What are MOOCs?
Written by Dhawal Shah | Last updated on October 12th, 2025
Not all online courses are MOOCs. “MOOC” stands for Massive Open Online Course. Usually these online courses are taught by universities all around the world (e.g. Stanford, Princeton, UC San Diego, Yonsei University, Leiden University, and over 1500 other such universities). Other MOOCs are made by companies, like Google or Microsoft.
They are available to anyone with an internet connection. While MOOCs were originally free, many now require payment for full access including certificates and graded items. Some of the popular MOOC providers include Coursera, edX, Udacity, and FutureLearn. They partner with universities, companies, and professors to provide MOOCs.
Examples of online courses that are not considered to be MOOCs are paid courses that have no free access, courses that require learners to apply and be approved to join, and educational playlists or training sites that do not include quizzes or projects.
NOTE: Class Central does not offer online courses and is not involved in the running of any online courses. Established in 2011, we are the #1 search engine and reviews site for MOOCs and online courses.
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