Best Educational Websites For Learning Online Courses With Certifications

1. Reputed universities like Harvard, Stanford, or big companies like Google and Microsoft are offering online courses with certificates that add significant value to your resume.
2. Most recruiters from big companies these days give special importance to these courses and they see these certificates as an advantage for the applicant.
3. Many successful people are constantly taking these courses to sharpen their skills and enhance their abilities. So these sites are a great resource for online learning.

5 Best Free Websites For Taking Online Courses

Our selection criteria? We looked for the best education websites with the highest quality courses and well reputed teachers, the sites that offered a wide variety of available topics, and those that offered the most certifications and specializations.

If you are interested in learning anything online, you can search for it on the sites listed below and you can find courses related to them.

1. edX

Things You May Like:

• The site offers courses from the likes of Boston University, Oxford University, UC Berkeley and a number of other prestigious universities from across the world. 
• You can learn courses from a variety of topics such as technology, design, architecture, language, finance, food and nutrition, medicine, physics, electronics and many more.
• The courses are split into short videos which you can see on weekly basis and submit the interactive learning exercises.
• The classes themselves are totally free however edX offers an optional certificate for a small fee for students who complete courses.
• You will also receive an official credential from the University signed by the instructor to verify your achievement.
• Edx also offers Post Graduate programs and other Professional Certificates that are aimed at training people to meet the demands of the current job market and excel in their careers. 

Things You May Not Like:

• Some courses are poorly structured, do not have updated content and not engaging.
• Certain courses are available only for limited time. You have to enroll within that deadline.

2. Coursera

Things You May Like:

• According to a survey in 2019, 87% of people learning for professional development report career benefits like getting a promotion, a raise or starting a new career.
• Coursera has millions of users worldwide and offers numerous online courses.
• Online courses include classes from University of Illinois, Duke, Georgia Tech, Stanford, and hundreds more.
• Coursera has partnered up with big companies like IBM, Google, Amazon, Cisco, Intel and other such companies to provide industry-relevant skills and courses .
• The courses have pre-recorded video lectures and you can watch on a weekly schedule.
• They also have a forum for student discussions, assignments and online exams.
• Coursera also offers Specialization Certificates, Master’s program and distant learning online degrees for a very nominal tuition fee.

Things You May Not Like:

• The courses on the site are more focused towards the tech field.
• Free classes are sometimes mixed with fee-based classes, so you have to search before enrolling.

3. Udemy

Things You May Like:

• Udemy offers courses of all disciplines in multiple languages.
• The courses are well-curated and are the content is updated regularly.
• Even though most of the Udemy courses are paid, they are not very expensive and don’t break the bank.
• When you enroll in a course, you will have lifetime access to the content. 
• You can download the Udemy app to watch the lectures on your mobile for quick lessons and study sessions when you’re on the go. You can also download the courses for offline learning.
• Udemy provides Certificates signed by the instructor upon successful completion of the course.
• Udemy provide a money-back guarantee if the course does not meet your expectations.

Things You May Not Like:

• Udemy has lesser free courses.
• The fact that anyone can sign-up and teach has led to many low-quality courses. 
• The price of the courses vary wildly, and the price for the same course can change.
• The review system is not very helpful as it asks you to provide feedback at the start of the course and it needs to get better.

4. Udacity

Things You May Like:

• The courses come with special mentor instructions from distinctive leaders in their fields.
• Udacity has partnered with leading technology companies like Google, Nvidia, IBM, AT&T and others to creat special courses.
• You get access to the most up to date skills in the upcoming technologies that are relevant to the modern tech industry.
• All courses are taught in a video format which include quizzes and assignments. 
• Most of the courses are offered for free however some courses and all certifications called Nanodegrees cost you money.
• You can ask the mentors questions and they will respond or you can get help from the community.
• Courses are available all the time, which means there is no waiting time to enroll for a specific course you want to learn. 
• The courses are self-paced which means you can go through the courses as fast or as slow as you want.
• You get to work on real life projects and practice industry level skills.

Things You May Not like:

• The catalog is not broad and focuses on just tech topics.
• Some of the Nanodegrees are very expensive.

5. Alison

Things You May Like:

• Alison provides you with entry-level courses or Diploma certification.
• Alison provides resources that are designed for anyone looking for a new job or promotion.
• You can select from a variety of subjects and from hundreds of free courses that are available.
• All the courses on the site are 100% free to learn and complete.
• Alison requires you to score a certain passing percentage in their assessments in order to become an Alison graduate.
• After the completion of your course, you can download your record as proof of your achievement. 
• You can get your Certificate or Diploma for the course after paying a small fee.

Things You May Not Like:

• The major drawback is the advertisements that pop up during the lectures.

More MOOC Websites Offering Certifications

There are a lot of other MOOC websites that did not make it to this list for example, Open Learn, Skillshare and PluralSight. They are also very effective and offer vast variety of courses.

Certifications Add Value!

Learning online courses proves that you have the interest and passion for learning new skills, which is considered a highly beneficial trait in modern organizations.

If you are a fresh graduate with limited work experience, these certificates might give a boost to your career.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are providing world-class education to anyone with an internet connection, so you should avail this opportunity.

Which of these site do you plan to use for learning courses online? Let us know in the comments below.