ossu/computer-science

A self-paced, university-equivalent computer-science curriculum assembled from free online courses.

What it is

The Open Source Society University's CS track — a sequenced curriculum that the maintainers argue replicates an undergraduate CS degree using only free, openly licensed courses. Coverage spans introductory programming, math (discrete, linear algebra, calculus, probability), systems (architecture, networking, OS), algorithms, programming languages, databases, software engineering, ethics, and electives. Courses are external (MIT OCW, Coursera, edX, Stanford Online, etc.); the repo owns the sequencing and the recommendation curation.

Key features

A defined "core" curriculum that mirrors a bachelor's CS degree's required courses.
"Advanced" and "final project" stages for going beyond intro material.
Recommended sequencing, prerequisites, and replacement courses when a primary recommendation goes offline.
Multi-language community translations and forums.
MIT-licensed content guidance — though the linked courses carry their own (often more restrictive) terms.

Tech stack

HTML / Markdown content with a small static site at cs.ossu.dev.
No build tooling required for contributors editing course recommendations.

When to reach for it

You're a self-learner who wants a degree-equivalent CS curriculum without taking on student debt.
You're a hiring manager looking for a shared frame to evaluate self-taught candidates against.
You're a mentor placing learners on a long-horizon path (1.5–3 years for the full track).

When not to reach for it

You want fast, project-driven learning (try freeCodeCamp or The Odin Project instead).
You want certifications recognized by employers as a substitute for a degree — most of the linked courses' certificates don't carry that weight.
You want a flexible "pick what you want" buffet — the curriculum's value is sequencing, not breadth.

Maturity signal

204k stars, 25k forks, MIT, last push April 2026 — actively maintained. 12-year-old project run as a community-driven curriculum committee. Open-issues count of 23 reflects aggressive curation. The "free education" framing is broadly delivered: most courses are genuinely free; a small number have moved to paywalls or behind email gates, which the maintainers track and replace.

Alternatives

freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp — use when you want certifications and project gates rather than a course aggregator.
The Odin Project — use when you want project-driven full-stack web focus.
A traditional CS degree — use when you need the credential or the in-person community.

Notes

The "completes a CS degree in $0" framing is real with caveats: the time investment is large (1500+ hours estimated), and verifying course completion to employers takes work since the courses' own certificates aren't always free. The repo is opinionated about sequencing — the maintainers actively push back on "skip the math" requests. Translation tracks exist but lag the English source.

Wiki: ossu/computer-science