Top 10 Best Free Online Computer Programming Courses in 2026

Introduction

According to a study by Business Wire, 51 percent of students are not confident in choosing a career path after graduation, which is largely due to limited exposure, lack of in-depth knowledge, and inexperience. This has brought about the growth of online certification programs, which are usually specific and subject-focused, and allow students to learn new skills to move ahead in their careers.

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AI and Machine Learning Courses

AI and Machine Learning continue to shape the landscape of emerging technologies and will remain as a technological innovator in the foreseeable future. LinkedIn has ranked “Artificial Intelligence Specialist” as its number-one emerging job, with 74 percent annual growth over the past four years.

According to Indeed, the annual average salary for AI and machine learning professionals in the US is $176,188, and in India is ₹6,80,384.

Here are some of the best free online courses for engineering students in AI and Machine Learning:

1. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

The Introduction to Artificial Intelligence basics program will provide you with an overview of AI concepts & workflows, along with the fundamentals of machine learning and deep learning.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Purpose of AI 
• Deep learning and machine learning workflow 
• Supervised learning and semi-supervised learning 
• Unsupervised learning

2. Machine Learning

The Machine Learning basics program is designed to offer you a solid foundation in machine learning and get you industry-ready in no time.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Time series modeling 
• Linear and logistic regression
• Boosting and bagging techniques 
• Deep learning fundamentals

Cyber Security Courses

As the global economy grows increasingly dependent on connectivity and Internet-based solutions, organizations have become more vulnerable to malicious cyber attacks. There is a high demand for cybersecurity professionals, but an acute shortage of adequately trained individuals capable of filling this role.

The annual average salary of a cybersecurity professional in the US is $107,360, and in India is ₹5,42,736.

Here are some free programming courses for engineering students in cybersecurity:

1. Cyber Security for Beginners

The Cyber Security Course for Beginners is designed to familiarize you with the current cyber security landscape and knowledge of relevant tools to assess and manage security protocols in information processing systems.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Cybersecurity fundamentals 
• Threat actors attack 
• Security architecture
• Security policies and procedures

Project Management Courses

Project management helps organizations organize, control, and manage their resources to deliver timely results. This role is in popular demand due to fierce competition among different organizations

The annual average salary of a project manager in the US is $94,504, and in India is ₹11,19,993.

Here are some best free courses for engineering students in project management:

1. Introduction to Project Management

The Project Management course will help you get started with an understanding of project management fundamentals. You will also learn about the basics of PMP®, Agile, Scrum, and Microsoft Project 2013 — to lead any project from start to finish.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Project management 
• Program management 
• Risk management 
• Stakeholder management 
• Agile project management

Data Science and Business Analytics Courses

Data science and business analytics help organizations make better business decisions and provide useful insights on whether a business is headed in the right direction. It also helps businesses analyze customer trends and satisfaction, which leads to better products and services.

The annual average salary for data analyst professionals in the US is $84,559, and in India is ₹6,08,214.

Here are some free programming courses for engineering students in data science and business analytics:

1. Introduction to Data Analytics

The Introduction to Data Analytics course will provide you with a solid foundation for working with various types of data, data visualization for decision making, and data analytics in different sectors. 

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Types of data analytics 
• Data visualization 
• Data science methodologies 
• Analytics adoption frameworks 
• Trends in data analytics

2. Business Analytics with Excel

The Business Analytics with Excel course is designed to boost your Microsoft Excel skills. It also includes the Intro to Power BI (an analytics tool developed by Microsoft) course to help you get started in business analytics.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Excel analytics functions 
• Pivot tables and slicers 
• Scenario manager tool 
• ANOVA 
• Hypothesis testing

Business Analysts with advanced skills are in high demand, and this is your chance to become one of them! ✨🎯

Digital Marketing Courses

As digital marketing takes over the world by storm, organizations are in desperate need of savvy marketers who understand social media, analytics, ads, and sales funnels to stay ahead of their competition. LinkedIn has listed ‘digital marketing specialist’ as one of the top 10 most in-demand jobs, with SEO being one of the most desired skills.

The annual average salary of a digital marketing professional in the US is $61,490, and in India is ₹5,97,702.

Here are some free courses for engineering students in digital marketing:

1. Digital Marketing 101

The Digital Marketing 101 course will enable you to gain a competitive advantage by helping you master digital marketing fundamentals to achieve better user engagement strategies. 

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Digital marketing
• Customer lifecycle management 
• Marketing analytics 
• Mobile marketing 
• IoT marketing

2. Digital and Social Selling

This Digital and Social Selling course is based on proven methods of social selling with the help of CRM tools, sales intelligence & social engagement tools. You will learn how to generate better leads, convert them faster, and earn more revenue for your organization.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Digital selling 
• Personal brand building 
• Buyer engagement 
• Multi-channel campaign management 
• Customer acquisition

DevOps Courses

DevOps has revolutionized the software development and deployment process by eliminating conflicts between development and operations teams. According to a study by The Linux Foundation, organizations look for professionals with open source DevOps skills (65%) more than developers (59%).

The annual average salary of a DevOps expert in the US is $130,489, and in India is ₹7,87,859.

Here are some free computer programming online courses for engineering students in DevOps:

1. DevOps Certification Training

The DevOps Foundation Program will provide you with a real-world, practical understanding of DevOps. You will also learn common DevOps tools like Git, Docker, Jenkins, Cucumber, Ansible, TeamCity, and Nagios.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• DevOps methodologies
• Version control systems 
• Continuous integration and deployment tools 
• Configuration management tools 
• Deploying Kubernetes clusters

2. Introduction to GIT

This Introduction to GIT basics program will help you understand the three-stage workflow in Git and set up Git in your system. You will also learn how to create branches and track files, create a repository in Git, GitHub, and much more.

Here are the key skills covered in this course:

• Git Basics 
• Git Workflow 
• Git Branching 
• Git Teamwork

Note: All the salary figures are taken from Indeed.

Get Certified, Get Ahead Today

As an engineering graduate out and about in the job market, getting certified from a reputable organization can give you a considerable advantage during the hiring process. Not only does it prove that you know what you're doing, but it also provides an external validation that you have the skills needed for the job. Simplilearn offers a number of certification programs that are updated with all the latest tools and technologies released into the world every single day. Get started with one of these courses today to kickstart your dream career.