The online learning platform FutureLearn offers close to 2000 courses on a wide variety of subjects, some of them free: 100+ FutureLearn Courses with Free Certificate.

In this Class Central ranking, we’ve compiled the 100 most popular courses on FutureLearn, for your learning pleasure. If you’d like to take one, our colleague Pat wrote a guide on how to sign up.

Platform Overview

FutureLearn can be seen as the European counterpart to Coursera and edX. The platform was founded by the Open University (OU) in late 2013, and is now jointly owned by the OU and SEEK. We’ve been tracking its evolution since the very beginning, most notably, through our end-of-year series:

• FutureLearn 2021: Year in Review
• FutureLearn 2020: Year in Review
• FutureLearn 2019: Year in Review

FutureLearn’s offerings range from short classes to full-fledged online degrees, including close to 2000 online courses, most created by partner universities across the Commonwealth.

The platform offers a subscription, FutureLearn Unlimited, as well as a signature microcredential, ExpertTracks, which resemble Coursera and edX’s Professional Certificates. Pat reviewed an ExpertTrack here.

To help you cut through the noise and find the platform’s best offerings, we’ve compiled FutureLearn’s 100 top online courses.

More Courses

If you don’t find what you need in the course list below, Class Central’s got you covered. Browse our catalog of over 100K courses or visit our thematic collections:

• Class Central’s Best Online Courses of All Time
• Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates and Badges
• 1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely Free
• 800+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
• 800+ Open University Free Certificates

To see all our compilations, visit Class Central’s Collections.

Ranking Stats

Combined, FutureLearn’s 100 most-popular courses have accrued 14M enrollments, with 145K enrollments per course on average. There are 4 organizations and over 40 universities represented in the course ranking. But one third of the courses were created by just 4 prolific organizations and universities:

1. University of Leeds
2. University of Reading
3. British Council
4. Accenture

Here are more quick stats on the ranking:

• Course enrollments range from 53K to 810K.
• There are 19 courses with over 200K enrollments.
• Combined, they represent 1000+ hours of content.
• All courses are in English but one, that is in Dutch.
• 93 courses are free-to-audit and 8 offer a free certificate.
• 52 courses are beginner level and 16 intermediate. The others are cross-level.
• Almost 40% of the courses are in the field of Health & Medicine and Humanities.

Without further ado, here are FutureLearn’s top 100 courses.

100 Most Popular FutureLearn Courses

Here are the top 100 futurelearn courses, sorted by number of enrollments:

1. Basic English 1: Elementary from King’s College London ★★★★☆(8)
2. Exploring English: Language and Culture from British Council ★★★★★(827)
3. English for the Workplace from British Council ★★★★★(1491)
4. Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate from King’s College London ★★★★★(7)
5. Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance from Monash University ★★★★★(211)
6. Start Writing Fiction from The Open University ★★★★☆(21)
7. A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study from University of Reading ★★★★☆(23)
8. Teaching English Online from Cambridge English Language Assessment ★★★★★(2)
9. Introduction to Cyber Security from The Open University ★★★★☆(22)
10. Understanding IELTS: Speaking from British Council ★★★★★(589)
11. How to Succeed at: Interviews from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(450)
12. Exploring English: Shakespeare from British Council ★★★★★(497)
13. Introduction to Dutch from University of Groningen ★★★★★(285)
14. How to Succeed at: Writing Applications from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(421)
15. Digital Skills: Digital Marketing from Accenture ★★★★☆(5)
16. An Introduction to Screenwriting from University of East Anglia ★★★★★(5)
17. Lessons and Teaching from British Council ★★★★★(420)
18. Food as Medicine from Monash University ★★★★★(119)
19. English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development from British Council ★★★★★(1401)
20. Forensic Psychology: Witness Investigation from The Open University ★★★★★(18)
21. Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work from University of Leeds ★★★★★(13)
22. English for Academic Study from Coventry University ★★★★★(2)
23. Digital Skills: Social Media from Accenture ★★★★☆(5)
24. Starting a Business 1: Vision and Opportunity from University of Leeds ★★★★★(85)
25. Understanding Fashion: From Business to Culture from Institut Français de la Mode
26. Nutrition and Wellbeing from University of Aberdeen ★★★★☆(6)
27. Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT from University of Reading
28. Digital Skills: User Experience from Accenture ★★★★☆(1)
29. Psychology and Mental Health: Beyond Nature and Nurture from University of Liverpool ★★★★☆(11)
30. Developing Your Research Project from University of Southampton ★★★★☆(6)
31. COVID-19: Psychological First Aid from Public Health England ★★★★★(4)
32. Introduction to Business Management from King’s College London ★★★★★(5)
33. Anatomy: Know Your Abdomen from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(121)
34. Improve your IELTS Speaking score from Macquarie University
35. Introduction to Italian from Università per Stranieri di Siena ★★★★★(5)
36. Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence from Accenture ★★★★☆(2)
37. Safeguarding Adults: Level 3 Training from Health Education England
38. Understanding Autism from University of Kent ★★★★☆(2)
39. Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree from University of Strathclyde ★★★★★(6)
40. Computer Programming for Everyone from University of Leeds
41. Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice from King’s College London
42. English Pronunciation in a Global World from University of Amsterdam
43. The Classroom and the World from British Council ★★★★★(284)
44. Introduction to Norwegian from University of Oslo ★★★★☆(5)
45. The Mind is Flat: The Shocking Shallowness of Human Psychology from The University of Warwick
46. HR Fundamentals from Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development
47. Contract Management: Building Relationships in Business from University of Southampton
48. Learning and Learners from British Council ★★★★★(271)
49. People Management Skills from Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development ★★★★★(2)
50. Digital Skills: Digital Skills for Work and Life from Accenture ★★★★★(1)
51. English for Healthcare from King’s College London
52. Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management from University of Virginia ★★★★☆(1)
53. Digital Skills: Web Analytics from Accenture ★★★★★(1)
54. Psychological First Aid: Supporting Children and Young People from Public Health England
55. Young People and Mental Health from University of Cambridge ★★★★★(78)
56. Empire: the Controversies of British Imperialism from University of Exeter ★★★★☆(12)
57. Fashion and Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World from London College of Fashion ★★★★★(2)
58. ECG Assessment: an Introduction for Healthcare Providers from St. George’s University ★★★★☆(7)
59. An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study from University of Reading ★★★★☆(1)
60. The Many Faces of Dementia from University College London ★★★★★(4)
61. Preparing for University from University of East Anglia ★★★★★(5)
62. Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive at Work from Deakin University ★★★★★(2)
63. Teaching Phonics in Early Childhood from Queensland University of Technology ★★★★★(3)
64. Essential Skills for Your Career Development from University of Leeds ★★★★★(1)
65. Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition from Deakin University ★★★★★(11)
66. How to Succeed in Your EPQ: the Nuts and Bolts of Completing Your Project from University of Bath
67. Innovation: the Fashion Industry from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(40)
68. Create a Social Media Marketing Campaign from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(3)
69. Learning Online: Researching Your Project from University of Leeds ★★★★★(48)
70. Teaching English: How to Plan a Great Lesson from British Council ★★★★★(364)
71. The Science of Medicines from Monash University ★★★★☆(8)
72. Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis, Interpretation from Lancaster University ★★★★☆(5)
73. Intercultural Communication: Dynamics of cultural identities in global interaction from Shanghai International Studies University
74. Antimicrobial Stewardship: Managing Antibiotic Resistance from University of Dundee ★★★★★(3)
75. Begin Robotics from University of Reading ★★★★☆(8)
76. Learning Online: Communicating and Collaborating from University of Leeds ★★★★★(36)
77. Exploring Play: The Importance of Play in Everyday Life from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(136)
78. Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City from University of Reading ★★★★★(36)
79. Heart Health: A Beginner’s Guide to Cardiovascular Disease from University of Reading ★★★★★(8)
80. Irish 101: An Introduction to Irish Language and Culture from Dublin City University ★★★★☆(1)
81. How to Write Your First Song from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(165)
82. A History of Royal Fashion from University of Glasgow ★★★★★(2)
83. Digital Skills: Mobile from Accenture
84. Basic First Aid: How to Be an Everyday Hero from University of Glasgow
85. Working with Translation: Theory and Practice from Cardiff University ★★★★★(129)
86. Starting a Business 2: People and Networks from University of Leeds ★★★★★(21)
87. Object-oriented Programming in Python: Create Your Own Adventure Game from Raspberry Pi Foundation ★★★★☆(1)
88. Improving Your Study Techniques from University of Groningen ★★★★★(147)
89. English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics from University of Southampton
90. Introduction to Psychology: The Psychology of Personality from Monash University ★★★★☆(3)
91. Programming 101: An Introduction to Python for Educators from Raspberry Pi Foundation
92. Understanding the GDPR from University of Groningen ★★★★★(41)
93. Entrepreneurship: From Business Idea to Action from King’s College London ★★★★★(2)
94. Inside Cancer: How Genes Influence Cancer Development from University of Bath ★★★★☆(5)
95. Teaching Young Learners Online from British Council ★★★★★(412)
96. Understanding Depression and Low Mood in Young People from University of Reading
97. The Genomics Era: the Future of Genetics in Medicine from St. George’s University ★★★★☆(1)
98. Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(7)
99. Discover Dentistry from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(161)
100. COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application from University of Edinburgh ★★★★☆(6)