If you are a high school student, building a strong foundation in physics early on can help you accelerate your readiness for advanced STEM work. Structured physics coursework can help you explore your interests beyond the classroom and dive into topics like classical mechanics, electromagnetism, astrophysics, or quantum theory. Today, free, online physics courses offer an accessible way to dive into core concepts in the subject while strengthening the habits needed for higher-level problem-solving. These courses can help you develop analytical reasoning, computational skills, and mathematical modeling techniques that can help you in future research work, college classes, and STEM competitions.
Why should you choose an online course?
These online courses are especially useful because they let you move at your own pace while still engaging with university-level material. With flexible scheduling, you can stack modules, revisit complex ideas, and build familiarity with tools like Python, MATLAB, or numerical simulation platforms. If you are preparing for advanced research roles, these courses help you understand the underlying math, visualize physical systems, and practice working through multi-step models the way physicists do.
If you are looking for full-fledged in-person or virtual physics-focused research opportunities, check out our curated list here.
15 Free + Online Physics Courses for High School Students
1. Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP)
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: July 7 – 25
Application deadline: Applications typically open late fall and close in spring; exact dates released via mailing list
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 – 11; priority given to first-generation and underrepresented students.
SPINWIP is a three-week virtual program designed to help you develop your foundational and computational skills in modern physics. You will explore research areas such as quantum mechanics, astrophysics, cosmology, and introductory quantum computing through lectures and guided problem-solving sessions. The program includes structured Python training, allowing you to model physical systems, analyze datasets, and implement simple numerical simulations. In small group sections led by Stanford undergraduates, you will work on physics-based coding projects that build your comfort with algorithmic thinking and scientific workflows.
2. MIT OpenCourseWare’s Introduction to Statistical Physics Course
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: Self-paced; available year-round
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
In this course, you will study the mathematical and conceptual foundations of statistical physics, with emphasis on entropy, the laws of thermodynamics, and the derivation and applications of the Boltzmann distribution. The problem sets and lecture notes will guide you through probabilistic modeling, mathematical methods used across physical sciences, and techniques for connecting microscopic behavior to macroscopic observables. You will also learn how to implement short computational simulations of random events, reinforcing the link between statistical assumptions and physical predictions. The curriculum includes exams with solutions, allowing you to benchmark your understanding against typical undergraduate-level expectations.
3. MIT OpenCourseWare’s Introduction to Oscillations and Waves
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: Self-paced; available year-round
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course, previously offered as a part of MIT’s high school MITES Summer program, is designed to help you explore oscillatory motion by connecting near-equilibrium dynamics to mathematical models such as simple harmonic motion and forced oscillators. You will analyze how oscillations arise in mechanical, electromagnetic, and optical systems, and study how wave behavior emerges from coupled oscillators. The materials include lecture notes, problem sets with solutions, and Mathematica code that you can modify to explore system responses across different parameter values. Using these tools, you will practice translating real-world scenarios, such as resonance conditions, into solvable differential equations and computational models.
4. EPFL’s Introduction to Astrophysics
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free to audit; paid certificate available
Dates: Self-paced; the course takes approximately seven weeks (3–4 hours/week) to complete.
Application deadline: None; you can enroll anytime
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course is designed to help you develop your foundational astrophysics skills by connecting theoretical models to observational data, with an emphasis on how gravity, radiation, and matter interact in astronomical environments. You will work through modules covering parallax-based distance measurement, Keplerian dynamics, black body spectra, Doppler Effect, stellar evolution, and large-scale cosmology. Throughout the course, you will analyze real astrophysical quantities, flux, luminosity, magnitudes, and rotation curves, and evaluate how these measurements inform models of stars, galaxies, and dark matter. The curriculum also introduces you to tools for interpreting spectra, constructing HR diagrams, and understanding gravitational lensing through simplified mathematical treatments.
5. Alison’s Advanced Diploma in High School Physics
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: Self-paced; available year-round
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course provides a structured review of core mechanics topics, including mathematical methods, kinematics, Newtonian forces, and circular motion. You will build fluency with vector operations, free-body diagram construction, and multi-step equilibrium analysis, skills used frequently in early physics research and competition-style problem solving. The modules also introduce orbital mechanics through Kepler’s laws, allowing you to connect force laws to real astronomical systems. Problem sets emphasize translating physical scenarios into algebraic and differential equations, reinforcing your ability to model motion quantitatively.
6. University of Chicago’s The Dark Side of the Universe
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: On-demand; self-paced
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course introduces you to the observational and theoretical basis for dark matter and dark energy, focusing on how cosmologists extract physical parameters from large-scale structure and expansion data. You will analyze concepts such as the matter–energy budget of the universe, gravitational effects of non-luminous mass, and the evidence behind cosmic acceleration. The modules will guide you through interpreting rotation curves, redshift–distance relations, and expansion histories, helping you connect simplified mathematical models to empirical measurements. You will also contrast particle-physics explanations of dark matter with cosmological models of dark energy.
7. MIT’s Electricity and Magnetism: Electrostatics Course
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: On-demand; lasts approximately five weeks (8–14 hours/week)
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners; familiarity with calculus recommended
This course covers the mathematical structure of electrostatics, focusing on electric fields, charge distributions, and potential functions. As a participant, you will learn how to use vector calculus to compute fields from point charges and continuous charge densities, apply Gauss’s law to symmetric systems, and analyze potential energy landscapes. The problem sets emphasize multi-step derivations and require you to translate physical setups into solvable integrals and differential equations. You will also examine conductor behavior, boundary conditions, and basic capacitor models, building intuition for more advanced electromagnetism coursework.
8. The University of New South Wales’ Mechanics: Motion, Forces, Energy, and Gravity, from Particles to Planets Course
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; typical commitment of about three weeks (10 hours/week)
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners; comfort with algebra and trigonometry recommended
This course provides a structured introduction to classical mechanics, guiding you through kinematics, force models, conservation principles, and gravitational interactions across scales. You will work with mathematical representations of motion, such as vector decomposition, quadratic motion models, and energy–momentum diagrams, to analyze both everyday systems and planetary dynamics. Multimedia tutorials and worked examples will help you practice translating physical phenomena into quantitative models, while optional at-home experiments build intuition for friction, acceleration, and rotational effects. The problem sets focus on estimation techniques and structured reasoning, which can be useful for competition physics and undergraduate-level mechanics.
9. General Physics Course by BITS Pilani
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; takes approximately five weeks (10 hours/week) to complete
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course offers a broad, quantitative introduction to core physics domains, including mechanics, thermodynamics, wave motion, and optics. You will practice applying Newton’s laws to multi-step force and energy problems, use thermodynamic laws to evaluate heat transfer and entropy changes, and analyze simple harmonic oscillators and wave propagation using mathematical models. Optical modules introduce interference, diffraction, and polarization through computational and diagrammatic methods. Across 10 modules, you will complete structured problem sets that build competency in modeling physical systems, evaluating limiting cases, and interpreting physical parameters.
10. University of Virginia’s How Things Work: An Introduction to Physics
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: On-demand; ~14 hours of content
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course introduces core mechanics concepts by analyzing everyday systems such as skaters, ramps, falling objects, seesaws, and bumper cars. You will model translational and rotational motion using measurable quantities, position, velocity, acceleration, torque, impulse, and angular momentum, and connect these variables to Newton’s laws. The practical examples focus on helping you gain insights into identifying forces, evaluating energy transfer, and interpreting motion graphs. Through guided problem sets and demonstrations, you will learn to convert real-world scenarios into mathematical representations and evaluate how design parameters shape system behavior.
11. Saylor Academy’s PHYS101: Introduction to Mechanics Course
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Dates: On-demand course running for approximately 33 hours
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners, including high school students
This course focuses on the full mechanics sequence, covering one- and two-dimensional kinematics, Newtonian dynamics, rotational motion, statics, conservation laws, and collision analysis. You will practice setting up motion equations, constructing free-body diagrams, and applying energy–momentum methods to multi-step problems. The study guide and problem sets help reinforce quantitative reasoning by requiring you to justify assumptions, identify system boundaries, and check limiting cases. The final exam offers optional credit, making the course a structured pathway for exploring foundational physics.
12. Delft University of Technology’s Pre-University Physics Course
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; ~fice weeks
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Open to all learners; designed for high school students preparing for university-level physics
This course provides a structured review of core high school physics while introducing the mathematical formalisms commonly used in first-year engineering programs. You will work through foundational topics, including mechanics, energy, forces, waves, and basic electricity, and learn how to represent physical systems using diagrams, algebraic models, and unit analysis. Interactive problem sets will help you build quantitative reasoning skills and explore multi-step calculations and typical engineering-style applications. The course also contrasts high school treatments of physics concepts with the approaches used in university courses, offering you an early introduction to modeling expectations.
13. Rice University’s Physics 101: Energy and Momentum
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; approximately two weeks (10 hours/week)
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners; skills in algebra and introductory calculus recommended
This course introduces the mathematical framework behind conservation of energy and momentum, focusing on how these principles govern the motion and interactions of physical systems. You will solve problems involving work–energy relations, translational momentum, collisions, statics, and elasticity using algebraic manipulation, vector methods, and basic calculus. Each module includes lecture videos, conceptual quizzes, and multi-step homework sets that mirror the structure of an on-campus introductory physics course. Graphical analysis tools will help you learn how to evaluate system behavior and interpret multi-variable dependencies.
14. Stanford University’s Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity Course
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; approximately two months (10 hours/week)
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners; skills in algebra and introductory calculus recommended
This course focuses on introducing you to Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity and its concepts, predictions, and paradoxes. You will learn through eight modules, which consist of reading material, videos, and assignments. You will dive into the meaning of Einstein’s theory as well as concepts like relativity of simultaneity, time dilation, Lorentz factor, and the problems and impact of the theory of relativity. Quizzes are also part of the curriculum to help you revisit what you learn and track your progress.
15. MIT OpenCourseWare’s Classical Mechanics (8.01x) Course
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit
Dates: Self-paced; available year-round
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: Open to all learners; best suited for students comfortable with calculus and basic physics
This course introduces the mathematical structure of classical mechanics, covering Newton’s laws, work–energy methods, angular momentum, and rotational dynamics. You will solve multi-step problems using vector analysis, differential equations, and conservation principles, gaining exposure to the modeling style used in university physics. Interactive problem sets and automated assessments also come with immediate feedback on derivations, limit checks, and computational reasoning. Lecture sequences originally delivered by MIT faculty will guide you through translating physical systems into analytic expressions and evaluating their behavior under varying conditions.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like theoretical physics, astrophysics, quantum mechanics, or computational modeling, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
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