# edX

> edX is 2U’s global online learning platform, connecting individual learners and organizations with university and industry courses, paid credentials, executive education and degree programs. Founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012, it now reports a learner network exceeding 100 million people. Many courses offer a free audit option.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** Arlington, United States
- **Founders:** Harvard University (Institutional co-founder), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Institutional co-founder), Anant Agarwal (Co-founder and founding president; later CEO), Piotr Mitros (Co-founder), L. Rafael Reif (Co-founder; MIT provost at launch)
- **Products:** Online courses and verified certificates, Professional Certificates, MicroMasters, MicroBachelors, Online degrees
- **Notable:** Launched in 2012 with institutional backing from Harvard and MIT., The MITx circuits prototype attracted almost 155,000 registrations and produced 7,157 passing learners., Released Open edX as open-source software in 2013.

## Products & services

- **Online courses and verified certificates** — University and industry courses; many allow temporary free auditing, with payment for graded work and a verified certificate.
- **Professional Certificates** — Multi-course programs focused on professional skills, including IBM data science and Harvard computer science offerings.
- **MicroMasters** — Graduate-level course sequences with potential credit pathways at participating universities; admission and credit rules apply.
- **MicroBachelors** — Undergraduate-level, credit-backed programs designed to stack toward further study.
- **Online degrees** — University-delivered degree programs discovered through edX; the university awards the degree.
- **Executive education** — Professional programs, including cohort-based study, delivered with university partners.
- **edX Enterprise** — Course-library plans, academies and executive education for employers and campuses.
- **edX app in ChatGPT** — Program discovery, comparison and enrollment assistance within ChatGPT, launched in May 2026.

## Achievements

- Launched in 2012 with institutional backing from Harvard and MIT.
- The MITx circuits prototype attracted almost 155,000 registrations and produced 7,157 passing learners.
- Released Open edX as open-source software in 2013.
- Developed stackable MicroMasters and MicroBachelors credential formats.
- Reported a global learner network exceeding 100 million in February 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — 2U and NewtonX released enterprise-learning research surveying 507 workforce and learning leaders; 83% prioritized AI capability and 29% reported mature capability.
- **2026-09** — CodeSignal partnership announced more than 400 practice-based courses, with initial courses live and the full catalog expected by year-end.
- **2026-09** — Google Cloud expanded official training on edX with 12 new AI and cloud courses.
- **2026-05** — 2U announced an edX app in ChatGPT for program discovery and comparison.
- **2026-02** — edX announced its learner network had exceeded 100 million people.

## Links

- Website: https://www.edx.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/edx/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/edXOnline
- GitHub: https://github.com/edx
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/edx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edxonline/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edx/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/edx
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25