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

  • woman

    AI Giants Back Nonprofit Focused on Workforce Transition

    The AI industry's biggest names are investing in more than just models and infrastructure — they're focusing on workforce readiness. OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Amazon are backing Raise US, a new nonprofit that aims to raise $1 billion to help American workers prepare for an AI-driven economy.

  • 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.

  • A glowing digital brain with neural connections and light trails

    AI Giants Warn It May Be Time to Slow Down

    For years, leaders in the artificial intelligence industry have warned that increasingly capable AI systems could eventually become dangerous, all the while continuing to race to build them. Now, their sentiments have changed.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Introduces Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.