chosen field. Additionally, some companies require that you complete the courses before being eligible for benefits.
Conclusion
The short answer is yes! Coursera offers thousands of online learning courses to anyone who is interested in taking them for free. Some of the most popular courses on Coursera include things like machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity. If youâre interested in more practical application-oriented courses, check out Udemy as well.