Free Online Python Courses
- 28 courses
- 17 free
- 11 free to audit
- 10 with a free certificate
Sources: freeCodeCamp, Harvard, MIT, IBM and more · Verified
Free Python courses are among the most abundant in any subject, which makes choosing harder rather than easier. A beginner course teaches syntax, data types, control flow, functions and files, usually ending with a small project. From there courses specialise: Python for data analysis with the standard libraries, Python for web development, Python for automation and scripting, or Python as the vehicle for a computer science introduction. Free comes in several forms. Non-profit curricula are free in full, project-based and issue free verifiable certificates. University introductions on a university's own site can also be free in full with a free certificate, while the same material on edX is free to audit with a paid certificate and time-limited access.
Company academies publish free Python material tied to their cloud or data platforms, sometimes with free badges. Commercial platforms often open only the first chapters, which this site does not list as free. When reading a syllabus, look for the Python version, for how much code you write versus watch, for whether an environment runs in the browser, and for the domain the examples come from. Python suits first-time programmers, analysts moving beyond spreadsheets, scientists and students who need to process data, and developers adding a second language. The programming, data science and computer science pages on this site cover the neighbouring ground.
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| # | Course | Provider | Cost | Certificate | Level | Duration | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 | |
| 2 | Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python 6.0001 is MIT's fall 2016 half-semester introduction to programming for students with little or no prior experience… | MIT | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 3 | 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 | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 4 | Introduction to Computer Science & Programming Using Python 6.00.1x is the MITx Online version of MIT's introductory programming course, the first of a two-course sequence that… | MIT | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | — | 9 weeks | |
| 5 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | 7 weeks | |
| 6 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | — | 9 weeks | |
| 7 | Using Python for Research Using Python for Research is aimed at people who have finished an introductory Python course and want to apply the la… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | — | |
| 8 | 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 | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 18 hours | |
| 9 | Python Certification freeCodeCamp's current Python certification, one of the six that make up its Full-Stack Developer curriculum, teaches… | freeCodeCamp | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | — | |
| 10 | Data Analysis with Python Certification freeCodeCamp's data analysis certification teaches the open-source Python toolkit that has replaced expensive proprie… | freeCodeCamp | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | — | |
| 11 | Machine Learning with Python Certification This certification uses the TensorFlow framework to build several neural networks and to explore more advanced techni… | freeCodeCamp | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | — | |
| 12 | Scientific Computing with Python Certification A project-led Python course in which every concept is taught by building something. | freeCodeCamp | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | — | |
| 13 | Get Started with Python Programming: Part 1 - Fundamentals This learning path is the first half of Microsoft's two-part introduction to Python programming. | Microsoft | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | 3.2 hours | |
| 14 | Learn to Program: The Fundamentals Learn to Program: The Fundamentals is the University of Toronto's introduction to programming in Python, hosted on Co… | Coursera | Free | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 3 weeks | |
| 15 | Introduction to Python A first Python course that avoids local installation: the instructor uses the online tool Repl.it so you can run code… | Alison | Free | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | — | |
| 16 | Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) is the University of Michigan's first Python course on edX, w… | edX | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 7 weeks | |
| 17 | Python for Absolute Beginners – A Free 2-Hour Crash Course This short course takes a complete beginner from installing Python to writing small scripts. | Udemy | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | 1.8 hours | |
| 18 | Learn Python for Total Beginners A longer introduction to Python that works through the language's building blocks in order and then puts them to use… | Udemy | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | 5.6 hours | |
| 19 | College Algebra with Python Certification A one-semester college algebra course taught through Python. | freeCodeCamp | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | — | |
| 20 | 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 | |
| 21 | Data Visualization with Python Data Visualization with Python, course code DV0101EN, teaches how to turn tables of numbers into charts that people c… | IBM | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 10 hours | |
| 22 | Machine Learning with Python Machine Learning with Python, course code ML0101EN, introduces the main families of machine learning algorithms using… | IBM | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 20 hours | |
| 23 | Data Exploration Data Exploration is a four-week BerkeleyX course taught by Richard Huntsinger and belongs to UC Berkeley's Data, Stat… | UC Berkeley | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | 4 weeks | |
| 24 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 4 weeks | |
| 25 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | 8 weeks | |
| 26 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | — | |
| 27 | 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 | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | — | 15 weeks | |
| 28 | Statistical Learning with Python Statistical Learning with Python is StanfordOnline's edX course by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani and Jonathan Tayl… | Stanford | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 11 weeks |
Python courses by provider
Questions about free python courses
Is Python a good first programming language?
Yes. Its syntax is readable, its errors are informative, and it is used in data analysis, web development, automation and teaching, so what you learn transfers.
Are there free Python certificates?
Yes. Non-profit curricula and some university introductions issue free verifiable certificates. Audit tracks on platforms charge for theirs, and commercial platforms that open only the first chapters are not listed here.
Do I need to install anything?
Many courses provide a browser-based editor. For a local setup, the standard interpreter is free to download, and the course will say which version and editor it assumes.