Top Free Online Coursera Courses to Pursue

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Mar 28, 2024 11:17 AM IST | #Skill Development

What are your plans during the pandemic? And what about post pandemic? Yes, the present and the future do look gloomy now. But what if we tell you that you can get some of the finest education on the planet for free from the comfort of your home? Yes. It is the right time to look into courses on coursera. This is a platform where the best of the best - industry experts, professors of prestigious universities around the world offer their best classes. You can audit as many courses as you want and absorb their wisdom. While there are many platforms which offer online courses and certifications such as Udemy, Udacity, Edx, etc and though they do have their own merits, Coursera stands apart.

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Top Free Online Coursera Courses to Pursue

It used to depend on your convenience to choose between traditional on-campus or online education. If you are a working professional, or have other commitments, then

online degree courses or online diploma courses were the best option. But now the pandemic has forced it to be the only good option. And do note that almost all institutions are providing their once traditional courses in the online format. This takes us to Coursera.

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What makes Coursera better?

Founded in 2012 by the professors from Stanford, the platform has lucrative partnerships with some of the best institutes around the world. So gaining a certification from institutes such as Stanford, MIT, Imperial College London or companies such as IBM, Google, etc. to name a few, sounds like a really great deal! And what are some of the top best coursera courses you can get? Engineering, Data science, Business, Health and the list goes on.

As of now, there are over 200 institutions that offer courses on coursera. There have been over 150 million course enrollments since its inception. And you get to choose from over 4,000 courses, specialisations as well as degrees. While you can audit as many courses as you want, if you wish to showcase this course on your resume, then you will have to upgrade and pay for that certificate. But don’t forget. The courses on coursera charge much less than on-campus courses. And what’s more you get the coursera certification which is acknowledged by every company on the planet.

They also have facilities such as Help Center, support via chat, etc. through which you can clarify your doubts and also raise grievances, if any.

Also read: 50+ UGC Approved Online Courses by Top Universities

Cost of Courses on Coursera

This can vary due to subscription. For example, if you opt for a month-to-month subscription then there are no refunds. You will have to take longer subscriptions.

When you look in terms of packages such as One-time Course, The Coursera Plus, Specialization and Coursera for Team; all of them offer a 14-day refund. When it comes to online degree courses and Mastertrack Certificate Programs, this may vary as the institutes that offer them decide over the refund policy.

But do not worry. You can also get Financial Aid and Scholarships from Coursera.

Something else about Coursera

Did you know that in March 2020 Coursera along with its partners sponsored over 115 specialized courses. This initiative was to help those who were affected by the pandemic. This initiative helped many who have lost their jobs, who had salary cuts, havd difficulty continuing their education, etc. This way coursera was able to help people to upskill themselves so that they can stand on their own.

Top Online Free Courses on Coursera

Now let us look into some of the most popular courses on coursera which you can audit in a short period of time.

Course	Offered by	Duration	Cost
Developing Android Apps with App Inventor	Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong via Coursera	12 weeks	Free
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence	IBM via Coursera	4 weeks	Rs.2852 (7 day free trial)
Science Matters: Let's Talk About COVID-19	Imperial College London Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA) via Coursera	Approx. 16 hours	Free
The Science of Well-Being	Yale University via Coursera	Approx. 19 hours	$ 79 (free for auditing)
COVID-19 Contact Tracing	John Hopkins University via Coursera	Approx. 7 hours	Free enrollment available until December 31, 2021.
Machine Learning	Stanford University via Coursera	Approx. 61 hours	Rs. 4378 (free for auditing)
Instructional Design Foundations and Applications	University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign via Coursera	4 weeks	Rs. 5884 (free for auditing)
Cybersecurity Compliance Framework & System Administration	IBM via Coursera	4 weeks	Rs. 3583 (7 day free trial)
English for Career Development	University of Pennsylvania via Coursera	Approx. 40 hours	Rs. 2152 (free for auditing)
Financial Markets	Yale University via Coursera	Approx. 33 hours	Rs. 2152 (free for auditing)
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design	Google via Coursera	4 weeks	Free enrollment (Rs. 1027 per month for complete access)
Introduction to Psychology	Yale University via Coursera	Approx. 15 hours	Rs. 2152 (free for auditing)
Photography Techniques: Light, Content, and Sharing	Michigan State University, East Lansing via Coursera	4 weeks	Rs. 3649 per month (free for auditing)
Preparing for the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam	Google via Coursera	7 weeks	Rs. 3615 per month (7 day free trial)

Now let us take a look at some of the popular courses on coursera that are longer in duration.

Python for Everybody Specialization

This is one of the best courses on coursera online to learn how to specialise in Python programming. At the end of the course, you will be able to use Python to analyse data efficiently. This course has got an excellent 4.8 (out of 5) from over 1,000,000 students who have taken this course. The course instructor is Charles Russell Severance and partnered with University of Michigan.

Duration : 8 months

Cost: $49 per month for a subscription

Also Read: Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games by University of Alberta via Coursera

Business English Communication Skills Specialization

Everyone needs effective communication. And this is where you can master it. With over 90,000 and an excellent 4.8 (out of 5) rating, this coursera certificate course can teach you how to communicate in english in a professional setting. Richard Moore the instructor is a professor from the University of Washington.

Duration : 6 months

Cost: $49 per month for a subscription

Facebook Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate

If you follow into one of these professions: digital marketer, social media manager, content writer, etc. then this is the course to take. Offered from Facebook itself, this coursera certificate course has been taken by over 50,000 students and has got an outstanding 4.9 out of 5 rating.

Duration : 7 months

Cost: $49 per month for a subscription

IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate

If you work in data analytics, then what other place to go than IBM! This course taught by the industry giant itself has over 30,000 students and has got a good 4.7 ratings out of 5.

Duration: 11 months

Cost: $39 per month for a subscription

Also Read : Introduction to Data Analytics by IBM via Coursera

Machine Learning for Analytics

Master statistics and machine learning and boost your career as a data science professional with this awesome coursera certificate course from the University of Chicago. Duration : 5 months

Cost: 1 time payment of $3,900 or 4 payments for $1,000 monthly.

Also Read : Process Data from Dirty to Clean by Google via Coursera

Social Work:Practice, Policy and Research

This coursera certificate course is partnered with the University of Michigan. In this course you will learn what it takes to become a social worker.

Duration : self paced

Cost: 1 time payment of $1,900 or payments for $500 per month for 4 months.

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When it comes to online degrees in courses, this is one of the best coursera courses. You get a bachelor’s from the prestigious University of London. You also master topics such as Artificial Intelligence Data Science, Web Development, etc.

Duration : 3-6 years.

Cost: $15,230 – $22,872 (depending on the pace)

Also Read - Computer Architecture by Princeton University via Coursera

Master of Science in Management

This Master’s Degree program is partnered with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Management. This is one of the best coursera courses for giving you a strong foundation in fundamental business skills.

Duration : 1 year

Cost : $11,052

Also Read : MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship by HEC, Paris via Coursera

Conclusion

While you cannot get certifications without payment, you are still able to audit many courses. And in most cases you are able to complete these online free coursera courses as most of them are short courses, or have a taste of what the course is like. Then you can make the important choice to get the certification if you think that it will be useful as a valid credential. Nevertheless the auditing itself paves the way for free and accessible high quality education and you should not miss out on this.

Still confused? Check out our online course comparison and choose the best courses on coursera. After comparing the cost, utility and other features come to a decision that works for you and start learning.

And when you are done and you want to explore further options, feeling that Coursera is not enough, then do not worry. There are many online courses & certifications from top providers available. Down below, you can check these out and once again revert to our online course comparison to make the right decision.

Explore Popular Platforms Certification Courses

Edx Courses & Certifications	Swayam Courses & Certifications
Coursera Courses & Certifications	Edureka Courses & Certifications
Simplilearn Courses & Certifications	Udacity Courses & Certifications
Futurelearn Courses & Certifications	Upgrad Courses & Certifications
Great Learning Courses & Certifications	Udemy Courses & Certifications

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are there any online free coursera courses?

You get a 7 day free trial after which you will have to pay a monthly subscription. And if you like a particular and believe that its certification will be beneficial, the you will have to pay an affordable fee (in comparison with on-campus courses and degrees).

2. Which are some of the best courses on Coursera?

Other than the courses mentioned above, here are some more picks that are worth checking out:

Introduction to Psychology
Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
Financial Markets
English for Career Development
Write Professional Emails in English

3. Are courses on Coursera valid?

Yes. They are legit. The platform is partnered with the best institutes and companies in the world. Before you take a course, you can do a complete background check on the course instructors as well as the companies and institutes and their partnership with the platform.

4. What is the fee structure of courses on coursera?

This would depend on the course as well as other factors such as duration and certification. The monthly subscription package is from $ 39 to $ 79. So for example, if you take longer to complete a course, you will have to pay the subscription fee for the following months. And for certification courses there will be special fees.

5. Are there any online diploma courses available?

Yes. Many platforms such as Edx, Coursera, etc. offer top quality diploma courses that you can complete from the comfort of your home. These online diploma courses are 1-3 year courses.

6. Is it possible to add courses on Coursera to my resume?

Yes. But you cannot add online free coursera courses. Because you have only audited them. To get the certification you will have to pay for the particular course. Once done, you can add that to your resume.

7. What is the average duration for courses on Coursera?

This can vary depending on the course. There are short courses which can be completed within a few weeks. There are also degree programs, which, depending on your pace, can take anywhere from 3- 6 years.

8. How do online free coursera courses work?

Yes You can audit the courses for free for 7 days.