Harvard CS50x 2026
Harvard University
Free self-paced introduction to computer science from Harvard
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At a glance
- Funding
- Free, with a free certificate
- Format
- Online
- Application fee
- No application fee
- Language
- English
The course and the free CS50 Certificate cost nothing; only the optional edX verified certificate and Harvard transfer credit carry a fee
About this opportunity
CS50x is Harvard's introduction to computer science, released free as open courseware and used worldwide as a first serious programming course.
It runs eleven weeks of lectures, sections, problem sets and short videos. It starts in C, so you understand how memory and machines actually work, then moves to Python, SQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and finishes with a project of your own design.
There is no application, no cohort and no closing date. You start when you want and move at your own speed, and the 2026 version carries over work you did in 2025. Submitting problem sets for feedback requires a free edX account.
On completion you can claim a free CS50 Certificate. The paid verified certificate from edX is optional - you do not need to buy anything to finish the course or earn the free certificate.
The practical constraint here is bandwidth, since the lectures are video-heavy, but problem sets run in a browser-based environment and the material can be downloaded. CS50 is widely respected by employers as evidence that you can actually code.
Topics
Bookmarking and application reminders live in the Togeva app.