The cost of higher education has prevented thousands of individuals from pursing further education and obtaining qualifications. This is why, more and more young people are opting for free online courses as it can help them gain new skills and knowledge at no price.
A free online course not only provides learning opportunities at no cost but also gives students the advantage do it from home or from anywhere as long as they have a good Internet connection.
These short courses are offered at Universities, private higher education institutions and several other organisations.
Here are some Universities that offer free online courses:
- The University of Cape Town (UCT) offers various of free online short courses as part of their MOOCs programme. There are no entry requirements and participants can choose to purchase a certificate upon completion.
- The University of Johannesburg (UJ) offers free fully online courses to members of the public.
- The University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) offers free online courses. These courses are on the edX platform. Similar to the online courses offered at UCT, participants may purchase the certificates of completion.
- Harvard University offers free online courses that are available to everyone from any corner of the world. They offer an array of courses, including Computer Science, Social Science, Data Science, Humanities, Business, Health & Medicine, Mathematics, Programming, Education & Training are available.
- The Open University offers nearly 1000 free courses across 8 different subject areas. All of their courses enable students to earn a Statement of participation, and some also allow them to earn a free digital badge.
- The University of the People a fully online, US accredited, tuition-free university that offers students from all countries the opportunity to study from anywhere in the world. They offer an array of courses from computer Science, Health Science, Business Administration, and Education.
Students have the option of taking these online courses while completing other degrees, in-between jobs, or while raising a family. It allows them to make their own schedules, giving them time for work, hobbies, etc.
The Department of Higher Education and Training has also adopted Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) offering free online courses to increase access.
For more detailed information on the tuition fees, applications and courses offered by each of these universities, you can visit our Where To Study directory.
