With a catalog of more than 4000 courses, edX should have something for every online learner, no matter the subject they’re interested in. However, free course access on edX is typically limited: most often, you’ll only have access to part of the course content and only for a limited time.

Fortunately, this limitation doesn’t apply to all courses. At Class Central, we’ve scoured the edX catalog to identify courses that still offer free unlimited access, and we’ve put them in a handy list that we’ll continue to update.

If you enjoy this list, you may also want to have a look at our list of 1700 Coursera Courses Still Completely Free.

Is edX free?

There once was a time when MOOCs (or massive open online courses) were free, including those offered on edX. But in their quest for a sustainable business model, one after the other, online course platforms started introducing paywalls. We reported on this as it happened.

Nowadays, if you want unrestricted access to an edX course, you’ll typically have to pay. More specifically, most edX courses offer the following access modalities:

• Paid full access: In this modality, you’ll have access to all course material and graded assignments, and upon completion of the course, you’ll earn a verified certificate of completion.
• Free audit: In this modality, you’ll have temporary access to the course material (usually, a month), but you won’t have access to graded assignments, and you won’t earn a certificate upon completion.

For example, the popular edX online course Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science that currently tops our ranking of the best data science courses offers these two modalities, as you can see below:

Fully-Free edX Courses

However, while most edX courses default to the two modalities above, fortunately for us, some edX courses still offer free access to all learning materials, including graded assignments.

The only thing these courses don’t include is a certificate (though, for some CS courses, that’s not entirely true). But in terms of content, you’ll have access to the full learning experience.

When you try to enroll into one of these courses, you’ll either immediately have access to the full course, or you’ll be given a choice between paid certificate and free full content access, as shown in the image below.

Note that this is different from the choice shown in the image above. Here the free option isn’t time-limited nor restricted to ungraded assignments. Instead, you’ll have access to all the learning materials, including the assignments. So, unless you absolutely want the paid certificate, pick the option on the right.

The difficult thing is finding these fully-free online courses buried among the rest in edX’s catalog. The platform doesn’t offer a handy filter to easily identify them. So instead, we searched the provider’s catalog programmatically and found these fully-free courses for you.

Subjects

We discovered that currently, more than 200 courses on edX are still completely free in terms of learning content. They cover a wide variety of subjects. For your convenience, we’ve broken the list down by subject. Click on a subject to jump to the corresponding courses.

• Computer Science (12)
• Social Sciences (34)
• Health & Medicine (33)
• Programming (35)
• Engineering (4)
• Mathematics (4)
• Education & Teaching (21)
• Science (21)
• Humanities (13)
• Business (27)
• Personal Development (7)
• Art & Design (6)
• Information Security (InfoSec) (6)

More Courses

If you don’t find what you need here and would like to explore more learning opportunities that include a free certificate, Class Central’s got you covered. Check our articles:

• Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates & Badges
• 1700 Coursera Courses Still Completely Free
• 1000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
• 1000+ Free Digital Marketing Certificates
• 800+ Open University Free Certificates
• Harvard Computer Science Courses with Free Certificate

You can find all the Class Central free certificate articles here.

Computer Science (12)

• CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science from Harvard University ★★★★★(159)
• CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals from Harvard University ★★★★★(14)
• CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python from Harvard University ★★★★★(12)
• CS50’s Understanding Technology from Harvard University ★★★★★(11)
• CS50’s Computer Science for Lawyers from Harvard University ★★★★★(5)
• Guided Project: Get Started with Red Hat OpenShift from IBM
• Guided Project: Predict World Cup Soccer Results with ML from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with Containers and Registries from IBM
• Guided Project: Scaling Applications with Kubernetes from IBM
• Guided Project: Create and Deploy Your First Kubernetes Pod from IBM
• Guided Project: Red Hat OpenShift Deploy Scale & Manage Apps from IBM
• Try It: Learn Linux Command Line

Social Sciences (34)

• Constitutional Interpretation from Princeton University ★★★★★(27)
• Age of Sustainable Development from SDG Academy ★★★★★(8)
• Civil Liberties from Princeton University ★★★★★(6)
• PredictionX: Omens, Oracles & Prophecies from Harvard University
• Health Across the Gender Spectrum from Stanford University ★★★★★(2)
• Making Government Work in Hard Places from Princeton University ★★★★★(2)
• Climate Action: Solutions for a Changing Planet from SDG Academy ★★★★★(2)
• Introduction to American Civics: Presented by Zero-L from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
• America’s Poverty and Inequality Course from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University ★★★★★(1)
• Feeding a Hungry Planet: Agriculture, Nutrition and Sustainability from SDG Academy ★★★★★(1)
• Sustainable Cities from SDG Academy ★★★★★(1)
• Sustainable Food Systems: A Mediterranean Perspective from SDG Academy ★★★★★(1)
• Incarceration’s Witnesses: American Prison Writing from Hamilton College ★★★★★(1)
• Parents Act Now! Help Your Teenager Beat Anorexia Nervosa from Stanford University
• Changing Behaviour for Sustainable Development from Monash University
• The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development from SDG Academy
• Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home from SDG Academy
• Human Rights, Human Wrongs: Challenging Poverty, Vulnerability and Social Exclusion from SDG Academy
• Transforming Our World: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals from SDG Academy
• Cities and the Challenge of Sustainable Development from SDG Academy
• Macroeconomics for a Sustainable Planet from SDG Academy
• Globalization: Past and Future from SDG Academy
• How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals from SDG Academy
• The Korean Story: Secrets of an Economic Miracle from SDG Academy
• Tech for Good: The Role of ICT in Achieving the SDGs from SDG Academy
• Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order from SDG Academy
• Industrial Policy in the 21st Century: The Challenge for Africa from SDG Academy
• Conversations with Global Leaders: Leading on Sustainable Development from SDG Academy
• Measuring Sustainable Development from SDG Academy
• Understanding Poverty and Inequality from SDG Academy
• Making Universal Social Protection a Reality from SDG Academy
• Shaping Urban Futures from SDG Academy
• 超スマート社会への招待 | Introduction to the Super Smart Society from Tokyo Institute of Technology

Health & Medicine (33)

• Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19 from Harvard University ★★★★★(26)
• PredictionX: John Snow and the Cholera Epidemic of 1854 from Harvard University ★★★★★(7)
• Thinking Critically: Interpreting Randomized Clinical Trials from Stanford University ★★★★★(5)
• Focused Bedside TTE and Ultrasound from Stanford University ★★★★☆(5)
• Take Your Medicine – The Impact of Drug Development from The University of Texas at Austin ★★★★★(3)
• Global Public Health from SDG Academy ★★★★★(3)
• Unconscious Bias in Medicine from Stanford University ★★★★★(2)
• Prescription Drug Misuse and Addiction: Compassionate Care for a Complex Problem from Stanford University ★★★★☆(2)
• Identifying Early Signs of Psychosis in Adolescents and Young Adults from Stanford University ★★★★★(2)
• Antimicrobial Stewardship: Improving Clinical Outcomes By Optimization of Antibiotic Practices from Stanford University ★★★★★(2)
• Global Health Case Studies from a Biosocial Perspective from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
• Communicating with Presence from Stanford Medicine ★★★★★(1)
• Virtual Care with Presence from Stanford Medicine ★★★★★(1)
• Congenital Hypothyroidism: What Every Primary Care Provider Needs to Know from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• An Evidence-Based Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Migraines in Adults in the Primary Care and General Neurology Setting from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• Hypertension in Primary Care – Improving Control and Reducing Risk from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• Thinking Critically Series: Interpreting Screening Trials from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• Presentation and Management of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• SafetyQuest: Level One – QI Basics from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• To Prescribe or Not To Prescribe? Antibiotics and Outpatient Infections from Stanford University ★★★★☆(1)
• The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Use of mRNA Vaccines from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(1)
• Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs from Harvard University
• Ventilación mecánica para pacientes con COVID-19 from Harvard University
• CSI: ME Case Studies in Medical Errors from Stanford University
• How To Taper Patients Off Of Chronic Opioid Therapy from Stanford University
• SafetyQuest: Level Four – Mastering QI from Stanford University
• SafetyQuest: Level Three – Implementing QI from Stanford University
• SafetyQuest: Level Two – Moving Beyond QI Basics from Stanford University
• Optimizing Antimicrobial Therapy with Timeouts from Stanford University
• Safe Surgical Care: Strategies During a Pandemic from The University of British Columbia
• COVID-19 & Society: Inequality in Global Pandemics from The University of British Columbia
• Prise en charge de la personne obèse from Sorbonne Universités
• One Health in Practice: Solutions for healthy people in Biosphere reserves from SDG Academy

Programming (36)

• CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript from Harvard University ★★★★★(24)
• Databases: Introduction to Relational Databases from Stanford University ★★★★★(15)
• CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python from Harvard University ★★★★★(6)
• CS50’s Introduction to Game Development from Harvard University ★★★★☆(5)
• CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Scratch from Harvard University ★★★★★(3)
• CS50’s Mobile App Development with React Native from Harvard University ★★★★☆(1)
• CS50’s Introduction to Databases with SQL from Harvard University
• Guided Project: Web Development w/ HTML & CSS for Beginners from IBM
• Guided Project: Secure Analysis of a Credit Card Dataset from IBM
• Guided Project: Interest Calculator Using HTML, CSS & JS from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with Data Science in Agriculture from IBM
• Guided Project: Learn JavaScript with Rock-Paper-Scissors from IBM
• Guided Project: Containerize Java Microservices with Docker from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with Cloudant NoSQL Database from IBM
• Guided Project: Deploy a Serverless App on IBM Code Engine from IBM
• Guided Project: Build a Movie Recommender with Django from IBM
• Guided Project: Create your first RESTful API with Express from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with MySQL database from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with IBM Db2 on Cloud from IBM
• Guided Project: Build a COVID Dashboard with React from IBM
• Guided Project: Build your first Node.js app from IBM
• Guided Project: GitHub and GitHub Branches for Beginners from IBM
• Guided Project: Get Started with MongoDB CRUD Operations from IBM
• Guided Project: Create & Load tables in PostgreSQL database from IBM
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations from Oracle
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Professional from Oracle
• Oracle Autonomous Database Administration Workshop from Oracle
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Associate from Oracle
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Operations Professional from Oracle
• 将棋で学ぶプログラミング基礎 | Programming for beginners: Learning basics with computer Shogi from Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Guided Project: Create Engaging Reports using Jupyter Book from IBM
• Try It: Intro to Python
• Try It: Explore Google Looker Studio
• Try It: Intro to GitHub
• Try It: Learn SQL
• Try It: Intro to HTML

Engineering (4)

• The Art of Structural Engineering: Vaults from Princeton University ★★★★★(23)
• The Art of Structural Engineering: Bridges from Princeton University ★★★★☆(7)
• Nano @ Stanford from Stanford University ★★★★★(1)
• Monitoreo de Bosques con CLASlite from Stanford University

Mathematics (4)

• How to Learn Math: For Students from Stanford University ★★★★☆(17)
• Convex Optimization from Stanford University ★★★★★(8)
• Calculus Applied! from Harvard University ★★★★★(2)
• Cómo Aprender Matemáticas – Para Estudiantes from Stanford University

Education & Teaching (21)

• Introduction to Family Engagement in Education from Harvard University ★★★★★(8)
• Introduction to Data Wise: A Collaborative Process to Improve Learning & Teaching from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
• Performance Assessment in the NGSS Classroom: Implications for Practice from Stanford University
• Developing Instructionally-Embedded Performance Assessments for the NGSS Classroom from Stanford University
• Developing Instructionally-Embedded Performance Assessments for the NGSS Classroom: Course 2 from Stanford University
• Performance Assessment in the NGSS Classroom: Course 1 from Stanford University
• Using Student Work To Strengthen Performance Assessments for NGSS: Course 3 from Stanford University
• Evaluating Student Work from Performance Assessments to Guide NGSS Teaching and Learning: Course 4 from Stanford University
• How You Say It Matters: A Toolkit for Improving Communications About Academic Standing from Stanford University
• University Studies for Student Veterans from Columbia University
• Attaining Higher Education from Columbia University
• Supporting Veteran Success in Higher Education from Columbia University
• How to Thrive Online from Arizona State University
• How to Thrive Online: SCAP Pathway to Admission from Arizona State University
• How to Succeed on your Earned Admission Track from Arizona State University
• The Postdoc Academy: Succeeding as a Postdoc from Boston University
• The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project from Boston University
• The Postdoc Academy: Building Skills for a Successful Career from Boston University
• An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching from Cornell University
• Equity and Inclusion in Education from SDG Academy
• Advancing Learning Through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching from Dalhousie University

Science (22)

• Climate Change Science and Negotiations from SDG Academy ★★★★☆(8)
• Planetary Boundaries from SDG Academy ★★★★★(5)
• One Planet, One Ocean from SDG Academy ★★★★★(2)
• MalariaX: Defeating Malaria from the Genes to the Globe from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
• Molecular Foundations of Medicine from Stanford University ★★★★☆(1)
• Medical Genomics 101 from Davidson College ★★★★☆(1)
• Water: Addressing the Global Crisis from SDG Academy ★★★★★(1)
• Forest Monitoring with CLASlite from Carnegie Institute for Science ★★★★★(1)
• Musculoskeletal Primer for the Non-Orthopedist from Stanford University
• Basic Steps in Magnetic Resonance from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
• Mechanik I from RWTH Aachen University
• Thermodynamik I from RWTH Aachen University
• Natural Resources for Sustainable Development from SDG Academy
• From the Ground Up: Managing and Preserving Our Terrestrial Ecosystems from SDG Academy
• Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace from SDG Academy
• Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact from SDG Academy
• Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security from SDG Academy
• Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience from SDG Academy
• Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Working with nature to adapt to a changing climate from SDG Academy
• Energy ─ The Technology You Must Know in the 21st Century | 能源 ─ 21世紀你必須了解的科技! from Open Education Consortium (OEC)
• Science Communication from Campus – the Israeli National Project for Digital Learning
• AP® Psychology – Course 0: Introduction from The University of British Columbia

Humanities (13)

• Global History Lab from Princeton University ★★★★☆(4)
• Introduction To Food & Health from Stanford Medicine ★★★★☆(3)
• PredictionX: Lost Without Longitude from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
• Writing Case Studies: Science of Delivery from Princeton University
• (Arabic) المعايير الدولية بشأن حرية التعبير وسلامة الصحفيين from University of Oxford
• (Chinese) 关于记者言论自由和安全的国际标准 from University of Oxford
• (English) International Standards on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists from University of Oxford
• (Spanish) Normas Internacionales para la Libertad de Expresión y la Seguridad de los Periodistas from University of Oxford
• (French) Les Normes Internationales en Matière de Liberté d’expression et de Sécurité des Journalistes from University of Oxford
• (Portuguese) Normas Internacionais de Liberdade de Expressão e Segurança dos Jornalistas from University of Oxford
• (Russian) международные стандарты свободы слова и безопасности журналистов from University of Oxford
• Ethics in Action from SDG Academy
• Living Heritage and Sustainable Development from SDG Academy

Business (27)

• Intermediate Financial and Management Accounting from ACCA ★★★★☆(2)
• Introduction to Bookkeeping from ACCA ★★★★★(2)
• Try It: Introduction to Trello
• Einführung in die BWL from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Venture Capital 2 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Getting To Market 2 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Start-up CFO 2 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Getting To Market 1 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Thinking & Acting like an Entrepreneur 4 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Thinking & Acting like an Entrepreneur 2 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Thinking & Acting like an Entrepreneur 3 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Start-up CFO 1 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Venture Capital 1 from RWTH Aachen University
• Entrepreneurship 101 – Thinking & Acting like an Entrepreneur 1 from RWTH Aachen University
• Absatz und Beschaffung from RWTH Aachen University
• Introduction to Financial and Management Accounting from ACCA
• Intermediate Bookkeeping from ACCA
• Intermediate Management Accounting from ACCA
• Introduction to Management Accounting from ACCA
• Try It: Intro to Design Thinking
• Try It: Zoom Basics
• Try It: Intro to Branding
• Try It: Finance Fundamentals
• Try It: Intro to Spreadsheets
• Try It: Asana Basics
• Try It: Introduction to Google Analytics
• Try It: Jira Fundamentals

Personal Development (7)

• Designing Your Career from Stanford University ★★★★☆(1)
• Find Your Calling: Career Transition Principles for Returning Veterans from Columbia University ★★★★☆(1)
• Odyssey Planning from Stanford University
• Re-Imagine Work: Strategies During COVID-19 and Beyond from The University of British Columbia
• HOPE: What Makes Us Human from Tel Aviv University
• Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future from SDG Academy
• Getting a Good Deal: Negotiating Extractive Industry Contracts from SDG Academy

Art & Design (6)

• History of Chinese Architecture | 中国建筑史 from Tsinghua University ★★★★★(1)
• À la découverte du théâtre classique français – Tome 1 from Sorbonne Universités ★★★★★(1)
• À la découverte du théâtre classique français – Tome 2 from Sorbonne Universités ★★★★★(1)
• The New World of Arnold Schönberg’s Piano Music from Stanford University
• Introductie productontwerpen: van probleem tot prototype from Delft University of Technology
• Try It: Fundamentals of Figma

Information Security (InfoSec) (6)

• CS50’s Introduction to Cybersecurity from Harvard University
• Check Point Jump Start: CloudGuard Posture Management from Checkpoint
• Check Point Jump Start: Harmony Endpoint Security from Checkpoint
• Check Point Jump Start: Quantum Management from Checkpoint
• Check Point Jump Start: Harmony Mobile from Checkpoint
• Try It: Cybersecurity Basics