21 Free online courses in Canada for international students

With the rate of applicants in Canada, MOOC (massive online open courses) are being seen as an alternative for applicants denied admission in Canada.

The good news is that you can always take these free online courses in Canada for international students and domestic students and get certified on completion.


Though not all courses are available online, provisions are made for more courses to be available. Sometimes they are free, other times they are not.


One good thing about them is that you get to choose your schedule and you can start whenever, but there are also free online courses in Canada for international students that require a lot of commitment and you have to start the course as in a session.


You cannot join when others are already started, and there are set times for the course.


Do not worry about this as you can always choose the course that meets your schedule but whichever course you choose, it is always good to be committed.


If you always wanted to study in Canada, here’s a chance to choose any of the free online courses in Canada for international students and domestic students.

The list of free online courses in Canada for international students

Below is the list of free online courses in Canada for international students. The courses are also available to domestic students.

  • Fashion and design
  • Introduction to Nursing, bioscience, psychology and sociology
  • Master JavaScript
  • Everyday Chemistry
  • GIS, Mapping and Spatial Analysis Specialization
  • Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design Specialization
  • Self-driving Cars Specialization
  • Plants Bioinformatics Methods Specialization
  • Arctic Economy
  • Paleontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles
  • Science and Religion 101
  • The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs
  • Learn to Program: Crafting Quality Code
  • Knowledge and Skills for Dementia Care: the SSLD Approach
  • Introduction to Marketing
  • Excel for Everyone: Core Foundations
  • Business Communications
  • Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning
  • AI for Teachers
  • STEM and Sustainability

Now let us review some of these free online courses in Canada for international students and domestic students.

Fashion and design


Fashion and design is the process of creating a clothing piece as a beautiful work of art.

You don’t just sew clothes together but your design and illustrate each detail so it becomes an art when it is sewn together. In this course, you get to learn how to effectively combine colours; the unique combo effect.

You learn how to draw inspiration. They also teach you some history of fashion. This will help you get started on your clothing collection.

Fashion and design is offered by Brentwood Open Karning College, it is open all year round and takes 20 hours to complete.

The course is offered on Coursera.

Introduction to Nursing, bioscience, psychology and sociology

Explore the skills required to be a caregiver and how to manage a patient’s physical needs, prevent illness and treat health conditions.


This course is one of the free online courses in Canada for international students offered by the University of York and available on future learn.

Introduction to Cognitive psychology: An experimental science


Use experiments to study internal mental processes by studying human nature and the diverse processes of the brain.


This course is offered by the University of york and is available on future learn.

Master JavaScript

JavaScript is one of the most diverse courses in programming and also the most popular.

It is one of the free online courses in Canada for international students where you will be equipped for major roles in web development with this programming language and increase your chance of being employed.


This course is offered by the University of York and is available on future learn.

Everyday Chemistry


Dive into Organic chemistry and find out the processes and formations behind most beverages, perfumes and other chemical products.


This course is offered by the University of York and is available on future learn.

GIS, Mapping and Spatial Analysis Specialization


Learn what a GIS is and how to create yours by tracing geographic features from a satellite image you choose.


This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.


Here is the link to Coursera.

Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design Specialization


Use experimental methods to identify gendered processes, products and policies.


The course is one of the free online courses in Canada for international students that are equipped to provide a mental balance on gender and answers a variety of gender questions and gives a solution to gender problems.
This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.

Self-driving Cars Specialization


Learn all you need to know about self-driving cars and how to operate them. Also learn the terminologies.


This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera. Visit Coursera. to apply and enrol.

Plants Bioinformatics Methods Specialization


Using information tools, learn the study of biological data. Analyze the biological sequences like DNA, RNA and protein.
This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.

Arctic Economy

Arctic communities play a vital role in the local and global economies. In this course, you will investigate the challenges faced by indigenous communities in a Modern Era.


This course is offered by the University of Alberta and is available on Coursera.

Palaeontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles


Palaeontology is the study of ancient life, from the time of dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi and even microbes.

Fossil evidence and records show how organisms changed over time and what our planet was like long ago. (Reference:www.amnh.org)


This course is offered by the University of Alberta and is available on Coursera. You can visit Coursera to enrol.

Science and Religion 101


Compare and contrast the relationship between science and religion. Evaluate the cause of science and religion and how they come to play in Man’s interaction with each other.


This course is offered by the University of Alberta and is available on Coursera.

The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs


Learn basic concepts of The Strategies and Skills Learning and Development System (SSLD), their relevance for everyday relationships and provide advanced concepts for participants who work in fields of social work and healthcare.


This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.

Learn to Program: Crafting Quality Code


In this course, you will learn how to write quality codes that run correctly and efficiently. You will also learn how to debug your codes and fix common bugs in code.
This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.

Knowledge and Skills for Dementia Care: the SSLD Approach


In this course, learn about Dementia and Dementia care from an SSLD perspective, including community care, in-home support, and long term care.


This course is offered by the University of Toronto and is available on Coursera.

Introduction to Marketing


Marketing is a crucial function in all businesses and organizations. This course will teach you core concepts to help you better understand and excel in marketing.


Key topics include:

  • Market research
  • Brand strategy
  • Pricing
  • Integrated marketing communication
  • Social media strategy and more.


(Reference=www.edx.org)


This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

Excel for Everyone: Core Foundations

Learn excel fundamentals like data wrangling, spreadsheet management and basic data analysis. (Reference=www.edx.org)


This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

Business Communications


This course will sharpen your writing, presentation and interpersonal skills to help you succeed in the business world (Reference=www.edx.org)


This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning


Are you a teacher that finds it hard to adapt to online teaching? This course provides you with all you need to make your online class as effective as in a classroom.
This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

STEM and Sustainability


This course will provide teachers with an understanding of how to incorporate sustainability topics into their STEM curriculum. (Reference=www.edx.org)


This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

AI for Teachers


AI for teachers is an activity focused, self-paced course designed to help educators prepare themselves and their students for a future that is becoming increasingly automated.
(Reference=www.edx.org)


This course is offered by the University of British Columbia and is available on edX.

Free online courses in Canada for international students related:

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2>25 Social Work Scholarships for Graduate Students & Undergraduate students

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