Seven Free Courses for Beginner Programmers

Many people today are moving into programming, regardless of their previous professional background.

To help you get started, we've selected 7 free online courses created by leading universities and IT companies. All courses are available in English and free to audit. You only pay if you decide to obtain a completion certificate, which can be useful for job applications or LinkedIn profiles. Pick a specialty, register, and start learning.

1. Learn to Program: The Fundamentals, University of Toronto

Behind every mouse click and screen tap is an application. This course introduces programming basics and teaches you to write practical, engaging applications using Python.

Duration: 29 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: $49

2. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python, MIT

Want to learn IT fundamentals to solve real-world problems using Python 3.5? This course combines theory with hands-on practice and is well-suited for learners who want a strong technical foundation.

Topics include:

• A notion of computation
• The Python programming language
• Simple algorithms
• Testing and debugging
• An informal introduction to algorithmic complexity
• Data structures

Duration: 9 weeks (14–16 hours per week)
Cost: Free
Certificate: $75

3. Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose, Princeton University

You’ll learn fundamental programming elements, including variables, conditions, loops, arrays, and I/O. Then you’ll move on to recursion, modular programming, and code reuse. You’ll also be introduced to object-oriented programming. Java is used to teach problem-solving techniques applicable to many modern programming environments.
It’s based on the first half of Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach. The second half is in Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines.
Duration: 32 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Not available

4. Introduction to Web Development, The University of California

This beginner-friendly course covers the fundamentals of web development and design. By the end, you'll understand how websites work and how to build and publish basic web projects.

You’ll learn to:

• Create dynamic web pages using HTML
• Style layouts using CSS
• Add interactivity with JavaScript
• Build HTML forms
• Choose hosting services and deploy websites

Duration: 16 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: $79

5. Front-End Web Developer, W3C

The internet is everywhere! Web development is a complex, creative, and exciting career path. This program, designed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the organization behind web standards, helps you develop key skills for building interactive and responsive web solutions.

You’ll learn to create websites using the latest standards, code with HTML5 tags, draw and animate graphics, and embed audio and video. You’ll master CSS best practices and JavaScript basics to build interactive web apps.

The program deepens your knowledge of the three core web languages: HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. Step by step, you’ll learn techniques that contribute to the evolution of web applications.
The program consists of 5 courses with interactive examples. To complete it for free, enroll in each separately:

• CSS Basics
• HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals
• JavaScript Introduction
• HTML5 Coding Essentials and Best Practices
• HTML5 Apps and Games

Duration: 2–4 months / 139–191 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: $500 (program) or $99–129 per course

6. CS50's Introduction to Computer Science, Harvard University

CS50 is Harvard’s most popular on-campus computer science course, now available online. It introduces the basics of popular programming languages and focuses on algorithmic thinking and effective problem-solving.

The program is suitable for learners with no prior experience and provides a strong foundation in how software and computer systems work.

Duration: 12 weeks or 6-18 hours per week

Cost: Free

Certificate: 90%

7. Data Science, Harvard University

Demand for skilled data science professionals in industry, academia, and government is growing rapidly. The HarvardX Data Science program provides essential knowledge and skills for tackling real-world data analysis challenges.

It covers concepts like probability, inference, regression, and machine learning. It teaches key skills, including programming in R, data wrangling with dplyr, visualization with ggplot2, file organization in Unix/Linux, version control with Git and GitHub, and using RStudio.

You’ll work on case studies and answer real questions through data analysis, such as: Trends in World Health and Economics, US Crime Rates, The Financial Crisis of 2007–2008, Election Forecasting, Building a Baseball Team, Movie Recommendation Systems.

The program consists of 9 courses. To complete it for free, enroll in each separately:

• Data Science: R Basics
• Data Science: Visualization
• Data Science: Probability
• Data Science: Inference and Modeling
• Data Science: Productivity Tools
• Data Science: Wrangling
• Data Science: Linear Regression
• Data Science: Machine Learning
• Data Science: Capstone

Duration: 2–4 months / 102–184 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: $442 (program) / $49–99 per course

At DataArt, continuous skill development is part of everyday work. To support this, we built an internal training platform, DataArt EDU.

Our experts have developed over 100 courses covering a wide range of technologies and areas. These programs combine self-paced learning with practical assignments and are tailored to meet DataArt’s technological needs and focus on developing specific skills.

All courses are free for team members and can be completed during personal study time or between projects.