It’s been eight years since a few Stanford professors decided to offer their courses online for free. These courses are now known popularly as MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses.

They are not as free as they used to be, but you can still audit them for free. Since then over 900 universities have launched 13,500 online courses. These courses have been taken by 120 million learners!

I’ve been keeping track of these courses the entire time over at Class Central, ever since they rose to prominence. We just completed our eighth year, and have helped over 20 million learners decide which online course to take.

In the first step, we went through Class Central’s database and made a list of all the courses that were offered for the first time ever in 2019. We found out that 450 universities around the world have launched more than 2,500 courses.

Then Suparn wrote scrapers to collect enrollment numbers for three different providers: Coursera, edX, and Swayam. Each of these providers show how many students are enrolled on their course pages. These providers alone registered around 5 million enrollments for courses launched in 2019!

Along with this we also had data from our users: how many times a course has been bookmarked on Class Central. Using the enrollment data and bookmarks data we came up with a list of 100 most popular courses of 2019 from 68 universities.

You can also find this list on Class Central which I built using Class Central’s Custom List feature. Not all the courses on this list might be available, but if you bookmark a course on Class Central, then we will let you know when it is offered next.

2019’s Most Popular Online Courses

Here are the most popular free online university courses of 2019 (not ordered by popularity).

• Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) from University of Tasmania ★★★★★(246)
• Differential Equations for Engineers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(32)
• Teaching English: How to Plan a Great Lesson from British Council ★★★★★(125)
• Understanding IELTS: Speaking from British Council ★★★★★(26)
• The Art of Structural Engineering: Vaults from Princeton University ★★★★★(17)
• Improving Your Study Techniques from University of Groningen ★★★★★(20)
• Mathematical Economics from Doon University, Dehradun ★★★★★(75)
• Constitutional Interpretation from Princeton University ★★★★★(16)
• Happier Employees and Return-On-Investment Course from The University of Texas at Austin ★★★★★(10)
• Gender and Sexuality: Applications in Society from The University of British Columbia ★★★★★(48)
• The IB Extended Essay: Managing your Research Project from University of Leeds ★★★★★(32)
• Agile Leadership Principles from University System of Maryland ★★★★★(124)
• ANIMATIONs from Banaras Hindu University ★★★★☆(61)
• Python and Statistics for Financial Analysis from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★☆(58)
• Unlocking Information Security: Part Ⅰ from Tel Aviv University ★★★★★(2)
• Digital Security and Human Rights from Amnesty International ★★★★★(1)
• Fundamentals of Statistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology ★★★★★(1)
• Herbal Medicine from University of Minnesota ★★★★★(1)
• Ideas for a Better World: Leading Change Through Policymaking from British Council ★★★★★(1)
• Ethical Hacking from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur ★★★★★(1)
• Data Analysis: A Practical Introduction for Absolute Beginners from Microsoft ★★★★☆(1)
• The Tudors from University of Roehampton ★★★★☆(1)
• C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★★☆(1)
• Hacking Exercise For Health. The surprising new science of fitness. from McMaster University ★★★★☆(2)
• Python for Data Science and AI from IBM ★★★☆☆(1)
• Critical thinking: reasoned decision making from Tecnológico de Monterrey ★★☆☆☆(1)
• Brand Identity and Strategy from IE Business School
• Weight Management: Beyond Balancing Calories from Emory University
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) from IBM
• Introduction to TensorFlow for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning from deeplearning.ai
• Applying Data Analytics in Marketing from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Getting Started with AWS Machine Learning from Amazon Web Services
• The Language of Design: Form and Meaning from California Institute of the Arts
• Developing a Systems Mindset from University of Colorado Boulder
• Introduction to Android graphics from Imperial College London
• The Neuromarketing Toolbox from Copenhagen Business School
• Empowering Yourself in a Post-Truth World from State University of New York
• Introduction to Self-Determination Theory: An approach to motivation, development and wellness from University of Rochester
• Counseling Practice and Research from Seoul National University
• China’s Political and Intellectual Foundations: From Sage Kings to Confucius from Harvard University
• Blockchain and FinTech: Basics, Applications, and Limitations from The University of Hong Kong
• English@Work: Basic Job Interview Skills from Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice from Harvard University
• Freedom of Expression and Information in the Time of Globalization: Foundational Course from Columbia University
• CS50 for Lawyers from Harvard University
• Women Making History: Ten Objects, Many Stories from Harvard University
• Advanced Android with Kotlin from Google
• The New World of Arnold Schönberg’s Piano Music from Stanford University
• Exploring GraphQL: A Query Language for APIs from Linux Foundation
• Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking from Harvard University
• The Future of Work: Preparing for Disruption from The World Bank
• Research and Development in Discrete Industries
• Backyard Meteorology: The Science of Weather from Harvard University
• Academic writing for clarity and meaning from University of the Witwatersrand
• The Health Effects of Climate Change from Harvard University
• Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work from University of California, Berkeley
• Machine Learning with Python: from Linear Models to Deep Learning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inclusive Education: Essential Knowledge for Success from Queensland University of Technology
• Data Analysis for Decision Making from University System of Maryland
• Introduction to Encryption and Cryptography from Raspberry Pi Foundation
• Introduction to Self-Driving Cars from University of Toronto
• Cannabis, Mental Health, and Brain Disorders from University of Colorado Boulder
• Managing ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Concussion in School from University of Colorado System
• Applying Data Analytics in Finance from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Introduction to Applied Machine Learning from Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
• Introduction to Climate Change and Health from Yale University
• Python and Machine Learning for Asset Management from EDHEC Business School
• Negotiation skills: Negotiate and resolve conflict from Macquarie University
• Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health from University of Michigan
• Hypothesis-Driven Development from University of Virginia
• Exploring Renewable Energy Schemes from University of Pennsylvania
• Improving Your Statistical Questions from Eindhoven University of Technology
• Exploratory Data Analysis with MATLAB from MathWorks
• Machine Learning from The University of Texas at Austin
• Personal growth basics (for people with limited health abilities) from Ural Federal University
• Financial Development and Financial Inclusion from International Monetary Fund
• Steps in Japanese for Beginners1 Part1 from Waseda University
• GMBA824 Know your customers from Macquarie University
• Nutrition: Eating to Live Well from Tapei Medical University
• Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition from Deakin University
• An Introduction to Programming through C++ from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
• Artificial Intelligence Search Methods For Problem Solving from Indian Institute of Technology Madras
• Programming in Java from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• Joy of computing using Python from Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
• Introduction to Machine Learning (IITM) from Indian Institute of Technology Madras
• Programming, Data Structures And Algorithms Using Python from Chennai Mathematical Institute
• Python for Data Science from Indian Institute of Technology Madras
• Developing Soft Skills and Personality from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
• Caring for Children Moving Alone: Protecting Unaccompanied and Separated Children from University of Strathclyde
• Managing People: Understanding Individual Differences from University of Reading
• Digital Transformation in the Classroom from Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• From data base to big data from Université Côte d’Azur
• Diplomacy in the 21st Century from The Open University
• Understanding Gender Inequality from University of Exeter
• Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills from University of Michigan
• Science Communication and Public Engagement from EIT Food
• English Pronunciation in a Global World from University of Amsterdam
• America’s Opioid Epidemic: From Evidence to Impact from Johns Hopkins University
• Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice from King’s College London
• End of Life Care: Challenges and Innovation from University of Glasgow