Coursera: Free Online Training

If you’re seeking asylum in Spain, UNHCR/ACNUR will provide you with free access to more than 2,000 online courses through Coursera for Refugees

If you’d like receive information from UNHCR/ACNUR about this and other programmes of interest for refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons in Spain, please register here.


What is Coursera for Refugees?

Coursera is an online training platform which offers courses from universities and official schools in various fields and languages (from business skills to data analysis, marketing, political science, art, etc.). All the training programmes are official and provide a certificate endorsing the knowledge acquired.

Normally the courses are subject to a fee, but in 2016 Coursera launched Coursera for Refugees in order to provide free access to training for refugees around the world.

Thanks to an agreement between UNHCR/ACNUR and Coursera, asylum seekers or stateless persons, with refugee or stateless status, subsidiary protection or residence for humanitarian reasons in Spain, can register on the platform and access the selection of training courses free of charge.


What does Coursera for Refugees offer?

Coursera for Refugees offers courses (lasting between 4 and 6 weeks) and specialisations (which can last between 4 and 6 months). They are quality courses and award the corresponding official certificates.

At Coursera for Refugees you’ll find more than 4,000 courses in different languages (Spanish, English, French and Arabic), from prestigious universities around the world, with flexible and completely free study programmes.


How to request free access to Coursera for Refugees?

If you’re an asylum seeker, refugee or stateless person resident in Spain, you can ask UNHCR/ACNUR for free access to all the training available at Coursera for Refugees. In order to access the platform, you’ll need to have a personal email address and internet access.

To start studying for free, register your request through this form.

If you have problems accessing the form, send an email to [email protected] 


Do I need a computer and/or internet connection to access the courses?

In order to register and study on Coursera for Refugees, you’ll need a computer, smartphone or tablet. If you’re going to access it from your mobile phone, we recommend you download the mobile app to access and browse more comfortably.

Having access to the internet is only required in order to register, see the training courses and download the course that interests you. Once the course has been downloaded, you can complete it without an internet connection.

If you’d like to subscribe to the informative newsletter from UNHCR/ACNUR and receive information about this and other programmes of interest for refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons in Spain, please register here.