25 Free Classes in NYC for Adults

Published on February 7, 2017 at 2:59 am by Lucia Hoffman in Lists

New York can be considered one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you can still find 25 free classes in NYC for adults. According to the English philosopher Francis Bacon, knowledge is power, so it’s understandable that adults in New York City are often looking to improve or learn a new skill. And I cannot think of a better way to learn, in order to enrich a career or simply to have fun, than not having to pay for classes in the city. So we put a list together of 25 free classes in NYC for adults.

In our society, we are often judged by the skills we have, our careers and the amount of money we make. So, skills are very important, but it can be expensive to enroll in classes in NYC, especially in times of economic crisis, when most people have to be more conscious about their spending habits. Luckily, in certain fields, there is a possibility to get free courses that can range from interests or amount of time you will spend to learn a new skill.

A big city like NYC offers a wide range of classes for you, but their cost might be too high, so choosing free classes might be the way to go. You can have your cake and eat it too, learning or improving a certain skill for free. Adults might want to take classes just for fun, try a dance class like ballet or try acting classes, swimming, art or get GED classes. In fact, there are many locations in NYC where you can find GED courses for free, as it is a popular choice for those in need of a High School diploma.

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But why look for free classes? First thing, obviously is money, as not everyone has extra cash to spend learning how to bake a proper cake or to be great at Tango or even to dream about being the next American swimmer Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps. Another reason might be that you are not the type who will tap into your savings or your kids’ college fund to improve a certain skill you have or to learn a new one you dream of having.

In this case, looking for 25 free classes in NYC for adults will be good for you. Besides saving money, since classes are free, you will also meet people and improve your social life. You might even end up meeting the love of your life in one of those places, in case you are single, of course. My neighbor, who is a yoga teacher in her mid 60’s, swears by taking dance lessons in the city as a great way to meet people. She has gone out on a few dates with men she met there. She said she loves it, and I noticed her Spanish is getting much better as well, as she favors Latin dance studios.

According to Class Curious, a privately owned company in NYC, minimum prices per class might range from $5 for painting, $10 for drawing, $30 for swimming and even higher for other skills. But, even if those prices are not going to break the bank, attending classes for free in NYC sounds like a great option to have. And if you are also looking for online classes to take for free check it out Best 7 Online Courses to Take: Free Finance MOOCs .

In certain cases, perhaps the quality of classes that are paid for, might differ from places which offer classes for free, but the passion and enthusiasm of the students might be the same. And as long as teachers and students are on the same page, both having a passionate approach to the subject being taught, this might prove to be a rewarding experience.

And even though it is hard to imagine that in a place like NYC, which is very money oriented, some classes are been offered for free to help its community. Sometimes a class is being offered by an artist, who will invest money and time to educate the next generation of artists as his way to giving back to society. It can be a photographer, who likes to share his knowledge, and experience in order to improve other lives or it can be offered by a government institution like the NYC Board of Education.

In order to come up with a list of 25 free classes in NYC for adults we started with google searches, using different keyword combinations to get a proper results. We found out that through NYC Parks swimming classes are offered for free. So it’s time to get that speedo out of the drawer and try them out. We also took into consideration the opinions shared by readers at NYC online forums. Most of their class recommendations were for people who are new to the city or for those looking for free classes in NYC for adults. Here is our list of 25 free classes in NYC for adults.

25. ART Studio NY

Category: art/photography

The Art Studio from NYC provides free classes mostly online. From this studio, you will get the best classes for painting, pastel drawing, and other drawing techniques.

Here is an example:

24. The Moments class

Category: art/photography

The Moments class is a non-profit organization that provides free photography classes in NYC. Their mission is “free photography education for all”.

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23. PhotoManhattan

Category: art/photography

PhotoManhattan offers free monthly classes from 5 to 20 students.

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22. Federal Art Project

Category: art/photography

Federal Art Project is founded to fund the visual art in the United States but also to employ artist and artisans to create murals, posters, etc. In the link above, you can discover everything about their free program which includes drawing, painting sculpture, and photography classes.

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21. The Door

Category: GED

The Door offers a variety of free programs in order to help adults to get their first High School certificate.

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20. Literacy Partners

Category: GED

Literacy Partners offers a great opportunity for parents to expand their literacy and language skills for free.

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19. The City University of New York

Category: GED

The City University of New York division of adult and continuing education offers free GED classes (mathematics, reading, writing, computer skills etc), but only for veterans.

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18. Union Settlement

Category: GED

Union Settlement free classes for adults offers many great opportunities for learning English, developing job skills and gaining basic education skills.

17. NYC Department of Education

Category: GED

NYC Department of Education offers over 800 free day and evening classes for adults age 21 and over.

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16. SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center

Category: GED

SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center with no cost classes is a great chance for you to gain the proper skill to be visible on the job market.

15. Jefferson Market Library

Category: GED

Jefferson Market Library free classes are designed to help adults to get the skills such as writing, reading, science, social, mathematics.

14. Free Adapted Aquatics Instruction

Category: swimming

Free Adapted Aquatics Instruction offers free aquatic therapy that improves range of motion, flexibility, and mobility.

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13. Adult Lap Swim

Category: swimming

Adult Lap Swim gives adults opportunity to learn to swim and also chance to earn some free t-shirts if participants achieve certain distance in swimming.

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12. Senior Splash

Category: swimming

Senior Splash is the number 12 on our list 25 free classes in NYC for adults. Those classes are only active during the summer days. They offer modified water exercises at many outdoor pools around the city. The locations are provided through the link that we posted above.

11. Shape Up NYC

Category: dancing

Shape Up NYC is free fitness program. They have a lot of activities on many locations in NYC. You don’t need to be part of any organization because these classes are completely free. During this activity, you will learn to play Zumba dancing and many others stuff like aerobics, yoga, and pilates.

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10. Paul Pellicoro’s Dance Sport

Category: dancing

Paul Pellicoro’s Dance Sport offer a free class for people who want to experience techniques, dance vocabulary and partnering skills.

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9. Talia Castro Pozo

Category: dancing

Talia Castro Pozo offers free salsa classes in NYC.

8. DEEP: Dancers’ Economic Empowerment Program

Category: dancing

DEEP provides several free classes which are the great opportunity for learning to dance.

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7. Brighton Ballet

Category: dancing/ballet

Brighton Ballet offers free basic classes of ballet. No experience necessary for this course.

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6. Dokoudovsky New York Conservatory of Dance

Category: dancing/ballet

Dokoudovsky New York Conservatory of Dance often (not always) organize free classes of classical ballet and all you need to do is, to find which free time is available through the link we provided. This is the main site of this institution.

25 Free Classes in NYC for Adults

5. AIDA Australian Institue for Dramatic Arts

Category: Acting

AIDA Australian Institue for Dramatic Arts organize free adults acting training. You need to register to get a free class.

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4. Magnet Theater

Category: Acting

Magnet Theater gives you the opportunity to try their classes without paying. You don’t need to have an experience for attending those classes.

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3. HollywoodHuntsville

Category: Acting

Actor Bill Billions organizes a lot of free classes for people who want to learn about acting. Click here to sign up for his newest course How to Get Started Acting in Film & TV.

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2. NYCastings

Category: Acting

NYCastings opportunity to meet you personal guru who will help you to start your acting career in the right way. And the most important thing, classes and seminars are free.