IITs are offering 11 free data science and analytics courses. Join by Jan 26 !!

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Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), via NPTEL, are offering 11 free online courses in data science and analytics. India Today+1
The courses cover a broad set of topics — from graph theory & data structures, Bayesian data analysis, Python & R analytics, database systems, data mining, to big-data statistics. India Today
All courses are free to audit. The only cost is if you opt for the certification exam — otherwise you can learn totally free. India Today
Enrollment deadline is 26 January 2026. India Today+1

Students (engineering, science, commerce or arts) interested in entering data science/analytics — even with non-CS backgrounds.
Professionals or graduates looking to upskill or pivot into analytics, data engineering or related fields.
Researchers, data enthusiasts or hobby-learners wanting to understand data-handling, stats, and programming for data.
Anyone looking for a low-cost, high-value learning opportunity: audit free, pay only if you want a certificate.

Some of the courses in the 11-course lineup:

Algorithmic Graph Theory & Data Structures — foundational algorithms and data structures, useful for optimization & network/data-structure problems. India Today
Bayesian Data Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences — probabilistic modelling, Bayesian inference, useful for behavioural/social-data analytics. India Today
Data Analytics with Python — hands-on analytics with Python: data cleaning, manipulation, workflows, industry-oriented use-cases. India Today
Database Management System — SQL, relational DB theory and practice, data modelling, essential for backend analytics/data-engineering flow. India Today
Data Mining / Data Mining for Decision Making — clustering, classification, pattern mining, decision-making analytics — applicable in business/data-driven decision contexts. India Today
Exploratory Data Analysis with R — statistical analysis, EDA, visualisation — helpful for research or data-heavy domains. India Today
Statistical Foundations for Big Data Analysis — advanced stats and techniques for handling and interpreting large/high-dimensional data — good for big-data, ML, or research-oriented paths. India Today

No cost to start learning — Because auditing is free, there’s no financial barrier to begin. Great for students and professionals alike.
Flexibility & convenience — Online format via NPTEL means you can learn at your own pace, from anywhere (even from home in Puducherry).
Wide applicability — The mix of programming (Python, R), mathematics/stats, data-engineering and analytics ensures the courses are useful for many fields — not just computer science.
Optional certification — If you want a certificate, you can pay for the exam; else, you get knowledge without spending.
Good for resumes and skills building — For freshers or people looking to pivot to data-centric careers, these courses provide credible credentials from IITs.