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An MBA is a highly demanded course in India and abroad for careers in business, management, or corporate firms. However, pursuing a full-time MBA course at a university in India can be quite expensive for many students. To overcome this, various universities and business schools now provide online MBA degree courses. But there are no free MBA degree courses in India. Instead, there are certificate MBA courses in the online mode for free or very nominal rates for students or working professionals. These are short-term courses conducted over 5 to 15 weeks in India and overseas.
10 Best Free Online MBA Courses with Certificates in India
Full-time MBA courses, whether in offline or online mode, cost no less than INR 1,00,000 to 4,00,000. Spending such an amount in addition to often putting a break in one’s career or professional engagements can make it tough for interested individuals to pursue their higher education. Many students can’t afford such high costs of education due to financial constraints or other concerns. Many students may be genuinely interested in learning about the world of business administration and management but are unable to do so due to high costs.
So, an alternative you can look out for is to pursue short-term courses offered by well-reputed universities over online platforms, in the form of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These are short-term online courses that can be pursued within a period of a few weeks by students through self-paced learning.
Currently, in India, there are top management universities offering online MBA programs offered as Certificate Programs for the short term. One can either pursue these online courses completely free of cost (if you are interested in only gaining the relevant knowledge and skills) or add a nominal fee to the course in order to obtain a verified certificate that can be shared and cited.
Full-time MBA courses, whether in offline or online mode, cost no less than INR 1,00,000 to 4,00,000. Spending such an amount in addition to often putting a break in one’s career or professional engagements can make it tough for interested individuals to pursue their higher education. Many students can’t afford such high costs of education due to financial constraints or other concerns. Many students may be genuinely interested in learning about the world of business administration and management, but are unable to do so due to high costs.
So, an alternative you can look out for is to pursue short-term courses offered by well-reputed universities over online platforms, in the form of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These are short-term online courses that can be pursued within a period of a few weeks by students through self-paced learning.
Currently, in India, there are top management universities offering online MBA programs as Certificate Programs for the short term. One can either pursue these online courses completely free of cost (if you are interested in only gaining the relevant knowledge and skills) or add a nominal fee to the course in order to obtain a verified certificate that can be shared and cited.
Top management universities such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) etc., provide these MBA courses with certificates at platforms such as Coursera, edX etc.
Given below are the details for the top free MBA courses with certificates available in India for students and professionals:
|
Course Name |
Duration |
Platform |
Fee & Certification |
|
Corporate Finance |
5 weeks |
edx (IIMB) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
Marketing Management |
9 weeks |
edX (IIMB) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
Operations Management |
9 weeks |
edX (IIMB) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
People Management |
6 weeks |
edX (IIMB) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
Data, Models, and Decisions in Business Analytics |
12 weeks |
edX (MIT) |
Free to audit, ₹6,500 for certificate |
|
Strategic Management |
6 weeks |
edX (IIMB) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
Financial Accounting |
16 weeks |
SWAYAM (IGNOU) |
Free with a certificate |
|
International Leadership and Organizational Behavior |
6 weeks |
Coursera (Bocconi University) |
Free to audit, ₹6,500 for certificate |
|
Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies |
6 weeks |
edX (Harvard University) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
|
Data Analysis Essentials |
4 weeks |
edX (University of British Columbia) |
Free to audit, ₹12,500 for certificate |
Top free online MBA Certificate Courses in India 2025
1) Corporate Finance
Offered by IIM Bangalore, this course is completed over a period of about 5 weeks on the platform edX. It is for professionals and students interested in the domain of finance and accounts in the corporate sector.
Some of the details of the course are listed below:
| Some of the details of the course | |
|
Course |
Corporate Finance |
|
Institution |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
5 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹11,834 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Valuation, Capital budgeting, Cash flows |
2) Marketing Management
This course is offered by the prestigious IIM Bangalore over 9 weeks. The course covers the basics of marketing and principles in the marketing of businesses and corporate organizations. The course is ideal for those seeking to grow their careers in marketing and business development.
Some of the details of the course are given below:
| Some of the details of the course | |
|
Course |
Marketing Management |
|
Institution |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
9 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹12,500 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Marketing mix, STP, B2B marketing, product strategy |
3) Operations Management
This course is also offered by IIM Bangalore over a period of 7 weeks. It is offered on the platform edX and is a suitable course for students and professionals interested in operations and chain management systems.
The details of the course are given below:
| The details of the course | |
|
Course |
Operations Management |
|
Institution |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
9 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹12,500 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Process analysis, productivity, quality, inventory |
4) People Management
This is a course offered by IIM Bangalore that taps into the area of management of people in organizations over 6 weeks and is ideal for individuals who are interested in learning about the management of people in organizational and group settings.
The details of the course are given below:
| The details of the course | |
|
Course |
People Management |
|
Institution |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
6 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹12,500 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Hiring, performance management, and employee engagement |
5) Data, Models, and Decisions in Business Analytics
Business Analytics course offered by Columbia University through edX, prepares for data modeling and risk assessment topics, completed in 12 weeks.
Check the details below:
| The details of the course | |
|
Course |
Data, Models & Decisions in Business Analytics |
|
Institution |
Columbia University |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
12 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹6,500 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Data modeling, decision analysis, and risk assessment |
6) Strategic Management
This is a course offered by IIM Bangalore through edX over a period of 5 weeks.
The details are provided below:
| The details of the course | |
|
Course |
Introduction to Strategic Management |
|
Institution |
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) |
|
Platform |
edX |
|
Duration |
6 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online (Self-paced) |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / ₹12,500 (Certificate) |
|
Learning Areas |
Strategy formulation, industry analysis, competitive advantage, corporate strategy |
7) Financial Accounting
This is a management course that is offered by IGNOU via the Swayam platform over a period of 16 weeks and covers areas such as accounting, financial statements, consignments, etc.
The course details are provided below:
| The details of the course | |
|
Course |
Financial Accounting |
|
Institution |
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) |
|
Platform |
SWAYAM |
|
Duration |
16 Weeks |
|
Mode |
Online (Self-paced) |
|
Fee |
Free (Audit) / Paid Certificate Available |
|
Learning Areas |
- Theoretical framework of accounting- Accounting process and rules- Preparation and interpretation of financial statements- Depreciation, hire purchase, branch accounts- Consignment and joint ventures- Computerized accounting systems |
Some other useful management and online MBA certification programs also include:
|
Course |
Educational Institution |
Platform |
|
Marketing Essentials |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Customer Relationship Management |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Brand Management |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Quantitative Marketing Research |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Advanced Corporate Strategy |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Platform Business Models |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Consumer Behaviour |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Predictive Analytics |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Foundations of Data Science |
IIMB |
edX |
|
Advanced Corporate Strategy |
IIMB |
Swayam |
|
Principles of Marketing |
IGNOU |
Swayam |
|
Blockchain |
AICTE |
Swayam |
|
Corporate Finance |
IIT Kharagpur |
Swayam |
Free Online MBA Course Eligibility Criteria
Since these courses are completed mainly online and are short-term certification courses, there are no stringent eligibility criteria for these courses. Anyone can attend or enroll in these courses.
However, what is important to keep in mind is that one’s educational level and understanding of the course are at par with the level of teaching in the course. Since most of these courses focus on and emphasize areas related to business management at the postgraduate level (MBA), the ideal criteria one should fulfill to benefit the most from these courses are:
- One should at least be a graduate in these courses, i.e., have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream
- One should have some relevant work experience or professional exposure. This ensures that the students are able to apply the learned principles to their work settings and relate their experiences with the curriculum.
Are the Free Online MBA Courses Valid?
The free MBA courses offered are not full-time degrees that are offered to you. These are short-term certification programmes specific to MBA domains. Since the courses mentioned here are being provided by accredited and recognized bodies such as the UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NIRF, etc. the certificates obtained after completion of these courses are completely valid and accepted.
Also Read | Online Master of Business Administration Guide
What is the Value of a Free Online MBA course?
The free online MBA courses offered to students are certification programmes that are short-term. These certificates will be identified in professional spheres. They are especially useful for enhancing one’s knowledge and skills and upskill oneself while continuing one’s career. These courses additionally provide you with a certificate after completion of the course, which is shareable and citable.
The certification courses, however, are not the equivalent or replacement for an MBA degree. An online MBA program is identified as a full-time postgraduate-level course in the professional world. It is offered by universities in both online and distance modes, and in some cases, a blended mode. It is highly valued by companies and helps to advance one’s career in the business and management spheres.
Foreign Universities Offering Free Online MBA Courses
Some of the well-reputed international universities that also offer free online MBA certificate courses to students worldwide are:
|
Online Certification Course |
Best Online MBA University Abroad |
|
Business Analytics |
Columbia University |
|
Accounting |
University of Maryland |
|
Business Writing |
University of California |
|
Economics |
University of Pennsylvania |
|
Ethics |
University of Virginia |
|
Finance |
Duke University |
Full-Time Online/Distance MBA Universities
If what you are looking for are full-time MBA courses offered online or distance mode, then here are some accredited universities that you can consider applying to:
|
University |
Accreditation |
Mode |
|
UGC-DEB, NAAC (A++) |
Distance |
|
|
UGC-DEB, AIU, NAAC, NIRF, AICTE |
Online |
|
|
UGC, AICTE |
Distance |
|
|
UGC, AICTE, NIRF |
Online |
|
|
UGC |
Distance Blended |
Also Read | 10 Best 2-Year Online MBA Colleges In India
Career Prospects After Doing An Online MBA
Some of the sectors that one can explore after completion of MBA certification programmes include:
|
Job |
Average Salary (INR) |
|
Financial Analyst |
4,00,000 PA |
|
People Manager |
10,50,000 PA |
|
Data Scientist |
11,00,000 PA |
|
Business Analyst |
8,00,000 PA |
|
Production Analyst |
4,80,000 PA |
|
Quality Manager |
8,10,000 PA |
|
Distribution Manager |
11,00,000 PA |
Also Read | What to Do After MBA
