A method for the determination of the refractive index of liquids using a He–Ne laser is presented. The experimental setup is simple and utilizes equipment which is normally available in most optics laboratories. Measurements carried out on water and several organic liquids are reported. The values of the refractive indices obtained by this method are in good agreement with those given in literature. The accuracy of results is of the order of ±5×10−3and can be improved by the use of a scale of higher precision.