Open Yale Courses
Open Yale Courses makes selected introductory Yale College courses available online to the public at no charge.
What Open Yale Courses is
Open Yale Courses makes selected introductory Yale College courses available online to the public at no charge. The materials include recorded lectures, syllabi, suggested readings, problem sets, and exams listed for some courses. Lectures can be viewed as video, heard as audio, or read through searchable transcripts, and downloads include video and MP3 audio for offline use. Anyone with an Internet connection can use the site without enrolling or registering. It is intended for independent and lifelong learners, educators, and high school and college students around the world. The site does not award Yale credit, degrees, or certificates, and it does not provide a way to submit written work or ask Yale faculty questions. Open Yale Courses is no longer adding courses. Most materials can be reused under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license with attribution and compatible licensing, though third-party content may carry separate restrictions. Embedded videos play in a browser; downloadable files can be opened with QuickTime, iTunes, or VLC.
Good
- Public access does not require registration.
- Lectures include video, audio, and searchable transcripts.
- Course materials can be downloaded for offline use.
- Most course materials permit reuse with attribution.
Watch out
- The site is no longer adding courses.
- No Yale credit, degree, or certificate is offered.
- Learners cannot submit work or ask Yale faculty questions.
- Some third-party material may have separate reuse restrictions.
Who it suits
Open Yale Courses suits self-directed learners, educators, and high school or college students looking for free introductory course materials. It can also serve learners who want downloadable lectures for offline use.
Verdict
Open Yale Courses offers a broad set of course materials without enrollment or charge, with downloads and several lecture formats. It is for learning rather than credentialing or direct interaction with Yale faculty.
Plans and prices
From Open Yale Courses's own pricing page, checked 3 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Open Yale Courses | Free | Free public access · no registration required · no Yale course credit, degree, or certificate |
The facts
Each one read from Open Yale Courses's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Course materials
- Courses include recorded lectures, syllabi, suggested readings, and problem sets; the course list also describes exams among the materials.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Course updates
- Open Yale Courses says it is no longer adding new courses to this website.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Learning audience
- The courses are designed for self-directed and lifelong learners, educators, and high school and college students around the world.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Media formats
- Lectures are available as video, audio, and searchable text transcripts, with downloadable media offered.checked 3 Oct 2026
- No enrollment
- Anyone with an Internet connection can access the site without enrollment or registration.checked 3 Oct 2026
- No faculty interaction
- The site does not provide an opportunity to ask Yale faculty questions or submit written work.checked 3 Oct 2026
- No Yale credential
- The website does not offer Yale course credit, a degree, or a certificate for consuming its content.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Offline use
- The site lets users download course materials, including lecture video and MP3 audio files, for use on their devices.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Reuse license
- Most course materials use a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license, allowing reuse with attribution and the same or compatible licensing for adaptations.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Reuse limits
- Third-party material may have additional restrictions and is not covered by the Creative Commons license unless a lecture's credits section says otherwise.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Support
- The site directs users with general or technical support questions to its Help section.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Technical compatibility
- Embedded videos play in a browser; the help page names QuickTime, iTunes, and VLC as players for downloadable media files.checked 3 Oct 2026
- What it offers
- Open Yale Courses provides selected introductory Yale College courses to the public free of charge over the Internet.checked 3 Oct 2026
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