Free Video Lectures from Top Colleges and Universities

Free video lectures from top universities let you learn from respected professors without paying tuition or leaving home. Many people use them to explore a subject before choosing a major, to get ahead before a demanding class, or to review material they found difficult the first time. Others simply enjoy learning and want access to the same lectures students hear on campus. You can watch whenever it suits you, pause and rewind as often as you need, and move at your own pace.

For students trying to keep college costs down, these lectures can be especially useful. Trying out a field for free can help you avoid spending money on courses that turn out to be a poor fit. Extra preparation before a tough class can also make it easier to pass the first time. Several leading schools offer free lectures online, though some collections have changed or moved in recent years. Below, we’ve outlined where you can find free video lectures from Princeton, MIT, Yale, UC Berkeley, Columbia and NJIT today.

Free Video Lectures from Top Colleges and Universities

Free video lectures let you sample college-level teaching from home without paying tuition. They work for previewing a major, brushing up before a tough course, or simply learning for fun. Several top colleges and universities, such as Princeton, MIT, UC Berkeley and Yale, offer free lectures to self-learners around the world. Some collections have changed or moved over the years, so this guide covers where each school’s free lectures can be found today.

Princeton University‍

Princeton University was ranked No. 2 among national universities in the 2027 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, after holding the top spot for 15 straight years. The university shares recordings of many public lecture series, special events and research talks through its Media Central website. Topics span a wide range of academic fields and current issues.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)‍

In the 2027 edition of its Best Colleges rankings, U.S. News & World Report named MIT the top national university in the country. MIT also kept its No. 1 ranking for undergraduate engineering at schools where the highest engineering degree offered is a doctorate. Through the university’s OpenCourseWare (OCW) site, learners can freely access materials from more than 2,500 MIT courses, many with audio or video lectures. No account or enrollment is required. Courses are organized by department and cover subjects such as physics, economics, philosophy, aeronautics, nuclear science and engineering, and writing. Many video lectures are also available on MIT OCW’s YouTube channel.

Yale University‍

Yale University offers 40 full courses of video lectures from 22 departments through the Open Yale Courses (OYC) program. Each course includes a complete set of lectures, which can be streamed or downloaded as video or audio, along with searchable transcripts and materials like syllabi and problem sets. You can access these lectures from Yale’s YouTube site, or you can view them from the actual course website. OYC course subjects include English, philosophy, astronomy, history, political science and religious studies, to name a few. Yale has moved some updated courses to Coursera, where they can also be taken for free.

University of California, Berkeley‍

UC Berkeley and UCLA are tied for the No. 1 public university in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 rankings. Berkeley once offered thousands of recorded class lectures to the public through its webcast.berkeley site. In 2017, the university limited those recordings to current students and faculty. Today, Berkeley shares free public content in two main ways. Its UC Berkeley Events channel on YouTube features talks, lectures and campus events, and its courses on edX can be audited for free.

Columbia University‍

Columbia University in the City of New York was ranked No. 12 among national universities in 2027 by U.S. News & World Report. Columbia offers free online courses through its partnerships with Coursera and edX. Many of these courses include video lectures that learners can audit at no cost. Additionally, the Columbia Climate School, which absorbed the former Earth Institute in 2021, shares video content on climate, water, sustainable development and other environmental topics. One example is its Climate LIVE K12 series, which is aimed at students, educators and general audiences.

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)‍

NJIT’s OCW site offers free audio and video lectures from courses in engineering, management, and science and liberal arts. Some courses are available as video, while others are audio only. Lecture notes and presentations are posted for some courses. The collection hasn’t been updated since about 2013, so some files may require older media players or may no longer play.

FAQs About Free Video Lectures

Below, we've answered some frequently asked questions about free video lectures from top colleges and universities.

Can I earn college credit for watching free video lectures?

Usually not. MIT OpenCourseWare and Open Yale Courses both state that they don’t offer credit, degrees or certificates. Some edX and Coursera courses offer paid certificates, but auditing the lectures is free.

Do I need to create an account to watch these lectures?

Not for MIT OCW or Open Yale Courses, where no registration is required. To audit courses on edX or Coursera, you’ll need a free account.

Why did some universities take down their free lecture videos?

Many older recordings were made before captioning was standard, and federal accessibility rules require public content to be accessible to people with disabilities. UC Berkeley, for example, removed more than 20,000 public lecture recordings in 2017. It shifted its focus to newer, accessible content.

How can free lectures help me save money on college?

Watching an intro course before you enroll can help you choose a major before you spend money on classes. You can also review difficult material without paying for tutoring, or prepare for placement and credit-by-exam options your school may accept.

Find Free College Resources

Free video lectures won’t replace a degree, but they’re a no-cost way to explore subjects, prepare for difficult classes and learn from well-known professors. Explore the free college resources on Learn.org to help you further your education.