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Where to Find Free Math Courses Online

See our list of free online math courses. Learn about what courses are available, what topics they cover and whether you can use them to get college credit.

Take Free Courses. Earn Real College Credit.

Most free courses don't lead to college credit. Education-Portal.com's free courses do!

Here's how it works:

  1. 1. Watch free video lessons.
  2. 2. Pass an exam to earn real college credit.

Information and Requirements for Free Math Classes Online

Free online math classes can be found at traditional colleges, Education Portal and at universities participating in the OpenCourseWare (OCW) Consortium. Education Portal courses prepare individuals to take the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests in a mathematics discipline so they can earn transferrable college credits. Students are advised to check with their school to ensure that it accepts CLEP credits.

Free Introductory Math Courses

College Mathematics at Education Portal

This course offers students over 40 video lessons they can view at their own pace. When they feel they've mastered the lessons, students can take an exam and advance to the next lesson. Topics covered in this math course include math foundations, linear equations, graphing, expressions with exponents and logarithms.

Maths Everywhere at The Open University

The UK's Open University offers a wide variety of mathematics and statistics courses online. The courses are free to everyone regardless of location. Maths Everywhere is an introductory math course that's divided into three segments with various tasks, illustrations and assignments. The course follows content in the Tapping into Mathematics textbook and practices math using a Texas Instruments TI-83 graphics calculator.

Free Algebra Courses

College Algebra at Education Portal

The college algebra course at Education Portal offers around 60 free video lessons. Each video lesson is about 5-10 minutes long and includes multiple choice quiz questions and a transcript. The free courses prepare students to take the CLEP's algebra exam to earn college credit and are useful for students who want to brush up on particular math topics.

Algebra I at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

There are nearly 100 free general mathematics courses available through MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) project. Most of the courses consist of lectures, slides, problem sets, assignments and other resources to assist in self-study. Registration is not required. This OCW course covers basic topics in algebra such as groups (including linear and symmetry groups) vector spaces, linear transformations and bilinear forms.

xyAlgebra 7.0 and xySolver 7.0 at xyAlgebra

John Miller, a professor emeritus of the City College of New York (which is part of the City University of New York, or CUNY) is the creator of xyAlgebra software. The copyrighted software, which allows students to practice and learn algebra, can be downloaded for free. Features include interactive instruction and practice problems. This software is ideal for students who'd like to improve their algebra knowledge and for math teachers looking for additional resources to help their students.

Free Calculus Courses

Calculus at Education Portal

This free course consists of online video lessons lasting less than 10 minutes each, with no login required. It also includes multiple choice quiz questions students can take to determine if they're ready to advance. After reviewing the materials and taking a free online exam, students may earn college credit by taking a related CLEP exam. A precalculus course is also offered for individuals who would like to enhance their calculus skills.

Calculus I at University of Massachusetts, Boston

Through the OpenCourseWare project, UMass offers a series of three calculus courses, each providing comprehensive instruction in the subject. The downloadable courses include multiple lessons, suggested problems, reading assignments and much more. Registration is not required.

Calculus on the Web (COW) at Temple University

Members of the mathematics department at Temple University designed a library system that they coined Calculus on the Web (or COW) to help students learn and practice calculus. The COW system is composed of interactive modules that students can use to learn about calculus and related math topics, such as precalculus, calculus, linear and abstract algebra, and number theory. The modules include assignments that are graded automatically so students can check to see if they solved problems correctly.

Free Trigonometry Courses

Trigonometry at Whatcom Community College

Whatcom Community College offers a PDF version of their Trigonometry Unit lesson online. The 20-page PDF aimed at beginners includes an introduction to trigonometry, explanatory text and problem sets with answers. A free version of Acrobat Reader is required to view the document.

Solving Cubic Equations at Harvard University

This 45-minute video lecture from Harvard professors Benedict H. Gross and William A. Stein explores various mathematical theorems and cubic equations. The seven segments include slides, illustrative equations and a glossary of terms. The videos can be viewed using free versions of Real Player, QuickTime or Windows Media. Registration is not required.

Earn Real Credit from Free Courses

While the free courses above don't award credit directly, you can earn credit by passing an exam and transferring credit to your college. There are two widely recognized and affordable options for exams that award credit.

Option #1: CLEP Exams

The College Board's 33 CLEP exams allow you to test out of your general education requirements. Credit is accepted at 2/3 of colleges and universities in the U.S.

Option #2: Excelsior College's Credit-by-Exam

Excelsior College offers over 40 exams that lead to transferable credit. You can also earn three full degrees by taking free online courses and earning your credit by exam.

Learn how Education Portal Academy will pay you to earn credit!

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