Free Harvard Certifications
- 9 free certifications
Most of Harvard's free online courses are free to audit through edX, which means you can watch the lectures and do the ungraded work at no cost while the verified certificate is paid. Those courses appear on Harvard's provider page on this site but not here. This page lists the exception: Harvard courses whose certificate is free. The main source is the family of introductory computer science courses taught on the university's own site, where completing the problem sets and final project earns a free certificate that carries a verification link; the same courses on edX charge for the verified certificate, and a course record on this site points to the free route. Harvard's catalogue also marks some courses with a certificate of completion rather than a paid verified certificate, and where that certificate is confirmed free it is listed here as well.
On this site, free certification means a free course with a free, verifiable certificate, distinct from a free-to-audit course whose certificate is paid; that distinction matters more for Harvard than for most providers, because the same course can be free or paid depending on where you enrol. The page suits beginners in programming and computer science, students who want a university-branded credential without cost, and career changers who need a structured, assessed introduction before specialising. Read the course page for what the free certificate requires: the assessments are substantial, deadlines may apply, and the free certificate is a different document from the paid verified certificate, though both confirm completion. The IT and programming-related certification pages sit alongside this one.
Filters
| # | Course | Provider | Cost | Certificate | Level | Duration | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CS50's Computer Science for Lawyers CS50 for Lawyers adapts CS50x for lawyers and law students, taking a top-down approach that emphasises high-level con… | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 10 weeks | |
| 2 | CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python This course covers the ideas and algorithms behind modern artificial intelligence, from graph search and classificati… | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Intermediate | 7 weeks | |
| 3 | CS50's Introduction to Computer Science CS50x is Harvard's entry-level course in computer science and programming, open to people with or without prior codin… | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 11 weeks | |
| 4 | CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity is written for technical and non-technical learners alike. | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 5 weeks | |
| 5 | CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQL CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQL teaches relational databases from the ground up. | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 7 weeks | |
| 6 | CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python CS50P teaches programming through Python alone, for people with or without prior experience. | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 10 weeks | |
| 7 | CS50's Introduction to Programming with R CS50's Introduction to Programming with R teaches programming through R, the language widely used for statistical com… | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 7 weeks | |
| 8 | CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch teaches the fundamentals of programming through Scratch, the block-ba… | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 9 weeks | |
| 9 | CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScript CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScript continues from CS50x into building and deploying web applications. | Harvard | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Intermediate | 9 weeks |
Questions about free harvard certifications
Are Harvard's free online courses certified for free?
Usually not. Most are free to audit on edX, where the certificate is paid. The exceptions are courses taught on Harvard's own site whose certificate is free, and those are the ones listed here.
Is the free Harvard certificate the same as the edX verified certificate?
No. The free certificate is issued by the course on Harvard's site and has its own verification link. The edX verified certificate is a paid document from edX. Both confirm you completed the course.
Does a free Harvard certificate carry university credit?
No. It confirms completion of an online course and is not academic credit toward a Harvard degree. Credit-bearing options are separate paid programmes.