You can learn almost anything for free. Here is how.
Start at the colourful box on the left and follow the branches. Press + to open a branch. Tap any box to read what it means, the rules and the official links. Boxes marked "to learn from" also list free books, videos, practice tests and guides.
Written for students and parents, including families without a smartphone or internet. Everything listed is free unless marked Paid. Facts were checked against government sources on 4 Oct 2026.
KeyBig milestone or importantAnother good route or optionTopic
Rules change every year. Before you apply, always read the latest notice on the official website linked in each box. This page is a free guide, not an official source.
Self-Study, No Money
Free ways to learn anything
Money is not the main barrier any more. India has free textbooks, free TV classes, free apps, free online courses, free past papers and even free coaching schemes. Most families simply do not know about them.
What matters most is a plan, regular hours and practising with past papers. Toppers from poor families do exactly this.
No smartphone? Start with the branch "No phone or internet?": free TV channels and printed books are enough to begin.
Everything on this map is free unless marked Paid.
DD Free Dish has no monthly fee. You only buy the dish and set-top box once.
It carries 200 "PM eVidya" school channels (Classes 1–12, by state and language), 40 SWAYAM Prabha channels (college subjects and exam preparation) and 7 SATHEE channels for JEE and NEET preparation.
Lessons repeat several times a day, so you can watch at a time that suits you.
Older set-top boxes may not show the new channels; an MPEG-4 compatible box is needed.
NCERT books for Classes 1–8 cost about ₹65 each. Buy genuine copies at the printed price from NCERT's own online store, its regional centres, authorised shops or NCERT's official Amazon store.
Beware of fake NCERT books sold cheaply; CBSE has warned schools about them.
Free textbooks: every child in Classes 1–8 in a government or government-aided school gets free textbooks (Samagra Shiksha); all girls also get free uniforms.
No phone or internet?
Libraries
Your district or town public library is free or very cheap, and has newspapers and old exam books.
The National Digital Library of India has lakhs of free books and papers in 10 Indian languages. Schools and colleges can join an "NDLI Club".
Download videos and DIKSHA lessons on Wi-Fi or at night (many plans give cheaper night data), then watch offline.
Watch videos at lower quality (360p is enough for lessons). PDFs and text use far less data than video.
Getting online cheaply
Public Wi-Fi (PM-WANI)
Shops and small businesses run cheap public Wi-Fi under the government's PM-WANI scheme. It is low-cost, not free, and since 2026 has 15–60 minute small packs.
Over 4 lakh hotspots exist, but they are concentrated in some states (most in Delhi and UP). Look for Wi-Fi names starting "PMWANI".
Common Service Centres (CSCs) in villages and towns help with online forms, scholarships and certificates for a small fee.
Some states give free tablets or smartphones to students. For example, Uttar Pradesh approved 25 lakh more tablets in 2026 for college, diploma and skill students. Ask your college.
A family phone shared on a fixed timetable works well; agree the hours with your family.
Free learning platforms
Government and trusted free sites
Inside this branch
Free learning platforms
DIKSHA
The national school platform: lessons for Classes 1–12 for CBSE, NCERT, NIOS and state boards, in many Indian languages.
Scan the QR code printed in your textbook to open the matching lesson. Content can be downloaded for offline use.
Free learning platforms
SWAYAM and NPTEL
SWAYAM: 4,400+ free online courses from school to postgraduate level. The course is free; only the optional certificate exam has a fee (about ₹750, less for reserved categories).
College students can earn up to 40% of a semester's credits through SWAYAM courses.
NPTEL: free courses by IIT and IISc professors, mainly engineering and science.
SATHEE (Ministry of Education with IIT Kanpur): free lectures, 80,000+ practice questions and mock tests for JEE, NEET, CUET, SSC, banking and more, in Hindi, English and regional languages. Also on 7 TV channels.
Abhyas AI: free daily mock tests from NTA, the body that runs JEE and NEET.
Free learning platforms
Free books and libraries online
Free e-books, children's storybooks in Indian languages and a national digital library.
Close the book and try to recall or write what you learnt. Then check.
A major research review (Dunlosky and others, 2013) rated practice testing as one of the most effective study methods. Re-reading and highlighting were rated low.
How to study well
Spread it out (spaced repetition)
Revise a topic after 1 day, then 3 days, then a week, then a month. Spreading study out works better than cramming.
Keep a small notebook of formulas and facts to revise in spare minutes.
How to study well
Mix topics and take breaks
Mixing different types of problems in one session (interleaving) helps you learn to choose the right method.
Work in focused blocks (for example 25–50 minutes) with short breaks. Keep the phone in another room while studying.
How to study well
Sleep is part of studying
Sleep helps your brain store what you learnt. Teenagers need about 8–10 hours.
Staying up all night before an exam usually lowers marks.
How to study well
Use the phone, don't let it use you
Turn off notifications while studying, and use the phone only for planned lessons and tests.
Short videos and social media are the biggest time-wasters for students.
English and computer skills
Two skills that open many doors
Inside this branch
English and computer skills
Learn English free
English helps in exams, interviews and jobs. 15 minutes daily is enough to improve steadily.
Read a short English news item daily, listen to simple English lessons, and speak with a friend.
Learn from these
CourseFree
BBC Learning EnglishFree courses, grammar and vocabulary; short '6 Minute English' episodes.
Basic computer use, typing, spreadsheets and the internet are needed for most jobs and many government exams (SSC and banks have typing and computer tests).
Free courses exist from complete beginner to coding.
Many states run their own free coaching: e.g. UP Abhyudaya (UPSC, PCS, NDA, JEE, NEET), Rajasthan Anuprati, Bihar pre-examination training centres.
Ask your district social welfare office or check your state government website. Note: the central minority scheme "Naya Savera" was discontinued in 2022-23.
Free coaching and scholarships
Scholarships
Apply on the National Scholarship Portal: one registration covers many central and state scholarships. Many 2026-27 schemes close on 31 October 2026.