Ah, the good old days! Back when Class Central started covering online education and massive open online courses, most course certificates were free. Then, one by one, major online platforms began introducing paid certificate upgrades, and eventually, all but a few stopped offering free certificates altogether.

This isn’t to say that there isn’t still great content available for free. In fact, Class Central lists more than 1,700 Coursera courses that are still completely free. We’ve also catalogued close to 850+ courses you can take for free which are available through various course providers. These are essentially the same courses as those offered for credit in online degree programs.

While trying to collect pricing data for FutureLearn courses, I discovered 70+ courses on the FutureLearn platform that offer a free “digital upgrade”, which includes unlimited access to the course, quizzes, and a digital Certificate of Achievement upon completion. These courses span a wide range of topics, from bacterial genomics to social media.

More Certificates

If you don’t find what you need in the course list below, browse Class Central’s catalog of over 150K courses or visit our thematic collections:

• Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates & Badges
• 1000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
• 1000 Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
• 1000+ Open University Free Certificates
• Harvard Computer Science Courses with Free Certificate

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

Without further ado, here’s a list of FutureLearn courses that include free certificates of completion.

• Digital Skills: Digital Marketing from Accenture ★★★★☆(11)
• Digital Skills: Social Media from Accenture ★★★★☆(8)
• COVID-19: Psychological First Aid from Public Health England ★★★★★(6)
• Agriculture, Economics and Nature from University of Western Australia ★★★★★(5)
• COVID-19: Effective Nursing in Times of Crisis from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★★(4)
• Social Change: How Can Marketing Help? from Griffith University ★★★★☆(2)
• Digital Skills: Digital Skills for Work and Life from Accenture ★★★★★(2)
• Digital Skills: User Experience from Accenture ★★★★★(2)
• Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence from Accenture ★★★★☆(2)
• Bioinformatics for Biologists: An Introduction to Linux, Bash Scripting, and R from Wellcome Genome Campus ★★★★★(2)
• Data Analytics for Decision Making: An Introduction to Using Excel from Bond University ★★★★★(2)
• Social Learning and Collaboration in School: Learning to thrive through play from Lego Foundation ★★★★★(2)
• Study UK: Prepare to Study and Live in the UK from British Council ★★★★★(1)
• Communicating across Cultures from British Council ★★★★★(1)
• Teaching and Assessing Core Skills from British Council ★★★★☆(1)
• Exploring Gender Equality in Education from British Council ★★★★★(1)
• The Power of Genomics to Understand the COVID-19 Pandemic from Wellcome Genome Campus ★★★★★(1)
• Coping with Changes: Social-Emotional Learning Through Play from Lego Foundation ★★★★☆(1)
• Learning Through Play with LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation ★★★★★(1)
• Best Practice for Education: Professional Development Showcase from Study Melbourne ★★★★★(1)
• Becoming a Charity Board Member: What You Should Know from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) ★★★★★(1)
• Governance Standards Part A: Introduction and Governance Standards 1-3 from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) ★★★★★(1)
• [New] Leadership in Safeguarding in the International Aid Sector from The Open University
• Learning for a Sustainable Future: Live at COP27 from University of Edinburgh
• Measuring What Matters: Transforming Assessment and Recognition of Complex Learning Competencies from University of Melbourne
• Pathways to Property: Starting Your Career in Real Estate from University of Reading
• A Parent and Supporter’s Guide to University Entry from University of Reading
• Your Essential Guide to University Life from University of Reading
• Endangered Archaeology: Using Remote Sensing to Protect Cultural Heritage from Durham University
• Archéologie en danger : Utiliser la télédétection pour protéger le patrimoine culturel from Durham University
• Study UK: Preparing for work from British Council
• Exploring Inclusive Pedagogies from British Council
• Exploring Instructional Leadership in Education from British Council
• Equity in Informal STEM Learning: Using the Equity Compass from University College London
• [New] Ethical Social Media from The University of Sydney
• Introduction to Physical Computing from Lancaster University
• Introduction to Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality from Lancaster University
• Bushfires: Response, Relief, and Resilience from University of Newcastle
• Digital Skills: Mobile from Accenture
• Digital Skills: Reimagine Your Career from Accenture
• [New] Advanced Archaeological Remote Sensing: Site Prospection, Landscape Archaeology and Heritage Protection in the Middle East and North Africa from Durham University
• Bacterial Genomes I: From DNA to Protein Function Using Bioinformatics from Wellcome Genome Campus
• Bacterial Genomes III: Comparative Genomics using Artemis Comparison Tool (ACT) from Wellcome Genome Campus
• Premiers secours Psychologiques: Version pour l’Afrique from Public Health England
• Genomics for Educators from Wellcome Genome Campus
• From Swab to Server: Testing, Sequencing, and Sharing During a Pandemic from Wellcome Genome Campus
• Making sense of genomic data: COVID-19 web-based bioinformatics from Wellcome Genome Campus
• A Practical Guide for SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing from Wellcome Genome Campus
• Pathogen Genomics: A New Era in Global Health Surveillance and Strategy from Wellcome Genome Campus
• [New] Eukaryotic Genome Assembly: How to Use BlobToolKit for Quality Assessment from Wellcome Genome Campus
• Exploring Intersectionality and What Makes You Unique with Kiddy Smile from Tommy Hilfiger
• Exploring Mentorship and Community Change with the Compton Cowboys from Tommy Hilfiger
• Creating Meaningful and Inclusive Museum Practices from International Council of Museums (ICOM)
• Protecting Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
• Protección de la infancia durante los brotes de enfermedades infecciosas from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
• The ACNC: How We Help You from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• How to Become an ACNC Registered Charity from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Governing a Registered Charity in Australia from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Governance Standards Part B: Governance Standards 4-6 and How to Wind Up a Charity from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Apprendre par le jeu avec les LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation
• External Conduct Standards for Charities from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Reporting Obligations of Your Charity Part A: Overview and Basic Financial Skills from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Aprendizaje a través del Juego con los LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation
• Programme Design for Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
• Fraud Prevention in the Charity Sector from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• The Annual Information Statement from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• Safeguarding: A Guide for Charities from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
• IBS Management: The Low FODMAP Diet from FODMAP Institute