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Free Online Data Science Courses

  • 42 courses
  • 22 free
  • 20 free to audit
  • 11 with a free certificate

Sources: MIT, Harvard, IBM, freeCodeCamp and more · Verified

A free data science course typically combines statistics, programming and the practical craft of working with data: collecting and cleaning it, exploring it, building models, visualising results and communicating them. Introductory courses assume little and use a spreadsheet or Python for examples; intermediate courses go into statistical inference, machine learning, SQL and data engineering, and specialised courses cover fields like natural language processing or data ethics. Free takes several forms. Universities offer data science courses on edX that are usually free to audit, with lectures and notebooks open while graded work and the certificate are paid; some university introductions on their own sites are free in full with a free certificate. Company academies publish free courses tied to their cloud and analytics platforms with free, verifiable badges, and non-profit curricula cover the whole path with free certificates.

Commercial data platforms often open only the first chapter of each course, which this site does not treat as free. When reading a syllabus, look for the prerequisites in statistics and programming, for datasets and exercises rather than lecture alone, and for the tool the course is built around. Data science suits analysts extending spreadsheet skills, developers moving toward machine learning, scientists and researchers handling their own data, and students planning a quantitative degree. The Python, mathematics and Excel pages on this site cover the foundations, and the certifications hub lists data credentials that are free to earn.

Our three picks

Editorial, not sponsored
Best free ML course Introduction to Machine Learning MIT · 13 weeks FreeNo certificate MIT's own undergraduate machine learning course with auto-graded exercises, entirely free. Best for machine learning Machine Learning with Python: from Linear Models to Deep Learning MIT · 15 weeks Free to auditPaid certificate A full MIT machine learning course with Python projects, free to audit and part of a MicroMasters. Best for statistics Statistical Learning with Python Stanford · 11 weeks Free to auditPaid certificate The ISL authors' own course, free to audit with labs in Python and a free textbook.
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    # Course Provider Cost Certificate Level Duration
    1 Introduction to Machine Learning 6.036 Introduction to Machine Learning is MIT's undergraduate machine learning course, offered in the Open Learning L… MIT · 13 weeks MIT Free NoneNo certificate — 13 weeks
    2 Data Exploration Data Exploration is a four-week BerkeleyX course taught by Richard Huntsinger and belongs to UC Berkeley's Data, Stat… UC Berkeley · Intermediate · 4 weeks UC Berkeley Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate 4 weeks
    3 Machine Learning with Python: from Linear Models to Deep Learning 6.86x is MITx's machine learning course, part of the MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science and offered… MIT · 15 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 15 weeks
    4 Fundamentals of Statistics 18.6501x Fundamentals of Statistics is an MITx course in the MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science. MIT · 17 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 17 weeks
    5 Statistical Learning with Python Statistical Learning with Python is StanfordOnline's edX course by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani and Jonathan Tayl… Stanford · Beginner · 11 weeks Stanford Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 11 weeks
    6 Introduction to Data Science with Python Introduction to Data Science with Python is HarvardX's course on using Python for data science and the first steps of… Harvard · Intermediate · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate 8 weeks
    7 Data Science: R Basics Data Science: R Basics is the first course in HarvardX's Professional Certificate in Data Science and introduces the… Harvard · Beginner · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 8 weeks
    8 Mining Massive Datasets Mining Massive Datasets is the StanfordOnline edX course taught by Jure Leskovec, Anand Rajaraman and Jeff Ullman, ba… Stanford · Advanced · 7 weeks Stanford Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Advanced 7 weeks
    9 Data Science: Probability Data Science: Probability, part of HarvardX's Professional Certificate in Data Science, teaches the probability theor… Harvard · Beginner · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 8 weeks
    10 Data Science: Linear Regression Data Science: Linear Regression covers how to implement linear regression in R and how to use it to adjust for confou… Harvard · Beginner · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 8 weeks
    11 Data Science: Wrangling Data Science: Wrangling deals with the messy first stage of most data projects: getting data out of files, databases… Harvard · Beginner · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 8 weeks
    12 Data Science: Building Machine Learning Models Data Science: Building Machine Learning Models introduces machine learning by having you build a movie recommendation… Harvard · Beginner · 8 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 8 weeks
    13 Machine Learning and AI with Python Machine Learning and AI with Python starts from the simplest machine learning algorithm, the decision tree, and build… Harvard · Intermediate Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate —
    14 Statistics and R Statistics and R is the first course in HarvardX's Data Analysis for Life Sciences series. Harvard · Intermediate · 4 weeks Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate 4 weeks
    15 Data Analysis for Social Scientists 14.310x Data Analysis for Social Scientists is an MITx Online course in the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics… MIT · 14 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 14 weeks
    16 Data Analysis: Statistical Modeling and Computation in Applications 6.419x is the applied capstone-style course in the MITx MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science. MIT · 16 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 16 weeks
    17 SQL and Relational Databases 101 SQL and Relational Databases 101, course code DB0101EN, is a short introduction to querying data with SQL and to the… IBM · Beginner · 5 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 5 hours
    18 Data Science 101 Data Science 101, course code DS0101EN, is an orientation course rather than a technical one. IBM · Beginner · 11 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 11 hours
    19 Machine Learning with Python Machine Learning with Python, course code ML0101EN, introduces the main families of machine learning algorithms using… IBM · Beginner · 20 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 20 hours
    20 Data Visualization with Python Data Visualization with Python, course code DV0101EN, teaches how to turn tables of numbers into charts that people c… IBM · Beginner · 10 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 10 hours
    21 Deep Learning Fundamentals Deep Learning Fundamentals, course code ML0115EN, is a concept-only crash course produced by DeepLearning.TV and host… IBM · 3 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included — 3 hours
    22 Introduction to Microsoft Azure Data core data concepts This short learning path opens Microsoft's Azure Data Fundamentals series, the training that supports the DP-900 exam. Microsoft · Beginner · 1 hour Microsoft Free NoneNo certificate Beginner 1 hour
    23 Prepare and visualize data with Microsoft Power BI This learning path is Microsoft's own version of its instructor-led course DP-605T00, delivered as free self-study. Microsoft · Beginner · 8.2 hours Microsoft Free NoneNo certificate Beginner 8.2 hours
    24 Query and modify data with Transact-SQL This learning path teaches Transact-SQL, the dialect of SQL used by SQL Server and Azure SQL, from the first SELECT s… Microsoft · Beginner · 5.8 hours Microsoft Free NoneNo certificate Beginner 5.8 hours
    25 CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQL CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQL teaches relational databases from the ground up. Harvard · Beginner · 7 weeks Harvard Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 7 weeks
    26 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 · 7 weeks Harvard Free IncludedCertificate included — 7 weeks
    27 Data Analysis with Python Certification freeCodeCamp's data analysis certification teaches the open-source Python toolkit that has replaced expensive proprie… freeCodeCamp freeCodeCamp Free IncludedCertificate included — —
    28 Machine Learning with Python Certification This certification uses the TensorFlow framework to build several neural networks and to explore more advanced techni… freeCodeCamp freeCodeCamp Free IncludedCertificate included — —
    29 Python for Data Science Python for Data Science, course code PY0101EN and long known as Python 101, is Cognitive Class's entry-level Python c… IBM · Beginner · 18 hours IBM Free IncludedCertificate included Beginner 18 hours
    30 Relational Databases Certification The fundamentals of relational databases, taught alongside the command-line tools developers use with them. freeCodeCamp freeCodeCamp Free IncludedCertificate included — —
    31 CS229 - Machine Learning Machine Learning is the Stanford Engineering Everywhere release of Andrew Ng's graduate course CS229, a broad introdu… Stanford Stanford Free NoneNo certificate — —
    32 Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science 6.0002 is the second half of MIT's introductory programming sequence, following 6.0001, and the fall 2016 edition by… MIT MIT Free NoneNo certificate — —
    33 Introduction to Deep Learning 6.S191 is MIT's introductory course on deep learning, taught during the January Independent Activities Period by Alex… MIT MIT Free NoneNo certificate — —
    34 Matrix Methods in Data Analysis, Signal Processing, and Machine Learning 18.065 is Gilbert Strang's spring 2018 course on the linear algebra behind data analysis, signal processing and machi… MIT MIT Free NoneNo certificate — —
    35 Optimization Methods in Business Analytics 15.053x Optimization Methods in Business Analytics is a six-week MITx course from MIT Sloan, available free in the Op… MIT · 6 weeks MIT Free NoneNo certificate — 6 weeks
    36 Statistics and probability Khan Academy's Statistics and probability course is organized into 16 units. Khan Academy Khan Academy Free NoneNo certificate — —
    37 Statistics for Applications 18.650 Statistics for Applications is MIT's undergraduate course in mathematical statistics, and the fall 2016 editio… MIT MIT Free NoneNo certificate — —
    38 Fundamentals of Economics Fundamentals of Economics is a four-week BerkeleyX course taught by Eric Van Dusen, a lecturer in data science and ec… UC Berkeley · Beginner · 4 weeks UC Berkeley Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Beginner 4 weeks
    39 Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science 6.00.2x is the second course in MITx's introductory sequence, following Introduction to Computer Science and Programm… MIT · 9 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 9 weeks
    40 Introduction to Probability Introduction to Probability teaches how to reason about uncertainty and randomness and how to make good predictions. Harvard · Intermediate Harvard Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate —
    41 Introduction to Python Introduction to Python is a seven-week BerkeleyX course taught by lecturer Michael Ball and forms part of UC Berkeley… UC Berkeley · Intermediate · 7 weeks UC Berkeley Free to audit PaidPaid certificate Intermediate 7 weeks
    42 Probability - The Science of Uncertainty and Data 6.431x is MITx's probability course and part of the MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science. MIT · 16 weeks MIT Free to audit PaidPaid certificate — 16 weeks
    Showing 42 of 42 courses · verified 14 Sep 2026
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    Questions about free data science courses

    How much mathematics do I need for data science?

    Introductory analytics courses need arithmetic and basic algebra. Statistical inference and machine learning need probability, some calculus and linear algebra, and the mathematics page lists courses that cover them.

    Can I get a free data science certificate?

    Yes, from company academies, non-profit curricula and some university introductions taught on the university's own site. University courses on edX charge for the certificate.

    Should I learn Excel, SQL or Python first?

    Excel if you have never analysed data, because the ideas transfer. SQL next, since most data lives in databases. Python when you want to automate, model or work at a scale spreadsheets cannot handle.

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