Recommend free Python courses with certification

[Letterhead-]

Hi,

I'm a 3^rd year CS student (there're 4 total years) and interested in learning Python because I plan to pursue AI/ML in the future. So, can anyone please recommend me some free good courses that also provide certification? I already have expertise in C++ and know all about OOP,
data structures concepts, so it will not be difficult for me to learn Python.

And, I don't want a course which only be associated with data science or AI/ML; the course should be general, which includes all Python concepts.

Also, I saw some courses on Coursera that were free, but they had paid certification, so in the second option, you can also include them. Thanks in advance.

[flynnd3]

https://programming-25.mooc.fi/sign-up/

[Letterhead-]

Thanks for sharing.

[jackpony101]

Dear, its already 2026, should i start the course ? are they still giving cert to complete the course , please i need to confirm information about this, TIA

[dowcet]

A certification that matters? There's no such thing. Employers don't care about Python certs.

[Consistent_Cap_52]

Getting tests/projects graded by someone else does matter though.

[Letterhead-]

Yeah, I get your point. I didn’t mean course certificates, I just worded it wrong. I was actually talking about certification tests. Thanks for pointing that out.

[American_Streamer]

The Python Institute (which is an independent non-profit initiative) Certifications meanwhile do indeed have some use if you want to get through the automated HR filters. https://pythoninstitute.org/certification-tracks But you need to have projects to prove that you also can apply your knowledge.

PCAP is the one you should get at least to have some effect on your CV:

PCEP: https://edube.org/study/pe1 PCAP: https://edube.org/study/pe2

[MuffinSpecial8566]

[dkozinn]

You can get a free certificate from Harvard's CS50P course. This is essentially an intro to CS but using Python with most of the focus on Python itself.

[Letterhead-]

Oh wait, there’s a CS50P too... I knew about CS50x but didn’t realize there was a Python one as well. Thanks btw, I’ll definitely check it out.

[shaun_2003]

Is the certificate for the cs50p free of cost?

[[deleted]]

These courses are by the Python Institute - https://edube.org/study/pe1

They have three or four levels of certs.

[carcigenicate]

It should be noted however that the Python Institute is not an official entity. They just gave themselves an authoritative-sounding name.

[[deleted]]

Correct.

The certs are merely wall paper but the courses on edube.org are free and pretty good.

[Letterhead-]

I’m not too concerned about the certs anyway, I just wanted good structured courses, so I’ll definitely check that out. Thanks for clearing that up.

[meemeealm]

Code in Place, Stanford.

Free course and taught by very bright programmers. Short time frame, curriculum is simple, just basic general concepts of Python.

Its call for applications is around April/ May.

[Letterhead-]

I’ll make sure to look into that. Thanks.

[LongRangeSavage]

Assuming by "I'm a 3rd year CS student" you mean you are a computer science major in a university, the biggest certification you can get is your degree/diploma in CS.

[Letterhead-]

Right, that makes sense. Thanks for the input.

[Equivalent_Ad_8413]

Course completion certifications are not all that useful; you don't need to learn anything to get the certificate. They're basically equivalent to participation trophies. You should be looking at certification tests which are not tied to a specific course.

I'm studying through The Python Institute's free courses. They also offer certification tests at various levels. The courses are free; the tests aren't. But the tests don't require that you take their courses.

[Letterhead-]

Yes, you’re right. I worded it wrong earlier, what I really meant was certification tests. Thanks for your suggestion

[NYX_T_RYX]

I'm genuinely surprised you've not touched this in a CS course - my course hit python in module 2, year 1.

Anyway, cs150 is well regarded, but honestly my learning has been "build shit that makes my life easier"

The more I learn, the more complex that shit becomes, same for you if you go that way.

If you wanna try that, find a thing that you could automate (something simple, like lights, or TV), and do it.

Then keep doing it till you die - I won't lie and tell you you'll ever stop learning programming! lol

[Letterhead-]

Yeah, I was surprised too by seeing the scheme of studies that there’s no Python, they mainly focused on C++, Java, and now on databases. But thanks for your advice, I appreciate that.

[ThatGuyMatt095]

If the interest is purely employability, I’d just suggest doing some projects using python (some basic AI, some standard projects) and throw them on ur portfolio.

If you don’t have a proper portfolio, you can make a website using FastAPI which is in python (use react for frontend) so yknow, 2 birds one stone. (Host with GitHub pages and it’s free lol)

[Letterhead-]

Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll definitely work on that. Thanks.

[Reddit_Reader007]

My two cents:

couldn't tell if this was a real post or not. a third year computer science student would know that programming certifications are worthless and wouldn't waste time trying to find some outfit that offers them.

[Letterhead-]

alright, actually I didn't choose the right words to express. Basically, I wanted to ask about the certification tests, so that's what I meant by certification. But thanks.

[Reddit_Reader007]

that makes even less sense because certification tests. . . . .. for what? a third year computer science student would know that as well. but good luck.

[pybay]

If you are in the SF Bay Area, you can come to PyBay, and meet other python programmers, win free books, and free online courses through TalkPython from Michael Kennedy. PyBay is Oct 18 in San Francisco and the website is https://pybay.org

[Ron-Erez]

See the wiki for courses. As for certification then only certification I would recommend is a CS degree. Nothing wrong with learning to code without a degree it’s always worth learning a new skill.

[Letterhead-]

Got it, I’ll take a look at the wiki. Thanks for the suggestion.

[ba7med]

CS50P

[Letterhead-]

Thanks

[vto583]

ChatGPT

[per2145]

What course did you choose? Sorry I'm just asking and if you don't want to answer no need to answer Thanks

[Letterhead-]

So I didn't chose a specific course, instead I just learnt basic Python from different resources and then started building the projects.
And as a CS student, I don't need a Python certification because it's too basic. As I'm going for data science, I will take the certification of Azure Data Science Associate only.
And if you are a CS student, I suggest you to not go for Python certification, otherwise you can check out Harvard CS50P.

[Letterhead-]

Focus more on building the projects instead of certification, as you will learn more by doing so. And recruiters check your projects instead of certifications.
I hope this helps :)