The online learning platform FutureLearn offers close to 2000 courses on a wide variety of subjects, some of them free: 70+ FutureLearn Courses with Free Certificate.

In this Class Central ranking, we’ve compiled the 100 most popular courses on FutureLearn, for your learning pleasure. If you’d like to take one, our colleague Pat wrote a guide on how to sign up.

Platform Overview

FutureLearn can be seen as the European counterpart to Coursera and edX. The platform was founded by the Open University (OU) in late 2013, and in 2019 became jointly owned by the OU and SEEK before being acquired by Global University Systems (GUS) in late 2022. We’ve been tracking its evolution since the very beginning, most notably, through our end-of-year series:

• FutureLearn 2021: Year in Review
• FutureLearn 2020: Year in Review
• FutureLearn 2019: Year in Review

FutureLearn’s offerings range from short classes to full-fledged online degrees, including close to 2000 online courses, most created by partner universities across the Commonwealth.

The platform offers a subscription, FutureLearn Unlimited, as well as a signature microcredential, ExpertTracks, which resemble Coursera and edX’s Professional Certificates. Pat reviewed an ExpertTrack here.

To help you cut through the noise and find the platform’s best offerings, we’ve compiled FutureLearn’s 100 top online courses.

More Courses

If you don’t find what you need in the course list below, Class Central’s got you covered. Browse our catalog of 250K courses or visit our thematic collections:

• Class Central’s Best Online Courses of All Time
• Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates and Badges
• 1800+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely Free
• 110+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
• 1000 Open University Free Certificates

To see all our compilations, visit Class Central’s Collections.

Ranking Stats

Combined, FutureLearn’s 100 most popular courses have accrued 13M enrollments, with 138K enrollments per course on average. There are 7 organizations and over 31 universities represented in the course ranking. But one third of the courses were created by just 3 prolific institutions:

1. University of Leeds (17)
2. University of Reading (9)
3. British Council (9)

Here are more quick stats:

• Course enrollments range from 49K to 925K
• There are 42 courses with over 100K enrollments
• Combined, they represent 800+ hours of content
• All courses are in English but one, that is in Dutch
• 76 courses are free-to-audit, 13 are paid, and 11 offer a free certificate
• 57 courses are beginner level and 14 intermediate. The others are cross-level
• Almost 40% of the courses are in the field of Health & Medicine and Humanities.

100 Most Popular FutureLearn Courses

Here are the top 100 FutureLearn courses, sorted by number of enrollments:

1. Basic English 1: Elementary from King’s College London ★★★★☆(8)
2. Exploring English: Language and Culture from British Council ★★★★★(850)
3. Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate from King’s College London ★★★★☆(8)
4. Teaching English Online from Cambridge English Language Assessment ★★★★★(3)
5. A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study from University of Reading ★★★★☆(23)
6. Digital Skills: Digital Marketing from Accenture ★★★★★(15)
7. How to Succeed at: Interviews from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(481)
8. Understanding IELTS: Writing from British Council ★★★★★(481)
9. Understanding IELTS: Speaking from British Council ★★★★★(589)
10. Introduction to Dutch from University of Groningen ★★★★★(301)
11. Understanding IELTS: Reading from British Council ★★★★★(752)
12. How to Succeed at: Writing Applications from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(445)
13. Understanding IELTS: Listening from British Council ★★★★★(961)
14. Exploring English: Shakespeare from British Council ★★★★★(506)
15. An Introduction to Screenwriting from University of East Anglia ★★★★★(6)
16. Lessons and Teaching from British Council ★★★★★(421)
17. Digital Skills: User Experience from Accenture ★★★★★(2)
18. Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work from University of Leeds ★★★★★(12)
19. Digital Skills: Social Media from Accenture ★★★★☆(8)
20. Safeguarding Adults: Level 3 Training from Health Education England
21. Starting a Business 1: Vision and Opportunity from University of Leeds ★★★★★(91)
22. Nutrition and Wellbeing from University of Aberdeen ★★★★☆(6)
23. Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence from Accenture ★★★★★(5)
24. Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT from University of Reading ★★★★☆(4)
25. Developing Your Research Project from University of Southampton ★★★★☆(6)
26. Improve your IELTS Speaking score from Macquarie University
27. Introduction to Business Management from King’s College London ★★★★★(5)
28. COVID-19: Psychological First Aid from Public Health England ★★★★★(7)
29. Anatomy: Know Your Abdomen from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(130)
30. Computer Programming for Everyone from University of Leeds ★★★☆☆(7)
31. Understanding Autism from University of Kent ★★★★☆(2)
32. English Pronunciation in a Global World from University of Amsterdam
33. Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree from University of Strathclyde ★★★★★(6)
34. Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice from King’s College London ★★★☆☆(2)
35. People Management Skills from Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development ★★★★★(2)
36. Introduction to Norwegian from University of Oslo ★★★★★(6)
37. Digital Skills: Digital Skills for Work and Life from Accenture ★★★★★(3)
38. HR Fundamentals from Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development
39. How To Teach Online: Moving online post-pandemic ★★★★☆(36)
40. The Classroom and the World from British Council ★★★★★(284)
41. How to Succeed in Your EPQ: the Nuts and Bolts of Completing Your Project from University of Bath
42. The Secret Power of Brands from University of East Anglia ★★★☆☆(7)
43. English for Healthcare from King’s College London
44. Learning and Learners from British Council ★★★★★(271)
45. Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive at Work from Deakin University ★★★★★(2)
46. Young People and Mental Health from University of Cambridge ★★★★★(78)
47. Psychological First Aid: Supporting Children and Young People from Public Health England
48. The Many Faces of Dementia from University College London ★★★★★(4)
49. ECG Assessment: an Introduction for Healthcare Providers from St. George’s University ★★★★☆(7)
50. Fashion and Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World from London College of Fashion ★★★★★(1)
51. Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition from Deakin University ★★★★★(11)
52. Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching from Lancaster University ★★★★★(3)
53. An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study from University of Reading ★★★★☆(1)
54. Essential Skills for Your Career Development from University of Leeds ★★★★★(1)
55. Teaching Phonics in Early Childhood from Queensland University of Technology ★★★★★(2)
56. Innovation: the Fashion Industry from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(44)
57. Preparing for University from University of East Anglia ★★★★★(5)
58. Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis, Interpretation from Lancaster University ★★★★☆(5)
59. Learning Online: Researching Your Project from University of Leeds ★★★★★(49)
60. Create a Social Media Marketing Campaign from University of Leeds ★★★★★(5)
61. Intercultural Communication: Dynamics of cultural identities in global interaction from Shanghai International Studies University
62. Antimicrobial Stewardship: Managing Antibiotic Resistance from University of Dundee ★★★★★(3)
63. Begin Robotics from University of Reading ★★★★☆(9)
64. Digital Skills: Mobile from Accenture
65. Learning Online: Communicating and Collaborating from University of Leeds ★★★★★(39)
66. Teaching Students Who Have Suffered Complex Trauma from Queensland University of Technology
67. Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City from University of Reading ★★★★★(41)
68. Exploring Play: The Importance of Play in Everyday Life from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(138)
69. Irish 101: An Introduction to Irish Language and Culture from Dublin City University ★★★★☆(1)
70. How to Create Great Online Content from University of Leeds ★★★★★(2)
71. Heart Health: A Beginner’s Guide to Cardiovascular Disease from University of Reading ★★★★★(8)
72. Working with Translation: Theory and Practice from Cardiff University ★★★★★(150)
73. Entrepreneurship: From Business Idea to Action from King’s College London ★★★★★(2)
74. Basic First Aid: How to Be an Everyday Hero from University of Glasgow
75. How to Write Your First Song from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(168)
76. Improving Your Study Techniques from University of Groningen ★★★★★(151)
77. A History of Royal Fashion from University of Glasgow ★★★★★(2)
78. Discover Dentistry from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(183)
79. Exploring Cancer Medicines from University of Leeds ★★★★★(22)
80. Starting a Business 2: People and Networks from University of Leeds ★★★★★(21)
81. English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics from University of Southampton
82. Edward Jenner: 0 – An Introduction to Personal Development from NHS England
83. Understanding the GDPR from University of Groningen ★★★★★(45)
84. Understanding Depression and Low Mood in Young People from University of Reading
85. Emotional Intelligence at Work from Coventry University
86. The Genomics Era: the Future of Genetics in Medicine from St. George’s University ★★★★☆(1)
87. Inside Cancer: How Genes Influence Cancer Development from University of Bath ★★★★☆(5)
88. Archaeology: from Dig to Lab and Beyond from University of Reading ★★★★☆(4)
89. Learn to Code for the Web from University of Leeds ★★★★★(7)
90. Exercise Prescription for the Prevention and Treatment of Disease from Trinity College Dublin ★★★★☆(2)
91. Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started from University of Leeds ★★★★☆(7)
92. What is Leadership? from Deakin University ★★★★★(1)
93. Starting a Business 5: Managing Finances from University of Leeds ★★★★★(14)
94. Starting a Business 3: Customers and Competitors from University of Leeds ★★★★★(9)
95. Literature of the English Country House from The University of Sheffield ★★★★★(214)
96. Collaborative Working in a Remote Team from University of Leeds ★★★★★(5)
97. The Tudors from University of Roehampton ★★★★☆(2)
98. Maths Puzzles: Cryptarithms, Symbologies and Secret Codes from Weizmann Institute of Science
99. Why We Post: the Anthropology of Social Media from University College London ★★★★☆(2)
100. Introduction to Korean from Hanyang University ★★★★☆(3)