Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


edX and Jobs for the Future Offer Free MicroBachelors Programs

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 10/23/23

Learning platform edX and Jobs for the Future (JFF), with funding from the Charles Koch Foundation, have announced the no-cost edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative for adults who wish to earn a bachelor's degree through the MicroBachelors program. Enrolled learners will also be able to interview for jobs with companies that don't require a traditional degree.

Three MicroBachelor programs are currently available:

In 2020 edX began the MicroBachelors programs, offered by its partner companies and non-profit higher education institutions worldwide to adult learners without a traditional four-year degree. The programs are open-admission, credentialed, credit-backed, and provide a certificate of completion. Credentials gained can be applied to earning traditional full degrees at a learner's school of choice, the company said.

JFF will source and evaluate applicants for the program. The Charles Koch Foundation will fund the cost for 500 learners over three years, and will then provide resources to JFF to conduct a study measuring the program's effectiveness and efficiency of using the credentials in recruitment.

"The edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative is part of 'edX for Impact' — a collective effort to help marginalized learners get the education they need in order to develop the skills to pursue rewarding careers," said the company. "edX for Impact programs are typically funded by corporate, foundation, local, state, and government partners, and provided at no cost to learners."

The collective effort is also part of Access Partnerships, which brings together education and industry stakeholders to provide free or low cost access to tech skills training for women, people of color, lower-income professionals, and other groups.

Visit edX's MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative page to learn more.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • closeup of person wearing abstract smart glasses

    Google Unveils Android XR Smart Glasses, Powered by Gemini AI

    More than a decade after the commercial failure of Google Glass, Google is returning to the smart-glasses market, this time betting that advances in artificial intelligence, miniaturized hardware, and conversational computing can turn wearable devices into a mainstream platform.

  • VSLive! session

    VSLive! San Diego 2026 Puts AI at the Core of the Campus IT Stack

    For higher education IT teams working through AI pilots, ERP integrations, student-facing apps, analytics projects, and mounting security concerns, Visual Studio Live! San Diego 2026 offers a look at the development practices that are shaping the campus technology landscape.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Launches Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • Abstract background with a dynamic wave

    New Initiative Aims to Help Move AI Projects from Experimentation to Production

    Microsoft has unveiled Frontier Company, making a $2.5 billion bet that the next competitive battleground in artificial intelligence will not be foundation models, but helping enterprises put those models to work.