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adulteducation.org.uk

How free online courses work

WarningThese are the rules for England in the 2026/27 academic year (1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027). They change each August.

Looking for a free course? Whether it's free depends on the course, so choose one first, then check if you're eligible for it. How it works

Find a free course

Most of the free courses on this site are Level 2 certificates that you study online, from home, in your own time. They’re paid for by the government through the Adult Skills Fund, so they’re free if you’re eligible.

This page explains how the courses work and where our course pages get their facts. Every provider does things a little differently, so check the details with the one you choose.

Check you’re eligible

Before you apply, check whether you can get the course for free. You’ll usually need to be 19 or over, live in England, and be unemployed or earn under £26,800 a year. Some areas have their own rules. Read who can get a free course.

On each course page, the “Am I eligible?” check gives you a guide and shows which providers list that course. The provider makes the final decision.

Apply to a provider

You apply to a college or training provider, not to us. The application usually asks about:

  • your name, address and date of birth
  • your job and earnings
  • the qualifications you already have
  • whether you’re allowed to live in the UK

The provider may ask for proof, such as ID, proof of address, or a wage slip. They check you against the funding rules.

Before you agree to anything, read the terms. Look for withdrawal or admin fees and deadlines. See what ‘free’ really means.

What the qualification is

Each course on this site is a regulated qualification. That means:

  • it has a qualification number (QAN), made of 8 characters, like 603/0000/0
  • it’s set by an awarding body, such as NCFE CACHE or TQUK
  • it’s listed on the register of regulated qualifications run by Ofqual, the qualifications regulator

You can check any course yourself:

  1. Search the Department for Education’s qualifications website. It lists qualifications approved for public funding, and the dates that approval runs to.
  2. Search the Ofqual register. It shows a qualification’s level, size, how it’s assessed and how it’s graded.

Funding approval can change. Always check the QAN with the provider before you apply.

What the levels mean

Qualification levels show how demanding a qualification is. GOV.UK lists GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) as Level 2 qualifications. So a Level 2 certificate is about the same level as a GCSE at those grades. It is not the same kind of qualification: our courses cover one subject, and are assessed by coursework.

A Level 3 qualification is the next step up. A levels and T Levels are Level 3.

How the courses are assessed

On the Ofqual register, the courses we checked are assessed through a portfolio of evidence, with a pass or fail result. In practice, that means:

  • there is no exam
  • you answer questions in writing, for each unit
  • your tutor marks your work, and the awarding body’s checkers verify the marking
  • you’re not given a grade: you pass, or you’re asked to add more and send it again

The awarding body’s own results wording is “Achieved” or “Not yet achieved”. Some courses work differently, for example if they include live practice. Check the course page.

Entry requirements

Many of these qualifications have no set entry requirements. The awarding body NCFE, for example, gives a minimum age of 16 for the course we checked and says there are no specific recommended prior learning requirements. You do need to read and write well enough to answer written questions.

Funding is stricter than the qualification. Most free places are for people aged 19 or over. Providers may also set their own rules.

Partial certificates

If you don’t finish the whole course, you may still be able to get credit for part of it. For the NCFE course we checked, a partial certificate may be requested if you’ve achieved at least one whole unit. Partial certificate fees are in the awarding body’s fees document, so it may cost extra. Ask your provider.

How long a course takes

Each course page shows the most time it should take, as “up to” a number of hours. That is the course’s total qualification time. Ofqual describes it as an indication of how long a typical learner might take, including study and assessment. It is an estimate. Some people are quicker, and some are slower.

A smaller number of those hours are guided learning hours. That is the time you’re being taught or supervised by a tutor. The rest is your own study.

Providers set their own deadlines. You study at your own pace, but you must finish by the provider’s deadline, and some charge a fee if you don’t. The deadline is not part of the qualification, so it can be shorter than the hours suggest.

How we know this: between 17 and 20 October 2026 we read 404 course listings on the websites of 185 colleges and training providers. Where they gave a time to finish, it was most often 12 to 16 weeks. Some were as short as 6 weeks, and a few were much longer. This is only what we found on provider websites, and it can change. Ask the provider how long you will have.

Study materials and tutor support

Once you’re accepted, you’ll get your learning materials. Depending on the provider, this might be:

  • an online learning platform, where you read each unit and submit your work
  • workbooks you download, fill in and send back
  • printed workbooks posted to you (some providers offer these)

Courses are split into units, each covering one topic. Most providers offer a tutor who marks your work and answers questions. Ask what support is included, and how to reach your tutor.

Phone, laptop or tablet

A laptop, desktop or tablet makes writing assignments easier. Many providers also work on a phone, so ask before you apply. If you don’t have a device, ask the provider what help is available.

Your certificate

When you’ve passed every unit, the provider asks the awarding body to issue your certificate. It shows the qualification title, level and the awarding body’s name. Ask the provider how long it takes to arrive, and whether printed copies or replacements cost anything.

What you could do next

A Level 2 certificate can help you show an employer that you know a subject. Depending on your goals, you could:

  • Study a Level 3 in the same subject, if one is available. Check whether it’s free for you.
  • Do an apprenticeship. On GOV.UK, apprentices are employees who earn a wage, and you can start from 16 if you live in England and aren’t in full-time education.
  • Try a Skills Bootcamp. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults living in England, if you take them yourself rather than through an employer. Some have extra rules, so check with the provider.

Two things to know before you plan a career:

  • Counselling: Level 2 and Level 3 counselling courses don’t qualify you to practise. BACP says practitioner training should be at least a Level 4 diploma, with a supervised placement of at least 100 client hours.
  • Early years: the government’s early years qualifications list decides which qualifications count as “full and relevant” for working in the staff:child ratios in nurseries and similar settings. The list is for qualifications achieved in England, and you check a qualification against it using the date you started the course. Check a qualification on the list before you rely on it to work in a nursery.

Browse all free online courses

Check if you can get a course for free

Whether you can study for free depends on the course you choose and on finding a provider that can fund you. So start with the course:

  1. Choose a course you're interested in.
  2. Answer a few quick questions in the "Am I eligible?" check on its page.
  3. See whether you're likely to be eligible, and which providers offer that course.
Find a free course

Or choose a subject:

The check is a guide, not a promise. The provider makes the final decision.

Questions

Are free online courses real qualifications?
The courses on this site are. Each one is a regulated qualification with a qualification number (QAN), set by an awarding body such as NCFE CACHE or TQUK. You can look up the number on the Department for Education's qualifications website and on the Ofqual register.
Do I have to log in at set times?
Usually not. Most free online courses are self-paced: you study when it suits you, as long as you finish by the provider's deadline. A few have live sessions, so ask the provider.
Are there exams?
No. The Ofqual register lists the courses we checked as assessed by a portfolio of evidence, with a pass or fail result. You answer questions in writing, and a tutor marks your work. Check the course page, because a few courses include live practice.
How many hours will it take?
Each course page shows the most time it should take, as 'up to' a number of hours. That is the total qualification time, a rough guide to the study needed in total. Providers set their own deadlines, so ask how long you have.
Can I do it on my phone?
A laptop, desktop or tablet makes writing assignments easier. Many providers also work on a phone, so ask. Some providers offer paper workbooks if you prefer. If you don't have a device, ask the provider what help is available.

Sources

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