| Summary: Free college courses online seem too good to be true. And they are, at least in the literal sense. If you are looking to earn credit or a degree, it is unlikely that you will find free college courses online which will bring you any closer to your goal. |
When considering ads for free college courses online, a student should be careful to read the fine print. Although many ads will imply such availability, the truth is that free college courses online do not truly exist, at least not in the literal sense.
First, when considering any online courses, a critical decision for the prospective student is whether there is a need for a degree or for certification of completion of a certain course of studies at the end of the study period.
If the goal is to increase the student’s knowledge base or to polish up previously attained skills, then free courses are likely available that will fit this need. Such courses exist with a variety of options. But if the goal is to earn certification or to obtain a degree, it is highly unlikely that a prospective student will find free courses online that meets that need. The reason is simple, for any college to offer such certification or more importantly a degree, the college will need to verify the student has completed specific requirements. Assessing this takes time and staffing, and will therefore be accompanied by expenses for the school that would then be passed on to the student.
In addition, students should be on the lookout for diploma mills, effective scams that produce fake diplomas that appear to be real degrees from particular institutions that sound like real colleges. Such mills may offer free courses, then ask only for fees at diploma time, a modest fee that appears very reasonable and that is reportedly for processing the diploma. The fact is that such degrees are worthless. In such cases, there has not been any certification of real knowledge attainment and the student is simply giving money to the entity in return for a bogus document - a worthless piece of paper.
So when examining the word “free”, especially in regards to online college courses, students should have a healthy skepticism. Students should be sure to identify what will be gained by taking these courses and if a diploma or degree is possible, check on the accreditation status of the granting institution to ensure that the degree awarded is worthy of merit.
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