Back to school season isn’t just for students.
Several major Canadian universities keep a rotating selection of courses open to literally anyone, with no application, no prerequisites, and no cost (unless you want a certificate at the end).
Most courses run through platforms like Coursera and edX, and most can be completed entirely at your own pace. The only time money is involved is if you want graded assignments or an official certificate once you’re done.
University of Toronto
The City and You: Find Your Best Place
Taught by urbanist Richard Florida, this course looks at why cities matter and how urbanization shapes daily life. By the end, you’ll apply what you’ve learned to assess your own city and figure out where you’d actually thrive.
Apply here: The City and You
Introduction to Swift Programming
The first course in U of T’s four-part iOS development specialization. Object-oriented programming, memory management, and Swift syntax are all covered, though you’ll need a Mac to follow along, and ideally an iPhone or iPad. Worth noting: auditing gets you the individual course for free, but the full paid specialization is a separate cost.
Apply here: Introduction to Swift Programming
Introduction to Psychology
Led by professor Steve Joordens, this course holds a 4.9-star rating from nearly 5,500 reviews. Memory, development, perception, consciousness, and how other people’s behaviour shapes our own are all covered.
Apply here: Introduction to Psychology
University of Alberta
Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology
This is a real, credentialed course on non-avian dinosaurs, their anatomy, movement, growth, and extinction, filmed in museums, fossil-prep labs, and actual dig sites. A 4.9-star rating from thousands of reviewers backs it up.
Apply here: Dino 101
Indigenous Canada
This 12-module course, developed by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies, remains one of the most popular free courses in the country, with close to 400,000 people having taken it since launch. It digs into Indigenous histories and contemporary realities across Canada, covering the fur trade, land claims, environmental impacts, and present-day Indigenous art and activism.
Apply here: Indigenous Canada
Astro 101: Black Holes
This course breaks down the science of black holes alongside the fundamentals of relativity and quantum physics, with a lot of attention paid to how pop culture portrays black holes versus the real physics behind them.
Apply here: Astro 101: Black Holes
University of British Columbia
Excel for Everyone: Core Foundations
Built for anyone who wants a stronger handle on spreadsheets, covering data wrangling, spreadsheet organization, and the basics of business data analysis. It’s also the entry point into a larger UBC Excel series if you want to keep going.
Apply here: Excel for Everyone: Core Foundations
How to Code: Simple Data
Rather than teaching any one programming language, this course focuses on a systematic way of thinking through problems, one that transfers to whatever language you eventually pick up.
Apply here: How to Code: Simple Data
McGill University
McGill Personal Finance Essentials
Developed with RBC and The Globe and Mail and taught by professors from the Desautels Faculty of Management, this course covers budgeting, saving, debt, investing, retirement planning, real estate, and behavioural finance across eight core modules, each around 15 to 20 minutes long with a short test after each one. The whole thing takes roughly three to four hours, and it’s offered in both English and French.
Since launching in 2022, the course has drawn more than 350,000 registrants and has been named the best all-around free personal finance course in Canada by MoneySense. Complete all eight modules, and a McGill Personal Finance Essentials attestation is issued, one you can add to a resume or LinkedIn profile.
Apply here: McGill Personal Finance Essentials
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