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Distance learning lets you earn an international qualification without leaving home, and it usually costs far less than moving abroad to study. This page collects online degree scholarships and free online courses that can help you study at no cost. It covers funded distance learning Master's programmes as well as open course platforms you can use on their own.
If studying in your own country or anywhere else appeals to you, and you still want an international education, distance learning is worth a look. Everything happens online, which keeps the cost down compared with relocating to a campus abroad. Below you will find online degree scholarships and free online courses, plus a guide on how to study anywhere or in your own country.
Online Degree Scholarships
- Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
These awards are for candidates from developing Commonwealth countries. They fund 30+ Master's degree courses, either run with universities in developing countries or delivered directly by UK institutions. The scholarship covers the tuition fees. - Edinburgh Global Distance Learning Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh offers 12 scholarships to citizens of selected developing countries. Recipients take one of the 30+ distance learning Master's programmes the University runs. Each award covers the full tuition fees across three years. - University of the People Tuition Free Degrees
University of the People delivers online, accredited, tuition-free American university degrees in business administration and computer science. Classes are taught by professors from universities such as NYU, Harvard and Oxford in small virtual classrooms. Students also get internship and mentoring programmes with partners such as HP and Microsoft to build hands-on experience alongside their academic work.
Free Online Courses
- edX Free Online Courses at Premier Universities
edX is a learning platform where students from any country can take free online courses from leading universities worldwide. Courses are open to anyone, from any demographic, who wants to advance their own knowledge. Apart from professional education courses, edX courses are free for everyone. Some courses charge a fee for verified certificates but remain free to audit. - Coursera
Coursera works with top universities and organisations around the world to offer online courses that anyone can take for free. Its catalogue covers a wide range of topics, including the Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business and Computer Science, among many others. - Udemy
Udemy is the world's largest marketplace for teaching and learning. Over 50 million students in 200+ countries take its online courses to advance their careers and pursue their passions. More than 150,000 courses are available on-demand, 24/7, via iPhone, iPad, Android and the Web. - Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a not-for-profit that aims to improve education by providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Its library holds over 4,500 videos covering subjects from arithmetic to physics, finance and history, plus hundreds of skills to practise. You learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace. - Academic Earth
Academic Earth holds that everyone deserves access to a world-class education. The platform brings together a broad collection of free online courses from the world's top universities.