There are hundreds of free Ivy League online courses available from prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth. These Ivy League online courses are entirely free of charge, but if you want to receive an online certificate there is a small fee of around $50 for each course. However, let me emphasize once more, these online courses are entirely free if you take them without a certificate.

The two of the main organizations that offer free Ivy League online courses to students are Coursera and EdX. These two organizations are founded to let students around the world take free online courses to increase their knowledge. Coursera’s slogan is “Take the world’s best courses, online”, and EdX’s slogan is “Free Online Courses. Advance Your Career.  Improve Your Life.” This slogan emphasizes their desire to provide the highest quality education to students free of charge which will lead to better jobs and lifestyles.

To help these two companies, hundreds of excellent universities including the Ivy League universities have provided online courses to the companies. When Coursera and EdX started a few years ago, there were not many universities that offered free online courses, but now, many universities across the world provide free online courses to students around the world.

As I have mentioned before, these courses are free without a certificate. If you want a certificate, you need to pay a small fee of around $50 per course. To get access to these courses, you will need to make a free account with either Coursera or EdX. After you have made your account, you will need to enroll in the class to have access to these free online courses.

Free Ivy League Online Courses: Coursera

Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford professors to enable students to get access to free online courses. Since its founding, Coursera has increased dramatically with the number of partner universities and available courses. As of February 2017, Coursera has 149 partner universities across 29 countries and is offering over 2,000 free online courses from excellent universities.

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740. It is a part of the Ivy League Universities and offers degrees in many different areas of study. The University of Pennsylvania is especially known for Wharton School of Business which is one of the best Business programs in the world. This university offers many free online courses in a variety of fields in Coursera.

  • Mathematics
  1. Calculus Single Variable Part 1- Functions
  2. Calculus: Single Variable Part 2- Differentiation
  3. Calculus: Single Variable Part 3- Integration
  4. Calculus: Single Variable Part 4-Applications
  5. Single Variable Calculus Part 5
  6. A Crash Course in Causality
  • Science 
  1. Oral Cavity: Portal to Health and Disease
  2. Introduction to Dental Medicine
  3. Vital Signs: Understanding What Our Bodies are Telling Us 
  4. Robotics: Perception
  5. Robotics: Computational Motion Planning
  6. Robotics: Estimation and Learning
  • History 
  1. Greek and Roman Mythology
  2. Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases
  3. Revolutionary Ideas: Borders, Elections, Constitutions, Prisons
  4. Revolutionary Ideas: Utility, Justice, Equality, Freedom
  5. Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization
  6. Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Successors
  • Wharton Business 
  1. Macroeconomics: The Power of Markets
  2. Introduction to Financial Accounting
  3. Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
  4. Introduction to Marketing
  5. Fundamentals of Quantitative Modeling
  6. Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators
  7. The Power of Team Culture
  8. More Introduction to Financial Accounting
  9. Improving Communication Skills
  10. Customer Analytics 
  11. People Analytics
  12. Operation Analytics
  13. Success
  14. Accounting Analytics
  15. Modeling Risk and Realities
  16. Influence for Business
  17. Gamification
  18. Microeconomics: When Markets Fail
  19. Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning
  20. Introduction to Corporate Finance
  21. Introduction to Spreadsheets and Models
  22. Introduction to Operation Management
  23. Entrepreneurship 1: Developing the Opportunity
  24. Entrepreneurship 3: Growth Strategy
  25. Entrepreneurship 2: Launching Your Startup
  26. Entrepreneurship 4: Financing and Profitability
  27. Wharton Business Foundation Capstone
  • Sociology and Psychology 
  1. Social Norms: Social Change I
  2. Managing Social and Human Capital
  3. Network Dynamics for Social Behavior
  4. Positive Psychology: Well-being for Life
  • English 
  1. English for Business and Entrepreneurship
  2. English for Journalism
  3. English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Science
  4. English for Media Literacy
  5. English for Career Development
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Applying to US Universities
  2. Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society
  3. Feeding the World
  4. Designing Cities

Princeton University

Princeton University is one of the best universities in the world. It is founded in 1764 in New Jersey and is the fourth-oldest higher institute of learning in the United States. Princeton University does not offer that many free online courses as the University of Pennsylvania, but it does offer a handful of courses in a variety of fields.

  • Mathematics
  1. Algorithms: Part 1
  2. Algorithms: Part 2
  3. Analysis of Algorithms
  4. Analytic Combinatorics
  • Computers and Technology 
  1. Computer Architecture
  2. Networks Illustrated: Principles without Calculus
  3. Software-Defined Networking
  • Sociology and Psychology 
  1. Effective Altruism
  2. Buddhism and Modern Psychology
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Paradoxes of War
  2. Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
  3. Imagining Other Earths

Harvard University

Harvard University is the United States’ oldest institution of higher learning. Founded in 1636, it has produced many leaders in politics, science, mathematics, and other fields. The name “Harvard” is synonymous with rich history, prestige, and affluence. This university offers several free ivy league courses in fields such as science and history.

  • Science 
  1. Journey of the Universe
  2. Introduction to Breast Cancer
  3. Essentials to Global Health
  • History 
  1. A Law Student’s Toolkit
  2. Modern Foundations of Politics
  3. A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion
  4. The Worldview of Thomas Berry
  • Finance 
  1. Financial Markets
  2. Introduction to Negotiation
  3. Global Financial Crisis
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Introduction to Classical Music
  2. Moralities of Everyday Life
  3. Music and Social Action
  4. Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing

Columbia University

Columbia University is located in New York City and is a member of the Ivy League. These excellent universities offer free Ivy League online courses in a variety of fields such as finance, engineering, and health.

  • Finance 
  1. Financial Engineering and Risk Management: Part 1
  2. Financial Engineering and Risk Management: Part II
  3. Economics of Money and Banking
  • Engineering  
  1. Construction Cost Estimating and Cost Control
  2. Construction Finance
  3. Construction Scheduling
  4. Construction Project Management 
  5. Mos Transistors 
  • Science and Health 
  1. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment  (Administrative/IT Perspective)
  2. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment  (Clinical Perspective)
  3. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social, Peer Perspective)
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Age of Sustainable Development

Check Also: Available Programs for International Students

Free Ivy League Online Courses: EDX

Edx is another platform that offers free online courses to students around the world. It was founded by MIT and Harvard University which wanted to provide students with the best education possible in the form of free online courses. It was created in 2013 and has over 1,270 free online courses available from the best universities in the world. There are over 10 million students taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to expand their knowledge.

Harvard University

Since Harvard University created EdX, there are many free online courses in EdX than there are in Coursera. Hundreds of high-quality online courses are available in EdX.

  • Science 
  1. Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Sciences
  2. Introduction to Bioconductor: Annotation and Analysis of Genomes and Genomic Assays
  3. Cell Biology: Mitochondria
  4. High-Performance Computing for Reproducible Genomics
  5. Case Studies in Functional Genomics
  6. Prediction X: Diviner’s Guide
  7. Principles of Biochemistry
  8. AnatomyX: Musculoskeletal Cases
  9. Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety
  10. Data Analysis for Life Sciences
  11. Genomics Data Analysis
  12. Super-Earths and Life
  13. Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (part 2)
  14. Readings in Global Health
  15. PH556X: Practical Improvement Science in Health Care: A Roadmap for Getting Results
  16. Energy within Environmental Constraints
  17. Innovating in Health Care
  18. Global Health Case Studies from a Biological Perspective
  19. Bioethics: The Law, Medicine, and Ethics of Reproductive Technologies and Genetics
  20. United States Health Policy
  21. Lessons from Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic
  22. Introduction to Computer Science
  23. AP Computer Science Principles
  24. Using Pythons for Research
  25. Introduction to Data Wise: A Collaborative Process to Improve Learning and Teaching
  26. Calculus Applied
  • Math 
  1. Causal Diagrams: Draw Your Assumptions Before Your Conclusions
  2. Data Science: R Basics
  3. Introduction to Linear Models and Matrix Algebra
  4. Statistics and R
  5. High Dimensional Data Analysis
  6. Statistical Interference and Modeling for High-throughput Experiments
  • Music 
  1. First Nights: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera
  2. First Nights: Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring: Modernism, Ballet, and Riots
  3. First Nights: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Program Music in the 19th Century
  4. First Nights: Messiah
  5. First Nights- Beethoven’s 9th
  • Religion 
  1. Judaism through its Scriptures
  2. Hinduism through its Scriptures
  3. Islam through its Scriptures
  4. Buddhism through its Scriptures
  5. Religious Literacy: Traditions and Scriptures
  6. Christianity through Its Scriptures
  • History 
  1. Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disorder
  2. China (part 1): Political and Intellectual Foundations: From the Sage Kings to Confucius and the Legalists
  3. China (part 2): The Creation and End of Centralized Empire
  4. China (part 3): Cosmopolitan Tang:  Aristocratic Culture
  5. China (part 4): Literari China: Examination and Neo-Confucianism
  6. China (part 5): From a Global Empire under the Mongols to a Global Economy Under the Ming Dynasty
  7. China (part 6): The Manchus and Qing Dynasty
  8. China (part 7): Invasions, Rebellions and the Fall of Imperial China
  9. China (part 8): Creating Modern China: The Birth of a Nation
  10. China (part 9): China and Communism
  11. China (part 10): Greater China Today: The People’s Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong
  12. The Book: Print and Manuscripts in Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East
  13. The Book: Scrolls in the Age of the Book
  14. The Book: Monasteries, Schools, and Notaries, Part 1: Reading the Late Medieval Marseille Archive
  15. The Book: The Medieval Book of Hours: Art and Devotion in the Later Middle Ages
  16. American Government
  17. Opioid Crisis in America
  18. Saving Schools: Reforming the U.S. Education System
  19. Poetry in America: The Civil War and Its Aftermath
  20. Poetry in America: Whitman
  21. Poetry in America: Modernism
  22. The Einstein Revolution
  23. PredictionX: John Snow and the Cholera Epidemic
  24. China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture
  25. The Ancient Greek Hero
  26. The Book: The History of the Book in the 17th and 18th Century Europe
  27. The Book: Book Sleuthing: What 19th-Century Books Can Tell Us About the Rise of Reading in the Public
  28. Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts,  Scientific Specimens, and the Stuff Around You
  29. JuryX: Deliberations for Social Change
  30. The Book: Making and Meaning in the Medieval Manuscript
  • Literature 
  1. Masterpieces of World Literature: The Ancient World
  2. Hamlet’s Ghost
  3. Shylock’s Bond
  • Finance 
  1. ContractsX 2017
  2. Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Leaders of Learning
  2. Architectural Imagination
  3. Introduction to Family Engagement in Education

Cornell University

  • Science and Engineering 
  1. A Hands-on Introduction to Engineering Simulations
  2. Sharks! Global Biodiversity, Biology, and Conservation
  3. The Computing Technology Inside Your Smartphone
  • Math 
  1. Wiretaps to Big Data: Privacy and Surveillance in the Age of Interconnection
  • Finance 
  1. Structuring Business Agreements for Success
  2. Networks, Crowds, and Markets
  3. American Capitalism: A History
  • Politics 
  1. The Science and Politics of the GMO
  2. Reclaiming Broken Places: Introduction to Civic Ecology

Dartmouth College

  • Science and Technology
  1. The Engineering of Structures Around Us
  2. Introduction to Environmental Science
  3. Bipedalism: The Science of Upright Walking
  • Music 
  1. Introduction to Italian Opera
  2. Introduction to German Opera
  • Literature 
  1. Question Reality! Science, philosophy, and the Search of Meaning
  2. The American Renaissance: Classic Literature of the 19th Century
  • Finance
  1. Retail Fundamentals
  2. Retail and Omnichannel Management
  3. Omnichannel Strategy and Management
  • Brown 
  1. Artful Medicine: Art’s power to Enrich Patient Care
  2. The Ethics of Memory

University of Pennsylvania

  • Science and Technology 
  1. Robotics: Locomotion Engineering
  2. Robotics: Fundamentals
  3. Robotics: Dynamics and Control
  4. Robotics: Vision Intelligence and Machine Learning
  5. History of Medieval Medicine through Jewish Manuscripts
  6. Going Out on a Limb: Anatomy of the Upper Limb
  • Finance 
  1. Marketing Analytics: Data Tools and Techniques
  2. Business Strategy from Wharton: Competitive Advantage
  3. Managing the Value of Customer Relationships
  4. Selling Ideas: How to Influence Others, and Get Your Message to Catch On
  • Education 
  1. Understanding Classroom Interactions
  2. Hollywood: History, Industry, and Art
  3. Introduction to Online and Blended Teaching
  4. Big Data and Education
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. Top 10 Social Issues for the President’s First 100 Days
  2. Intellectual Property Law and Policy- Part 1: IP and Patent Laws
  3. Intellectual Property Law and Policy- Part 2: Copyright and Trademark Laws

Columbia University

  • History 
  1. Women Have Always Worked: The U.S. Experience 1920- 2016
  2. Women Have Always Worked: The U.S. Experience 1700-1920
  3. Freedom of Expression in the Age of Globalization
  4. The Civil War and Reconstruction- 1850- 1861: A Nation Divided
  5. The Civil War and Reconstruction- 1861- 1865: A New Birth of Freedom
  6. The Civil War and Reconstruction- 1865-1890: The Unfinished Revolution
  • Science and Technology 
  1. Robotics
  2. Artificial Intelligence
  3. Machine Learning
  4. Animation and CGI Motion
  5. Analytics in Python
  • Finance 
  1. Introduction to Corporate Finance
  2. Data, Models, and Decisions in Business Analytics
  3. The Free Cash Flow Method for Firm Foundation
  4. Marketing Analytics
  5. Risk and Return and the Weighted Average Cost of Capital
  6. Demand and Supply Analytics
  • Miscellaneous 
  1. University Studies for Student Veterans
  2. Global Muckraking: Investigative Journalism and Global Media

 

We hope that this article on Free Ivy League Online Courses was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs for International Students!

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

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