In this article, read by over 10 million people, Class Central has compiled the single largest collection of free certificate courses available online.
Certificates can motivate learners to complete online courses. When the modern online course movement began, platforms such as Coursera and edX offered free certificates. But by 2015, these had largely been replaced by paid ones.
Fortunately, a few universities including Harvard and Stanford still offer some free certificates. And so do some platforms like OpenLearn and LinkedIn Learning. Finally, Google, MATLAB, and other companies also started offering free certificates to promote their products.
Free certificates can be hard to find. So we compiled them all here, testing each platform, and earning a few certificates ourselves along the way. We’ve spent many hours on this article, and we’ll continue to update it.
If you know of a free certificate not listed here, please share it in the comments.
While Coursera and edX are not currently offering free certificates, you can learn from some of their courses for free.
Please note, Class Central is not involved in running the courses or issuing certificates. This is a dynamic field and you may discover that a course you choose is no longer available, or doesn’t have a free certificate any more. We recommend you always check before starting a course.
Table of Contents
This article is long. To make it easy to navigate, we’ve divided it into sections. Reference on a section to jump to the corresponding free certificate courses:
| 450+ free certificates and badges on Android Development, Google Analytics, Google Cloud… | |
| LinkedIn Learning | 470+ hours of online courses with free certificates on business, design, technology… |
| Harvard | 10 online courses with free certificates on computer science, programming, AI… |
| Stanford | 200+ medical courses with free certificates and CME credit. |
| Open University | 900+ free certificate courses on business, law, science… |
| Semrush | 80 courses with free certificates on various aspects of marketing and SEO. |
| CodeSignal | 1500+ courses with free certificates in coding, AI & ML, data science, interview prep… |
| freeCodeCamp | 1000+ hours of free certificates on web development, programming, data science… |
| Digital Marketing | 300+ free certificates and badges on digital marketing: SEO, social media marketing… |
But there’s more! The following universities and companies also offer courses with free certificates. Reference to jump to the corresponding courses:
Sponsored
Google Free Certificates and Badges

From Gmail to Maps, Google offers a ton of useful apps. What many people don’t know is that Google also offers numerous online courses — and some of them include a free certificate or badge!
So we decided to sift through Google’s entire online learning ecosystem to compile all their free courses that offer a badge or certificate.
In total, we found over 450 courses, covering topics such as digital marketing, Google Analytics, and Google Cloud. You can find the full list in our dedicated article: 450+ Free Google Certificates and Badges.
Here are some examples of the courses offered by Google:
- Google Ads Apps Certification
- AI-Powered Shopping ads Certification
- Google Ads Creative Certification
- Google Ads Display Certification
- Google Ads Search Certification
- Grow Offline Sales Certification
- AI-Powered Performance Ads Certification
- Google Ads Video Certification
- Google Analytics Certification
- Google Play Store Listing Certificate
- Introduction to Generative AI from Google ★★★★★(167)
- Introduction to Responsible AI from Google ★★★★☆(29)
- Gmail from Google ★★★★★(8)
- Google Sheets – Advanced Topics from Google ★★★★★(6)
- Introduction to Image Generation from Google ★★★★★(8)
- Google Calendar from Google ★★★★★(1)
- Google Sheets from Google ★★★★★(4)
- Planetary Scale Earth Observation with Google Earth Engine from Google ★★★★★(1)
- Introduction to Large Language Models from Google ★★★★☆(11)
- Build your first web app with Firebase
- Get started with Google Maps Platform
- Build apps with Flutter
- Introduction to SQL
- Get data from the internet
- Adapt for different screen sizes
- Build Actions for Google Assistant
- Kotlin fundamentals
You can find more details and the full list here.
Harvard Free Certificates

Class Central’s @manoel wrote a comprehensive guide explaining how to earn a free certificate in CS50, Harvard’s Introduction to Computer Science, and in the other courses in the CS50 lineup, which you can see below.
To get the certificate for free, you’ll want to take the courses through Harvard OCW. For more details, head to Class Central’s CS50 in-depth guide. We also have course-specific guides: Harvard CS50 certificate and Harvard CS50 Python certificate.
- CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science from Harvard University ★★★★★(189)
- CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript from Harvard University ★★★★★(29)
- CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals from Harvard University ★★★★★(18)
- CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python from Harvard University ★★★★★(24)
- CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python from Harvard University ★★★★★(11)
- CS50’s Computer Science for Lawyers from Harvard University ★★★★★(8)
- CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Scratch from Harvard University ★★★★★(6)
- CS50’s Introduction to Cybersecurity from Harvard University ★★★★★(2)
- CS50’s Introduction to Databases with SQL from Harvard University ★★★★★(2)
- CS50’s Introduction to Programming with R from Harvard University
The core course is one of the world’s most popular MOOCs with over 6 million enrollments on edX. It is also one of the Best Free Online Courses of All Time on Class Central.
Stanford Medicine Free Certificates & CME Credit

Stanford Medicine offers a flurry of online learning resources in the medical field, from podcasts to full-fledged courses, that include free certificates of completion.
Learners also have access to a formal transcript from Stanford, listing all the training they’ve completed. And if you work in healthcare, you can earn continuing medical education credit (CME credit) via the platform.
Here are some of Stanford free certificate offerings:
- Podcasts: The Stanford Medcast, a biweekly 30-minute medical podcast. Each episode focuses on a new topic, often related to recent medical developments. For instance, recent episodes have discussed CRISPR Breakthroughs, CAR-T Therapy, Dermatology, and Perinatal Mental Health
- Webinars: A series of on-demand webinars, where experts discuss various topics related to healthcare. Here’s a webinar from the Pediatric Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Lecture Series that focuses on Fatigue and Underperformance in Sport, and one from Cardiology Grand Rounds: Stress CMR Imaging of Chest Pain Syndromes
- Online Courses: For example Health Across the Gender Spectrum.
For more details on how to earn a free certificate from Stanford, head to our article: Stanford Medicine Offers Courses with Free Certificate & CME Credit.
LinkedIn Learning Free Certificates

Class Central’s @suparn searched LinkedIn Learning’s catalog and identified those that offer a free certificate.
Here’s what he found: 115 learning paths offering free certificates, and 400 individual courses with free certificates, for a total of over 470 hours of free online learning.
Below, you can find a selection. Visit our dedicated article for the full free certificate list: 470+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Certifications.
- Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/6 items)
- Build Your Generative AI Productivity Skills with Microsoft and LinkedIn (4 hours/5 items)
- AI for Organizational Leaders by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/6 items)
- Microsoft Copilot for Productivity by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/8 items)
- Professional Soft Skills Learning Pathway (9 hours/12 items)
- Communication Foundations
- >Introduction to Career Skills in Data Analytics
- Project Management Foundations
- What Is Business Analysis?
- Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- Entrepreneurship Foundations
- Administrative Professional Foundations
- Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making
A LinkedIn Learning certificate is available once you complete videos, quizzes, or exams. To earn a certificate for a learning path, you need to complete all individual courses in the path.
Open University Free Certificates

The Open University offers 900+ free online courses via their OpenLearn platform. And these include free certificates of completion, and sometimes, badges.
Having completed a bachelor’s degree with the Open University, I (Manoel) can attest to the quality of their courses, which cover a wide variety of subjects, ranging from arts and language to science and technology.
Here are some of the courses you can take on OpenLearn:
- Everyday English 1
- Information security
- The business of football
- Microbes – friend or foe?
- A brief introduction to nursing
- Getting started on classical Latin
- Intercultural competence in the workplace
- Psychological research, obedience and ethics
- Physical and mental health for young children
- Introducing music research
- Introducing social care and social work
- Herodotus and the invention of history
- International relations: exploring territorial divisions
For more details on how to earn a free certificate on OpenLearn, head to our article: 900+ Open University Free Certificates.
Semrush Free Certificates
Semrush Academy offers 90+ free courses on various aspects of marketing and SEO, many with free certificates. Here’s a selection: You can find more Semrush Academy courses with free certificates here. CodeSignal offers 1500+ courses and learning paths with free certificates in coding, AI & ML, data science, interview prep, and more. Here’s a selection: You can find more CodeSignal courses with free certificates here or for more details on how to earn a free certificate on CodeSignal head to our article: Unlock 800+ Free Certificates: Master Tech & Soft Skills with CodeSignal Learn.
CodeSignal Free Certificates

Digital Marketing Free Certificates and Badges
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Digital Marketing is a broad domain that includes search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, email marketing, online public relations, and more.
Class Central’s catalog of Digital Marketing courses has grown to 7,500+ courses, but most of them either do not offer a certificate or require you to pay for a credential. So we dug deeper and found 300+ Free Digital Marketing Certificates and Badges offered by companies such as Google, Meta, X (Twitter), Semrush, and more.
Here are a few examples:
- Google Analytics Certification via Google
- Google Ads Video Certification via Google
- AI-Powered Performance Ads Certification via Google
- Grow Offline Sales Certification via Google
- Content Marketing Principles for Business via semrush.com
- SEO Certification Course via academy.hubspot.com
- Inbound Course: Get Certified in the Inbound Methodology via academy.hubspot.com
- Inbound Marketing Course: Get Certified in Inbound Marketing via academy.hubspot.com
- Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate via Meta Blueprint
- Boost Your Marketing With Facebook Pixel via Meta Blueprint
- Ads Manager Fundamentals via X
- Mobile App Campaigns via X
- Website Traffic & Sales Campaigns via X
For more details and courses, head to our article: 300+ Free Digital Marketing Certificates and Badges.
freeCodeCamp Free Certificates

freeCodeCamp is a nonprofit that can teach you how to code online for free. It includes thousands of hours of learning content exploring topics ranging from web development to machine learning. Some content does not offer certificates, while other courses are structured into certifications. These are dedicated to a particular topic and lead to a free certificate of completion.
Here are the certifications currently offered by freeCodeCamp:
- Responsive Web Design ★★★★★(105)
- JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures ★★★★★(47)
- JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures (Beta)
- Data Analysis with Python ★★★★★(17)
- Front End Development Libraries> ★★★★★(11)
- Machine Learning with Python ★★★★★(12)
- Quality Assurance ★★★★★(7)
- Information Security ★★★★☆(6)
- Relational Database (Beta) ★★★★★(3)
- Scientific Computing with Python ★★★★★(3)
- Back End Development and APIs ★★★★★(3)
- Data Visualization ★★★★★(1)
- Foundational C# with Microsoft ★★★★★(2)
- College Algebra with Python ★★★★★(1)
More freeCodeCamp courses here.
FutureLearn Free Certificates
FutureLearn offers 70+ online courses with a free “digital upgrade”, which includes unlimited access to the course and quizzes. A digital Certificate of Achievement will be available upon completion. Here’s a selection:
- Agriculture, Economics and Nature from University of Western Australia via FutureLearn ★★★★★(5)
- Digital Skills: Digital Marketing from Accenture via FutureLearn ★★★★☆(16)
- Social Learning and Collaboration in School: Learning to thrive through play from Lego Foundation via FutureLearn ★★★★★(2)
- Digital Skills: Digital Skills for Work and Life from Accenture via FutureLearn ★★★★★(3)
- Digital Skills: Social Media from Accenture via FutureLearn ★★★★☆(8)
- Digital Skills: User Experience from Accenture via FutureLearn ★★★★★(2)
- Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence from Accenture via FutureLearn ★★★★☆(5)
- Introduction to Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality from Lancaster University via FutureLearn ★★★★★(1)
- Digital Skills: Reimagine Your Career from Accenture via FutureLearn
- Measuring What Matters: Transforming Assessment and Recognition of Complex Learning Competencies from University of Melbourne via FutureLearn
- Digital Skills: Mobile from Accenture via FutureLearn
For the full list and more details of how to earn a free certificate, head to our article: FutureLearn Courses with Free Certificates.
IBM Free Badges and Certificates

IBM Cognitive Class offers over 100 courses and more than 30 learning paths in data science, AI, big data, cloud computing and blockchain. Around 60 courses offer a completion badge or certificate. Check on the Cognitive Class.AI course page for details.
The platform also provides a virtual lab environment allowing users to practice what they’ve learned in the courses.
Here’s a selection:
- Accelerating Deep Learning with GPUs
- Introduction to Open Source
- Text Analytics 101
- Applied Data Science with R
- Big Data Foundations
Some of the 24 free learning paths and 582 free courses from IBM Training have free certificates and badges available from IBM Training or via Credly. Courses are in a range of fields including AI, automation, infrastructure, cloud, security, and more.

MATLAB Free Certificates

MathWorks, the company behind the MATLAB programming language and software, offers 24 free online courses through their MATLAB Academy platform.
The courses introduce learners to the MATLAB language and tools — with a focus on machine learning — and MathWorks’ specialized software, such as Simulink.
Most notably, MATLAB Academy courses include a free certificate of completion as well as an accompanying progress report.
Here is a selection of the free courses currently offered on MATLAB Academy:
- MATLAB Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(11)
- Machine Learning Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(2)
- Reinforcement Learning Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(1)
- Signal Processing Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(1)
- Stateflow Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★☆(1)
- Simulink Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(1)
- Circuit Simulation Onramp from MathWorks
- App Building Onramp from MathWorks
- Image Processing Onramp from MathWorks ★★★★★(2)
- Statistics Onramp from MathWorks
- Curve Fitting Onramp from MathWorks
For a complete list and details of how to earn a free MATLAB certificate, head to our article: 30 Hours of MATLAB Courses with Free Certificate.
Kaggle Free Certificates
Kaggle is an online community for data scientists and aspiring data scientists alike. It offers over 50K public datasets, allowing you to build your own data science projects through Jupyter notebooks, and participate in competitions.
In addition, the platform offers a series of courses to learn the fundamentals of data science. Each leads to a certificate of completion.
- Python ★★★★★(13)
- Intro to SQL ★★★★☆(8)
- Advanced SQL ★★★★☆(2)
- Intro to Deep Learning ★★★★★(3)
- Data Cleaning ★★★★★(2)
- Time Series ★★★★★(1)
- Computer Vision ★★★★☆(1)
- Intro to Machine Learning ★★★★★(1)
- Pandas ★★★★☆(1)
- Data Visualization
- Intro to AI Ethics
- Machine Learning Explainability
- Feature Engineering
- Intermediate Machine Learning ★★★★★(1)
- Intro to Game AI and Reinforcement Learning
University of Tasmania Free Certificates

The University of Tasmania offers a growing list of certificate courses that are updated regularly:
- Understanding Dementia from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(14000)
- Preventing Dementia from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(7300)
- Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(1300)
- Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(1600)
- Mental Health and MS from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(38)
- Deciding about DMTs for MS from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(38)
- Parkinson’s MOOC from University of Tasmania
- Motor Neurone Disease (MND) from University of Tasmania
- Ageing Well with MS from University of Tasmania
Also available is Equip Aged Care Learning Modules, a series of 10-minute modules each offering a free certificate of completion. Although focused in Australia, many of the topics are relevant to aged care worldwide.
Three of these courses have been ranked among Class Central’s Best Free Online Courses of All Time. After completing the final quizzes of each course module, participants are eligible to download certificates of completion.
HackerRank Free Certificates

HackerRank, a platform for learning algorithms and data structures and preparing for coding interviews, provides skills certifications tests in topics such as problem solving, Python, and JavaScript. Upon successfully clearing an assessment, you can promote yourself using the HackerRank certificate to peers and employers.
Here are some of the 24 tests you may complete to earn a certificate:
- Problem Solving (Basic)
- Python (Basic) Skills Certification
- Java (Basic) Skills Certification
- C# (Basic) Skills Certification
- JavaScript (Basic) Skills Certification
- SQL (Basic) Skills Certification
- Go (Basic) Skills Certification
- R (Basic) Skills Certification
- Node (Basic) Skills Certification
University of Helsinki Free Certificates

The University of Helsinki offers academic online courses through its independent course platform, MOOC.fi, including the following courses which include a free certificate of completion:
- Elements of AI ★★★★★(922)
- Full Stack open ★★★★★(36)
- Java Programming ★★★★★(20)
- Cyber Security Base ★★★★★(8)
- Ethics of AI ★★★★★(34)
OpenHPI Free Certificates

The Hasso Plattner Institute offers a range of self-paced courses with free certificates of participation and achievement. Most courses are in German, but some are in English.
Here’s a selection of courses in English:
- Understanding Embeddings for Natural Language Processing
- Data Science Bootcamp
- Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis
- Introduction to Quantum Computing with Qiskit (with IBM Quantum)
Marginal Revolution University (MRU) Free Certificates

Marginal Revolution University (MRU) now provides 18 economics courses and series to everyone for free, some with a final exam and certificate. Learning videos (without a certificate) are also available on their Youtube Channel. You will earn a certificate on your MRUniversity profile if you pass the final exam of a course.
- Principles of Economics: Microeconomics
- Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics
- Development Economics
- International Trade
- Great Economists: Classical Economics and Its Forerunners
- The Eurozone Crisis
- Economics of the Media
X (Twitter) Marketing Free Badges
X Ads Academy offers free courses and badges on practice tips for advertising and campaigns on X. The courses provide free badges if you score 80% or higher on the Badge Assessments. upGrad is an online learning platform that offers 100+ free programs and courses on subjects such as data science, business analytics, and technology. An e-Certificate of Completion is provided in 30 days after you successfully finish all the modules within your program. Your phone number is required while registering a course so you may receive calls and messages from upGrad. Here are some of the free programs offered on upGrad: HubSpot Academy provides a number of free courses, 26 of which provide free certificates. Here’s a selection: You can find more Hubspot Academy courses with free certificates here. Wolfram U offers more than 40 courses with free certificates across various subjects, including Programming, Mathematics, Data Science and Machine Learning, Computational Thinking, and Signal and Image Processing. Here’s a selection: For all the free certificates from Wolfram U, head to our article: 40+ Free Certificates from Wolfram U. The OPEN vhb site lists over 100 free courses in German and English, from a range of universities. To receive your certificate, complete 70% to 80% of the tasks correctly. Here’s a selection: Established by Spain’s Banco Santander, Santander Open Academy offers 40+ online courses in a range of languages with free completion certificates. Here’s a selection: Complexity Explorer currently offers 5 self-paced courses with free certificates, and a range of free tutorials without a certificate. To receive your certificate, complete all the end-of-unit tests with an average score of 70% or more. Saylor Academy offers 130+ college level courses with free certificates in History, Business, Chemistry, Economics, Computer Science, and many more. To earn a free certificate, you have to pass a final exam with a grade of 70% or higher. Hugging Face develops computation tools for building applications using machine learning and offers several courses, some with free certificates. 185 free courses and specializations with free certificates in Arabic. You can apply to receive a certificate after completing all learning materials and quizzes. Stepik, an interactive computer science education platform in Russian and English, offers 100 free courses with free certificates. You can automatically receive a certificate after completion of the course. Here’s a selection: The FAO elearning Academy offers 100+ free courses in food and nutrition security, social and economic development, and sustainable management of natural resources. A Digital Badge Certification is granted for some courses by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, after passing the final evaluation with a score of 75% or more. The UN CC:e-Learn platform offers 116 free courses with certificates in climate change, sustainability, and green economy. Courses are in English, French, Spanish, and other languages. Once you complete all learning materials and pass the final quiz with a score of at least 70%, a Certificate of Completion will be available for download on the course’s Certification page. Here’s a selection: PhilanthropyU offers 20 free courses with free certificates. To get a Certificate of Achievement, you need to score at least 50% on all quizzes and assignments. Here’s a selection: The Global Campus of Human Rights offers several MOOCs. One ongoing MOOC Promoting and Protecting Human Rights: a Global Overview offers free enrollment and certificate. Upon completion of the course material, you can earn a Certificate of Completion. Acumen offers 30 free scheduled team certificate courses about social change. You can receive a Statement of Accomplishment after completing the course. Here’s a selection: ITCILO offers 50 free courses in sustainable enterprise development, labor laws, and gender equality in the workplace. Certificates or badges can be earned by meeting course requirements. Courses are in English and several other languages. Here’s a selection: Cisco, the IT and networking giant, offers a series of self-paced online courses through its Networking Academy platform; some include free badges for skills learned. Here’s a selection: The University of Urbino offers 10 courses with free certificates in Italian. A certificate and a badge can be obtained after completing all the learning materials and passing the online tests. EC-Council Learning currently offers 9 free cyber security courses with certificates. Here’s the full list: Administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Watershed Academy offers a series of training modules about watershed management. When you complete 15 modules and pass the self-tests with a grade of 70% or higher, you are eligible for a free Watershed Management Training Certificate. 12 core modules need to be taken, and the final three modules can be chosen from the remaining core modules or several electives. Topics include Watershed Ecology, Watershed Change, Analysis and Planning, Management Practices, Community and Social Practices, and Clean Water Act Foundations.
upGrad Free Certificates

Hubspot Academy Free Certificates

Wolfram U Free Certificates

Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern Free Certificates
Santander Open Academy

Complexity Explorer Free Certificates
Saylor Academy Free Certificates
Hugging Face Free Certificates

Edraak Free Certificates

Stepik Free Certificates

FAO elearning Academy Free Certificates
UN CC:e-Learn Free Certificates

PhilanthropyU Free Certificates
Global Campus of Human Rights Free Certificates
Acumen Free Certificates
ITCILO Free Certificates
CISCO Free Certificates

University of Urbino Free Certificates
EC-Council Free Certificates
Watershed Academy

