Esri offers free MOOCs, free live training seminars and publicly readable tutorials, but free learning material does not automatically include every software license, account permission or credit needed for practice. Before starting, check the requirements of the specific exercise and who will provide any missing access.
You do not need to solve every licensing question across ArcGIS. You need a clear answer for the task you want to complete. This guide includes a reusable access worksheet and three hypothetical examples to help you identify your next step.
If you are still choosing a learning format, start with our comparison of Esri Academy, Learn ArcGIS and Esri MOOCs.
Which resources can you use without paying a course fee?
| Resource | What is free or included? | What still needs checking? |
|---|---|---|
| Learn ArcGIS tutorials | You can read public tutorial instructions without buying a course | Software, account and other requirements listed for the exercise |
| Esri MOOCs | Enrollment is free; registration is required | Course dates, software setup and the duration of provided access |
| Esri live training seminars | Attendance is free | Registration and whether any later practice needs separate software access |
| Other Esri Academy resources | Access varies; eligible organizational arrangements can include e-Learning | The selected resource's access conditions and your account's eligibility |
Use the Learn ArcGIS gallery, current MOOC and seminar listing, and Esri training options to check the resource you actually want. Do not treat the whole Academy catalogue as free.
Esri states that current software maintenance subscriptions include access to its e-Learning collection. If you belong to an organization, check what is already available to you before purchasing training access. Esri's e-Learning access guidance.
Why is being able to sign in not enough?
Think of access as separate questions: can you open the learning material, use the required software, and perform the exercise's operations?
For example, Esri's Get started with ArcGIS Pro tutorial lists ArcGIS Pro and an ArcGIS organizational account among its requirements. Reading that page does not itself establish that your account has the required license.
An organizational login also needs the appropriate settings for training access. Esri documents that administrators can enable Esri access for members; members cannot enable it themselves. If training access is missing, ask your administrator to check the account rather than assuming you need a second subscription. Esri's member-management guidance.
Copy this access worksheet before starting
Write the exact tutorial or course title and link at the top. For each row, record confirmed, needs confirmation, or not required, together with the source of your answer. Use “not required” only after checking the exercise.
| Check | Question to resolve | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Learning access | Is the resource free, included for me, or separately priced? | Resource page and, if relevant, organizational training administrator |
| Enrollment | Can I start now? Does registration close? | Course listing and enrollment instructions |
| Account | Which account should I use, and does it have the needed permissions? | Exercise requirements and account administrator |
| Software | Which product, license and extensions are required? | Tutorial requirements and license administrator |
| Device | Can I install and run the required software on this computer? | Course requirements and IT team for a managed device |
| Credits | Do the selected operations or storage use credits, and what allocation applies? | Tool documentation and organization administrator |
| End date | When does supplied access end, and what happens to my work? | Course instructions, provider or organization administrator |
A missing answer is a specific action to resolve, not evidence that the entire resource is unsuitable.
Three worked examples
These examples apply the worksheet to hypothetical learners. They are planning illustrations, not records of InfoGraph students or account tests.
1. A beginner has no organizational account
Goal: Complete the ArcGIS Pro introductory tutorial.
Completed assessment: Reading the instructions is available, but the learner has not arranged the software and organizational account listed in the requirements. Device suitability is also unconfirmed. Enrollment in a scheduled course is not relevant to reading this tutorial; credits and any access expiry still need checking against the chosen setup.
Next action: Follow the tutorial's software-access guidance or ask the relevant provider about a suitable arrangement. Until the requirements are resolved, study the instructions or choose a different exercise whose requirements you can meet. Do not buy a license solely because a search result calls the tutorial “free.”
The tradeoff is between starting conceptual learning now and waiting for the environment needed to practise this particular task.
2. An employee can sign in, but training access is unclear
Goal: Use an Academy resource alongside an exercise in the employer's ArcGIS environment.
Completed assessment: The organizational login is confirmed. Course entitlement, Esri access, the exercise's license and permissions are not yet confirmed. Installation needs IT confirmation. Credits and the period of permitted use need the administrator's answer; an existing login does not settle those questions.
Next action: Send the administrator the exact resource link and this request:
Please confirm whether this resource is included for my account, whether Esri access is enabled, and whether I have the software, permissions and credit allocation needed for its exercise. Please also confirm any restrictions on using our environment for training.
This request separates the issue from a general “my account does not work” message and gives the administrator something concrete to check.
3. An independent learner chooses a MOOC
Goal: Practise during an Esri MOOC without assuming permanent software access.
Completed assessment: The MOOC format is free, but enrollment availability depends on the selected offering. Esri's MOOC FAQ describes software licenses supplied for the course duration. The learner still needs the course-specific setup instructions, a suitable computer, and confirmation of account, permissions, credits and the exact access end date. Esri MOOC FAQ.
Next action: Check the chosen course's software requirements and follow its access instructions. Ask course support about unresolved access terms before planning work beyond the course period. Keep permitted notes and outputs according to the course's rules; do not build a continuing work project around temporary training access.
Could a free exercise still use credits?
Yes. ArcGIS Online uses credits for certain transactions and storage, while many activities do not consume them. An organization can assign budgets, and insufficient credits can block some operations. Esri's explanation of credits.
For a practice exercise, identify the actual operation before asking about cost. A course fee of zero is not an estimate of credit use. Confirm the relevant tool's requirements and use its estimate where available; keep the practice scope small and agree on how long any hosted output should remain. Do not repeatedly rerun a blocked job without first understanding the message.
How should you prepare for training with InfoGraph?
InfoGraph's documented work includes ArcGIS Pro training for Daleel Petroleum's GIS team at the Amman training centre. That engagement illustrates the relevance of preparing for a specific team and product; it does not establish the software arrangements for your next course.
Our recommendation is to bring the completed worksheet to your training enquiry. It lets you explain what you can already access and which arrangements still need to be agreed. Include your target task, current level, device, location and preferred language. Ask who provides the practice environment and how long you can use it.
InfoGraph offers training in Jordan and online for learners across the region. Browse the training catalogue, review our ArcGIS Pro versus ArcGIS Online learning guide if needed, or ask about training and software arrangements. Confirm the actual course terms before booking.
Prepared for InfoGraph with AI-assisted research and drafting. Official sources checked on 21 September 2026. The worksheet and scenarios are editorial guidance; no learner account or software entitlement was tested for this article.
