Is there a free prompt engineering course for ChatGPT?
Yes. DeepLearning.AI's 'ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers,' taught with OpenAI by Isa Fulford and Andrew Ng, is free (about 1 hour 40 minutes) and teaches ChatGPT prompting hands-on. Other free options include the open-source Learn Prompting guide and OpenAI's own documentation. You only need basic Python for the coding examples.
Why — the first-principles explanation
Free ChatGPT prompting courses exist for a clear reason: OpenAI and its partners benefit when more people use ChatGPT well, so they underwrite high-quality free training. DeepLearning.AI's short course is the flagship example, built directly with OpenAI.
The course is hands-on because prompting is a practical skill. You work in a notebook calling the OpenAI API, trying techniques like summarizing, transforming, and building a simple chatbot, learning by doing rather than watching. Basic Python is enough to follow along; the concepts themselves need no heavy coding.
Beyond that one course, the broader free ecosystem, Learn Prompting, official OpenAI docs, community tutorials, means you never need to pay to learn ChatGPT prompting. Paid courses mostly add certificates or structure, not exclusive knowledge.
An example that makes it click
It's like a free cooking class run by the company that makes the stove. OpenAI wants people to cook well on ChatGPT, so it partnered with teachers to offer a short, free class where you actually cook, summarize a review, rewrite an email, build a mini chatbot, rather than just watch slides.
You bring only basic kitchen skills (a little Python), and everything else is provided. Since the stove-maker benefits when you love cooking on it, the lesson is free.
How to do it
- Go to DeepLearning.AI and open 'ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers' (free, ~1h40m).
- Work through the 9 video lessons and try the code examples in the provided notebook.
- Practice each technique (summarizing, transforming, chatbots) with your own inputs.
- Supplement with the free Learn Prompting guide and OpenAI's official prompting docs.
- Apply what you learn in ChatGPT daily on real tasks to lock in the skill.
Key facts
- DeepLearning.AI's 'ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers' is free (~1h40m) during the platform beta.
- It's taught by Isa Fulford (OpenAI) and Andrew Ng and made in partnership with OpenAI.
- The course has 9 video lessons with 7 code examples; the graded assignment requires a PRO membership.
- Only basic Python is needed to follow the coding examples.
- Additional free resources include the open-source Learn Prompting guide and OpenAI's official documentation.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Is there a free prompt engineering course for ChatGPT? Yes, and it's a good one. DeepLearning.AI's 'ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers' is free, about an hour and forty minutes, and it's taught by Isa Fulford from OpenAI along with Andrew Ng, built in partnership with OpenAI itself. Why free? Because OpenAI benefits when people use ChatGPT well, so they underwrite the training. It's hands-on: you work in a notebook, calling the API to summarize text, rewrite and translate, and build a simple chatbot, learning by doing. You only need basic Python to follow the code; the ideas themselves aren't technical. There are nine short video lessons; note the graded assignment needs a paid membership, but the lessons are free. And it's not the only option, the open-source Learn Prompting guide and OpenAI's own documentation are free too. So you can absolutely learn ChatGPT prompting well without spending a cent. Take the course, then practice daily in ChatGPT on real tasks.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Is the DeepLearning.AI ChatGPT course really free?
Yes, the course is free during the platform beta. Only the graded assignment and certificate require a paid PRO membership.
Do I need to know how to code?
Just basic Python to follow the notebook examples. The prompting concepts themselves require no heavy coding.
How long does it take?
About 1 hour 40 minutes across 9 short video lessons, so you can finish it in an afternoon.
Are there other free ChatGPT prompting resources?
Yes, the open-source Learn Prompting guide, OpenAI's official documentation, and many community tutorials are all free.