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 genomic variation to social media.
Certificates become available when you fulfill the requirements. Most courses require you to mark at least 90% of the course steps as complete and gain at least 70% in any graded items. Unlike many other course providers that automatically register when you visit a step, for FutureLearn, you need to Reference the ✔ (Mark as complete) link at the bottom of each course step. You’ll receive an email with a link to your certificate, which is available on your Achievements page. If your certificate does not arrive as expected, check the To do link for the course, which will show you if you have missed completing any steps. Check FutureLearn Help for more details.
Here’s the list of FutureLearn courses that include free certificates of completion, grouped into subjects. Reference to jump to a subject:
- Education & Teaching (14)
- Personal Development (4)
- Health & Medicine (11)
- Science (4)
- Humanities (6)
- Social Sciences (11)
- Computer Science (2)
- Programming (1)
- Business (21)
- Data Science (2)
- Art & Design (1)
- Engineering (1)
More Certificates
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:
- Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates & Badges
- 1000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
- 1000 Open University Free Certificates
- Stanford Medicine Offers Courses with Free Certificate & CME Credit
- Harvard Computer Science Courses with Free Certificate
You can find all the Class Central free certificate articles here.
Education & Teaching (14)
- How To Teach Online: Moving online post-pandemic
- Social Learning and Collaboration in School: Learning to thrive through play from Lego Foundation ★★★★★(2)
- Measuring What Matters: Transforming Assessment and Recognition of Complex Learning Competencies from University of Melbourne ★★★★★(1)
- Teaching and Assessing Core Skills from British Council ★★★★☆(1)
- Best Practice for Education: Professional Development Showcase from Study Melbourne ★★★★★(1)
- Inclusive Education: Exploring SEND Practice and Strategies from University of Leeds
- A Parent and Supporter’s Guide to University Entry from University of Reading
- Your Essential Guide to University Life from University of Reading
- Exploring Inclusive Pedagogies from British Council
- Equity in Informal STEM Learning: Using the Equity Compass from University College London
- Practical Skills for Teaching Inclusive History: CARGO Classroom from University of Bristol
- Inside Digital Higher Education: Self-Assessment Guide for Educators from Dublin City University
- Preparing for a Practice-based PhD in Fine Art, Design, and Film from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
- Preparing for Higher Education from Arden University
Personal Development (4)
- Digital Skills: Digital Skills for Work and Life from Accenture ★★★★★(3)
- Digital Skills: Reimagine Your Career from Accenture
- Research Methods: A Practical Guide to Peer and Community Research from King’s College London
- [New] Soft Power at the Workplace from Chung Yuan Christian University
Health & Medicine (11)
- Understanding Mental Health in Muslim Communities from Cardiff University ★★★★★(9)
- COVID-19: Effective Nursing in Times of Crisis from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★★(4)
- Nutrition for Health and Sustainability from EIT Food ★★★★★(2)
- Drug Use and Harm Reduction from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine ★★★★★(1)
- COVID-19: Psychological First Aid from Public Health England ★★★★★(6)
- COVID-19: Psychological First Aid in Africa from Public Health England ★★★★★(1)
- Taking Control of Your Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis from University of Melbourne
- Managing Your Wellbeing When Studying in the UK from British Council
- Premiers secours Psychologiques: Version pour l’Afrique from Public Health England
- 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
Science (4)
- Agriculture, Economics and Nature from University of Western Australia ★★★★★(6)
- Bushfires: Response, Relief, and Resilience from University of Newcastle
- Art and the Environment in Southeast Asia: Environment as Contested Space
- Interpreting Genomic Variation: Overcoming Challenges in Diverse Populations
Humanities (6)
- Understanding Mediterranean and Okinawa Diets from EIT Food ★★★★★(5)
- Understanding Food Labels from University of Reading ★★★★★(2)
- Study UK: Prepare to Study and Live in the UK from British Council ★★★★★(1)
- Learning Through Play with LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation ★★★★★(1)
- Apprendre par le jeu avec les LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation
- Aprendizaje a través del Juego con los LEGO® Braille Bricks from Lego Foundation
Social Sciences (11)
- Social Change: How Can Marketing Help? from Griffith University ★★★★☆(1)
- Exploring Gender Equality in Education from British Council ★★★★★(1)
- Coping with Changes: Social-Emotional Learning Through Play from Lego Foundation ★★★★☆(1)
- Wprowadzenie do pomocy humanitarnej: Introduction to Humanitarian Aid (POL) from Deakin University
- Вступ до історії гуманітарної допомоги: Introduction to Humanitarian Aid (UKR) from Deakin University
- Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Forestry-related Sectors (ForGEDI) from University of Padova
- Making Anti-Corruption Effective from SOAS University of London
- Programme Design for Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Conception du programme pour les enfants associés aux forces et aux groupes armés (EAFGA) from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Diseño del Programa para Niños vinculados a fuerzas y grupos armados from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Observing Visually Impaired Children Learning Through Play
Computer Science (2)
- Introduction to Physical Computing from Lancaster University ★★★★★(1)
- Reinforcement Learning from Dublin City University
Programming (1)
- Introduction to Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality from Lancaster University ★★★★★(1)
Business (21)
- Digital Skills: Digital Marketing from Accenture ★★★★★(13)
- Digital Skills: Social Media from Accenture ★★★★☆(8)
- Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence from Accenture ★★★★★(4)
- Digital Skills: User Experience from Accenture ★★★★★(2)
- Digital Skills: Mobile from Accenture
- Pathways to Property: Starting Your Career in Real Estate from University of Reading
- Epargner et Investir from Grenoble School of Management
- 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)
- Becoming a Charity Board Member: What You Should Know 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 A: Introduction and Governance Standards 1-3 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)
- 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)
- Fraud Prevention in the Charity Sector from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
- Reporting Obligations of Your Charity Part B: Financial Skills for ACNC Reporting Requirements 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)
- A Three-Step Guide to Equitable Makerspaces
- Fraud Investigation: Following the Money from Coventry University
Data Science (2)
- Digital Skills: Web Analytics from Accenture
- Bioinformatics for Biologists: Analysing and Interpreting Genomics Datasets from Wellcome Genome Campus
Art & Design (1)
Engineering (1)
- An Introduction to Electronic Engineering from UK Electronics Skills Foundation