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Course Report

[2024] 1300+ Free SWAYAM + NPTEL Courses

We’ve compiled all the free online courses currently offered on Swayam, India’s national course platform.

Swayam Courses

Swayam is India’s national online course platform, designed to support the country’s National Education Policy, which entails improving access to quality education in India.

At Class Central, we’ve been paying attention to Swayam since the very beginning. It launched in beta in 2016, and has now reached over 31 million learners. It’s been growing rather fast.

Swayam offers courses in a wide variety of disciplines, including from prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Central Universities.

In this article, I’ve compiled the over 1,300 courses currently open for registration on Swayam.

Platform & Offering

Swayam homepage
Swayam homepage

Swayam was first announced in August 2014 and launched in beta August 2016.

In July 2019, Swayam’s homepage and course catalog were revamped, among other to include all courses offered by NPTEL, a joint initiative of some of India’s most prominent engineering institutions.

All Swayam courses can be taken for free. Students can choose to pay a small fee (about $15) to sit a proctored exam in an exam center in India to earn a certificate of completion.

These certificates can be used by students in India to earn academic credit. Indeed, universities can earmark Swayam courses as credit-eligible. If you’d like to know Swayam’s role in India’s higher education, head to our previous article: In India, MOOCs Are Now Part of the Education System.

In 2020, Indian universities also started offering online degrees. Class Central has compiled a list: 500+ UGC Approved Online Degrees from India’s Top Universities.

Finally, students in India may also complete part of their degree online via Swayam. Since 2021, students may earn up to 40% of the academic credit required for graduation by taking relevant courses on Swayam.

My Experience

The certificate of completion for my Swayam database course
The certificate of completion for my Swayam database management course

I personally completed several courses on Swayam, including an NPTEL course during the last semester of my master’s degree in computer science (specialization in AI) at the Central University of Rajasthan, India.

I paid a small extra fee (less than $2) to receive my certificate by mail. Paper certificates have been discontinued, but students can still obtain virtual certificates that afford the same privileges. You can see one of mine above.

I joined the Class Central engineering team in April 2019, and part of my job is to make sure that Class Central’s catalog of over 200k courses is up-to-date. This means that I develop and maintain scrapers that collect course information from different providers.

I am happy to say that we list all Swayam courses. There are over 1,200 courses live on Swayam right now. You can find the full list below. If you want to be kept in the loop about the platform’s new courses, visit the Swayam page and click the Follow button.

Subjects

Below is a list of all Swayam courses broken down by subject. Click on a subject to jump to the corresponding courses:

More Courses

If you don’t find what you need in the course list below, browse Class Central‘s catalog of over 200k courses or visit our thematic collections:

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


Engineering (252)

Humanities (152)

Art & Design (27)

Business (155)

Information Security (InfoSec) (8)

Personal Development (24)

Social Sciences (151)

Education & Teaching (44)

Data Science (15)

Science (243)

Health & Medicine (52)

Computer Science (67)

Programming (26)

Mathematics (66)

Suparn Patra Profile Image

Suparn Patra

Suparn developed an interest in MOOCs through a project he worked on during his MSc in Artificial Intelligence. He joined Class Central as a Full Stack Engineer.

Comments 62

  1. Gopalkrishna P..V

    The class central which giving different course of which one I must study is bit difficult to select as I am interest in saving hard earn money not give me value that their in it for me. Even an ordinary people were organizing better result in respective business for earning, as individual with no support to protect my in this hacker world I feel very to invest or to do business so that I to have better and happy peaceful life without fear of lossing or my is being missed by unknown for what I was thinking so I thought learning form some very special professional Trained experience teacher I excepting such course for myself from list moocs or maybe it not be their in your list so kindly inform me if such any course if for me to learn in this changing day to day life style of people
    Thanking you I am looking for reply to email Id for all the details required

    Reply
    • Anand

      @Gopalkrishna P..V
      Do not mean to be offensive or rude but based your comment you definitely need some English writing and reading classes. Experiences of life can be absorbed and shared with better sophistication if you can write and comprehend clearly. I’m not good in grammar that is the reason why I came here to look for a good class 🙂 Good luck.

      Reply
  2. KIrit Shah

    Where a person who has passed XII then done diploma animation get a UG degree under swayam?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      You may complete up to 20% of degree online by taking courses on SWAYAM.

      Reply
  3. Ali

    This a great compilation of courses offered by Swayam. I have completed only one course offered by NPTEL, which, by the way, is not in this list. I don´t know why. Maybe because is not in the Swayam catalog? It´s name is “Equipment Design: Mechanical Aspects”. That was a very good course. However, the only issue that I could mention about these courses offered by these Indian Institutes, is the accent and the quality of the English handled by the instructors. Like I said, I only completed one course, and the English of the instructor was quite good, but without flaws in pronunciation. I´m currently viewing the course about Heat Exchangers, and in this case, the pronunciation of the instructor is very bad, and even the transcription of the course doesn´t help, because it seems like it was created automatically by a transcription software, and the mistakes of the instructor when speaking, translates to the transcription as well. So, the thing is that this issue adds a level of difficulty to the learning process, because one has to apply a little more effort to understand what is being said. It´s time consuming and distracting. I´m speaking based on my experience with only two courses, so I would like to know the opinion of the author of this article about it, or others, for that matter. Thank you for the valuable information contained in this article, and also for your work. Regards.

    Reply
  4. Mats Eklof

    Will the exam for certifaction be available to foreign students staying in India? What will be the value of certificate to foreign students?
    I am from Europe but will be in India during exam times.
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dr A Semalty

      That fine you can give exam in India… You can avail benefit out of the knowledge and as credentials to your CV.

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth Greene

    Is there a recommended order for the Mathematics classes?

    Reply
  6. Sovan acharya

    Basically I am working as a civil engineer. I was completed 12 nos course regarding civil engineering (NPTEL MOOC COURSES). All are good and informative courses. Regards

    Reply
    • Bipul Das

      How I can register myself at SWAYAM. please help me

      Reply
  7. antoine

    Have you Arabic language courses? I want to learn this language

    Reply
  8. Misheru

    It’s almost impossible to use Swayam outside of India as they demand a mobile phone number. I do not want to give away my mobile phone number. Disappointing.

    Reply
    • Dhawal Shah

      You might be able to get away with by putting a random phone number in there.

      Reply
      • Misheru

        Thanks, could be worth a try. There are some great-sounding courses. It’s so disappointing though because we should be able to sign up with just an email address, like all the other MOOC providers.

        Reply
  9. Savita

    I want to do translation course from Hindi to English
    It will be PG diploma or something else.
    How can I get registered for this
    Please help me

    Reply
  10. Sathya

    Now im doing m.phil. am i eligible to join swayam courses?.
    Have to apply before completing pg?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Yes, you can join any Swayam course before the enrollment end date.
      Create a free Swayam account, go to the course page which you wish to take and click on Join button (placed below introduction video).
      Join button can be seen till its enrollment end date.

      Reply
  11. Mahi

    Hi sir
    I am pursuing my PhD degree from Gujarat Technology University Ahmedabad.
    I need to know the insights if Mooc platform in India .
    Please mention the name of Mooc platform which are in management subject.
    Secondly there is no data regarding which Candidate has opted for which course.
    Nor there is statistics for number of registered users n there satisfaction level to complete the course
    Thanking you

    Reply
  12. RANGARAJAN.P

    IS THERE ANY COURSE IN SPOKEN ENGLISH

    Reply
  13. Majid

    Are lectured held regularly? Or it is recorded course?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Lectures are recorded.
      For scheduled courses, lectures get available a week prior to the desired week.

      Reply
  14. Zords

    Is there a limit on the number of courses that can be taken at once??

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      I don’t think there is any limit on the number of courses that can be taken at once.

      Reply
  15. U.K.singj

    You may complete 6,7,8 th semester mechanical engineer ing course online by (SWAYAM,NPTEL,MOOC course),All are good and informative course, Regarding.email [email protected]

    Reply
  16. Srikar

    By mistake I have joined one course which is not needed to me.so how can I get out of that course?
    I want do that course in my next semester.so what I should do??

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      You will be allowed to again enroll in the course in your next semester if the desired course will run in that session.
      You may unsubscribe from announcement and forum by going to the progress tab present in course page.

      Reply
  17. MB

    Are the certificates provided through SWAYAM are genuine i.e. if those will be issued from the universities mentioned in the course list? and are also valid internationally?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Ofcourse yes, the certificates provided through SWAYAM are genuine.
      Infact it could be used to complete up to 20% of degree online by taking courses on SWAYAM.
      Read the related article: https://www.classcentral.com/report/swayam-for-credit/

      Reply
      • Promila

        I want to do online course in speaking effectively. But it’s finished. Can you please tell when will it restart?
        Thanks

        Reply
        • Suparn Patra

          Most of the Swayam courses are session-based that is offered twice a year.
          It’s not certain that the course will be offered in all sessions.
          Soon we will be updating this article with courses whose enrolment is open.

          BTW, you may take courses from other providers for free (for a certificate you may need to pay)

          A course like https://www.classcentral.com/course/understanding-ielts-speaking-17037 might be beneficial.

          Or search for spoken English course at https://www.classcentral.com

          Reply
  18. ashok

    my wife has joined a yoga course. The course is almost over how and where to apear for exams and pay the fees

    Reply
  19. Drew

    Do I understand that these courses are not available “on-demand” as in, if I missed registering for the current course, say “Data Analytics in Python” started January 27, I cannot participate in that course?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      After enrolment is closed, you can’t participate in the course.

      Probably you are talking about the course https://swayam.gov.in/nd1_noc20_cs46/preview whose enrolment was closed on the 3rd Feb. 2020.

      If you can see Join button just below video intro in the swayam course page. Then it means you may enroll in the course and participate.

      Reply
  20. ram subramaniam

    Hi all these courses have specific enrollment dates. To further increase the utility of your article , please update the enrollment dates.

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      As of now, most of the Swayam courses (especially NPTEL ones) have at max. open for enrolment twice a year.
      Soon we will be updating this article with Swayam courses which is open for enrolment.

      For time being you may see Swayam courses at https://www.classcentral.com/search?q=swayam

      Reply
  21. Dr. Geeta Shinde

    Corona virus affecting our education and work. Explore online courses to continue studying, build professional skills, and connect with experts, this is today’s need .All most all Universities trying to focus on online courses and online teaching -learning process.As per Cortes Mendez article show the success-rate of on line courses…Mr. Suparn thanks to providing this all useful information..

    Reply
  22. Praji

    Can you tell us about the proctored exams? How are they going to conduct amidst the covid situation?

    Reply
  23. Shashwat Bortamuly

    Do a person who completed MA course, can take Swayam undergraduate course ?

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Yes.
      You can enroll and complete it.

      Reply
  24. AMMU

    Which course is good for a mcom graduate.and how are they conduct exams (online?)

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      You need to register and appear for the offline exam in order to get the certificate.

      Reply
  25. Prarthana Paul

    Dear Sir,
    I have done BA in Psychology and MA in Human Development, please suggest which courses are useful in current scenario?

    Thanks and Regards

    Reply
  26. Anindya Chatterjee

    Dear Sir,
    Which certificate courses are good or trending for a Diploma Mechanical Engineer with an experience of 15 years in oil and gas field(Operation and maintenance)?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Anindya Chatterjee

      Dear Sir,
      I am waiting for your reply….

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Suparn Patra

        Since, I’m not from the Mechanical Engineering discipline, it’s difficult to answer.

        What I always suggest is
        1. Search for the topics at https://www.classcentral.com and read the reviews, see the number of follows etc to choose among the courses.
        2. You may also go through the courses list in different rankings ( https://www.classcentral.com/rankings ) and see if any course falls in your area of interest/discpline.

        Reply
  27. Renne M

    Thank you for the detailed information. I have a query.
    I didn’t find mention regarding the number of credits provided by a particular course on Swayam site .
    Say a course duration is of 4 weeks and another course duration is of 12 /16 weeks , both will carry different credits .But what those credits are is not specified.

    Is there any way to know a particular course’s credits provided? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Most of the Swayam courses are credit eligible. For some courses, I’ve seen instructor used to write number of credits in the course description section and/or somewhere in their course page.
      As much I know, you may need to inform your university in advance in order to get credit for it at the end of your semester. You may consult your SPOC (if your University has one).
      Anyways, A 1 to 4 credit swayam course is expected to be covered in 4-12 weeks duration including assignment component in which it should be 40 hours (for 3 credit course) to 90 hours (for 6 credit course)

      Reply
  28. Ishrat Riyaz

    I registered for a course on SWAYAM which is going to start from 18 Jan 2021 , but now I’m not getting how to access my course, though I have saw a video of how to access students dashboard but still unable to get it!!
    Anyone help???

    Reply
  29. SOWMIYA R

    what is the total number of courses offered by SWAYAM?
    Out of total number of courses how many courses are especially offered for B.Ed. students?

    Reply
  30. Sebas

    Is it possible to obtain the certificate from abroad? (I’m from Latin America). All the courses I have seen require a face-to-face exam :’C

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Yeah. For certification, there is an in-person examination. But you may watch all videos, do all weekly assignments etc for free.

      Reply
  31. Gnanasekaran

    I appreciate Mr Suparn Patra for trying to answer questions and queries. Best wishes to him.

    Reply
    • Suparn Patra

      Thank you for your appreciation.

      Reply
  32. nikhil

    is swayam nptel provide full stack developement course

    Reply

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