12 Free Online Courses from Stanford University 2026

You don't need to get into Stanford to learn from Stanford. The university offers more than 100 online courses on edX, and you can audit them for free. You watch the lessons and learn the material without paying. If you want a certificate, you can pay a fee for a verified certificate.

Free vs certificate: Learning is free. Certificates cost money. On Coursera you can apply for financial aid to get the certificate free or cheaper.

12 free Stanford courses to start with

Computer science and programming

1. Computer Science 101 A beginner-friendly introduction to how computers and code work. No experience needed.

2. Algorithms: Design and Analysis (Part 1 and Part 2) A classic Stanford course on how to design fast, efficient algorithms. Great preparation for tech interviews. Part 1 on edX

3. Databases (several short courses) Learn SQL and how databases work, from modelling and theory to semistructured data. Databases: Modeling and Theory · Databases: Semistructured Data

4. R Programming Fundamentals An introduction to R, one of the most popular languages for statistics and data analysis.

5. Compilers An advanced course on how programming languages are translated into machine code. Compilers on edX

Data science and machine learning

6. Statistical Learning with Python A highly rated introduction to machine learning and statistical modelling, using Python.

7. Statistical Learning with R The same core ideas, taught in R.

8. Mining Massive Datasets How to analyse very large data sets, from recommendation systems to search engines.

9. Machine Learning (Andrew Ng), on Coursera The famous beginner course by Stanford's Andrew Ng, offered by DeepLearning.AI and Stanford Online. About 3 weeks at 10 hours a week, self-paced. Supervised Machine Learning on Coursera

Health and society

10. Introduction to Healthcare Communication Strategies For health workers and students who want to communicate better with patients.

11. International Women's Health and Human Rights How health, gender and human rights connect around the world.

12. Your Body Inside and Out: Using Exercise Physiology to Slow Aging The science of exercise and how it keeps the body healthy.

Bonus: How to Learn Math

A free, self-paced course from Stanford that helps students of all levels become more confident in maths. How to Learn Math on edX

How to enrol for free

1. Go to Stanford's page on edX and pick a course.
2. Create a free edX account.
3. Click Enrol and choose the audit (free) option.
4. For Coursera courses, click Enrol for free, then choose to preview or apply for financial aid if you want the certificate.

Tips

• Add these courses to your CV and LinkedIn. They show initiative to scholarship committees.
• Pick one course and finish it before starting another.
• If a course is archived, you can usually still watch the videos.

See all Stanford courses on edX · Stanford courses on Coursera