The Open University (OU) is a public research university in the United Kingdom. It is the largest university in the UK by the number of students. Most OU students are in the UK and study from home. Many courses, for both younger and older students, can be studied from anywhere in the world.

The OU was started in 1969. It first used TV studios in London that the BBC had left. The first students began their studies in January 1971. Today, the main offices are in Milton Keynes, but there are also centers across the UK and in other European countries. The university offers many types of qualifications, like degrees and diplomas. It also has special "Open Degrees" where students can mix subjects they want to learn.

With over 208,000 students, the OU is one of the biggest universities in Europe. Since it began, more than 2.3 million students have learned new things with the Open University. The OU is also one of only two UK universities approved in the United States. Many successful people, like former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, have been involved with the OU.

History of the Open University

The Royal Charter of The Open University

The Open University was created by the Labour government. Prime Minister Harold Wilson strongly supported the idea. Planning started in 1965 with Jennie Lee, who was a Minister for Education. She wanted to make higher education available to more people. She set up a group of university leaders and TV broadcasters to help plan it.

The idea was to use television and radio to teach students. This linked the university to the new technology of the time. Even though some people doubted the idea, Jennie Lee's strong will and Harold Wilson's support made it happen. The university officially received its special permission, called a royal charter, on April 23, 1969.

Queen Elizabeth II visits The Open University in 1979.

How the OU is Organized

OU Staff

Walton Hall manor house, a historic building on the OU Campus

The Open University has many staff members. Almost 5,000 part-time teachers, called "associate lecturers," work for the OU. There are also over 1,400 full-time teachers and researchers. These staff members create the learning materials and help students. The university also has many support staff, like secretaries and technicians.

Academic Areas

The university is divided into different academic groups called Faculties. These include:

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS)
Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)

Business School

The Open University Business School (OUBS) was started in 1988. It offers business courses, including an MBA program. The OU Business School is recognized by top international groups. It is known as one of the best business schools in the UK.

How the OU Teaches

The Open University in Belfast

The OU uses many ways to teach its students. These include:

Written books and audio materials.
The Internet and computer software.
TV programs on DVD (these used to be broadcast on the BBC).

Teachers, called "associate lecturers," help students with their work. They give feedback and are available by phone or online. Some courses have required in-person classes or summer schools. These give students a chance to focus on their studies and get practical experience.

Perry C building in Open University Campus in Milton Keynes

For many years, the OU made TV and radio shows to help more people learn. In 2004, the OU decided to stop its late-night BBC programs. Now, they focus on educational TV shows broadcast at popular times, like on BBC Four.

In 2006, the OU launched OpenLearn. This website offers many free learning materials from their courses. Anyone can access these materials, and teachers can even use them for their own classes.

The OU also uses online learning tools like Moodle. In 2013, the OU started FutureLearn, which is the UK's biggest provider of free online courses.

The Open University launched FutureLearn in December 2012 with a dozen UK university partners.

How Students are Graded

Robert Hooke building at Open University Campus in Milton Keynes

OU courses are usually graded using a mix of assignments and exams. Assignments are often completed at home and marked by a tutor. There might also be online quizzes. The final grade often depends on both your assignments and a final exam or a big end-of-module project.

Grades are given as Pass 1 (highest), 2, 3, or 4. Anything below 40% is a fail. These grades help decide your final degree classification.

Qualifications You Can Get

Undergraduate Degrees

OU courses have "credits" that show how much material is in the course and how difficult it is. A full-time student usually takes 120 credits per year.

Walton Hall, Milton Keynes

The OU offers many undergraduate qualifications, like certificates, diplomas, and bachelor's degrees. To get an undergraduate degree, you need 300 or 360 credits. Students usually take about 60 credits per year, so a degree might take six years to finish.

The OU offers degrees like Bachelor of Arts (BA), Science (BSc), Laws (LLB), and Engineering (BEng). You can choose a specific subject or an "unnamed" degree where you pick courses you like.

Many OU courses now offer short, ten-credit modules. These are often online and last about ten weeks. Some science courses also have short residential schools where students get hands-on lab experience.

Open Degree

St Michael's Church at the Open University campus

Besides degrees in specific subjects, the Open University also offers "Open" degrees. These degrees let students choose courses from many different subjects. This helps them create a study plan that fits their interests or career goals.

The Open degree is the most popular qualification at the OU. About 20,000 students are studying for an Open degree, making the Open University the UK's largest provider of mixed-subject education.

Postgraduate Degrees

The Open University also offers higher-level degrees for students who already have a bachelor's degree. These include:

PhD (Doctorate) – for advanced research.
Master's degrees like MBA, MSc, MA, and MEd.
Postgraduate diplomas and certificates.

These higher degrees help professionals advance in their careers.

Graduation Ceremonies

The Open University holds its annual degree ceremony at The Barbican Centre in London.

Unlike many universities, OU degree ceremonies are not where degrees are formally given out. Instead, they are "Presentation of Graduates" events. Students have already received their degrees before the ceremony.

The ceremonies happen throughout the year in different cities across the UK and Ireland. A senior university leader leads the ceremony. Students wear special academic robes, and there is a formal procession.

Academic Robes

The special clothes worn at OU graduation ceremonies are blue and gold (yellow). No hats are worn.

University Rankings

The Open University is listed in major world university rankings. These rankings look at things like teaching, research, and how well students do.

The OU was ranked in the top third of UK universities for its research in 2014. In 2021, the Open University was ranked third in a national survey for overall student satisfaction.

Research at the OU

Like other universities, the OU does a lot of research. The OU's Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute is famous for its work on space missions. For example, 15 people from the OU were part of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. They helped build an instrument that landed on Saturn's moon Titan.

The OU has over 500 people doing research in more than 25 different areas. They spend about £20 million each year on research. The OU also has a website called Open Research Online (ORO), which shares over 40,000 research papers for free.

OpenScience Observatories

The Open University operates telescopes at the Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, Spain.

The university has telescopes and other instruments at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain. These include the COmpletely Autonomous Service Telescope (COAST) and the Physics Innovations Robotic Telescope Explorer (PIRATE).

OU Students

In the 2021–22 school year, there were over 208,000 students enrolled at the Open University.

Student Facts

Most OU students are from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are also thousands of students from other countries. More women than men study at the undergraduate level, but more men study at the postgraduate level.

While many OU students are adults, more and more younger students (under 25) are joining. In 2010, the OU had more students in this age group than any other UK university. Many of these younger students also work full-time. The youngest OU graduate was a fifteen-year-old boy who earned a science degree in 2014.

Courses Offered

OU students sign up for individual courses, called "modules," which have a certain number of credits. These modules can then count towards a degree.

In 2009–10, the most popular subjects were social studies, biological and physical sciences, and history and philosophy. Even smaller programs, like creative arts, had many students.

The most popular course was DD101 An introduction to the social sciences, with over 7,500 students.

Cintra House, Cambridge, a former OU office

Fees and Help with Costs

Many students receive financial help for their studies. The cost of an undergraduate degree at the OU can vary. Since 2012, students living in England pay higher fees than those in other parts of the UK. The main way the Open University gets money is from student fees.

Degrees Awarded

The number of students at the OU grew quickly. By 1987–88, over 100,000 students were enrolled each year. By 2009–10, this number reached 250,000. Overall, by the end of 2009–10, the OU had taught over 1.5 million students and awarded over 800,000 qualifications.

Open University Students Association

The Open University Students Association is like a student government for OU students. It helps students connect, volunteer, find information, and get support for their studies. It also has student clubs and societies, just like other universities.

Famous People Connected to the OU

Jocelyn Bell Burnell led the physics department at the OU for 10 years.
Robin Wilson is an emeritus professor in the Department of Mathematics.
Colin Pillinger was a founding member of the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute at OU.
Brian Goodwin worked as a professor of biology at the OU until his retirement in 1992.
Stuart Hall was a professor of sociology at the OU for 18 years until his retirement in 1997.

Many famous people have taught or studied at the Open University.

Notable Graduates and Alumni

Former Home Secretary and Minister Lord Reid is an Open University alumnus.
While acting in London, Talulah Riley received a degree in Natural Sciences from the OU.
Meles Zenawi – former President and Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Meles acquired an MBA from the OU in 1995.
Natalya Kaspersky earned a bachelor's degree from OU.
Sir Lenny Henry graduated with a BA Hons in English Literature, from the OU.
Marat Khusnullin – Deputy Prime Minister of Russia graduated from the OU with a degree in management.
Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, completed a graduate diploma in economics at the Open University.
Lord McFall obtained a BA from the Open University in Education and Philosophy.
Romola Garai obtained a degree in English literature from the Open University.

Honorary Graduates

Former UK Prime Minister and OU tutor Gordon Brown received an honorary doctorate from the Open University.
Honorary graduate and OU supporter Sir David Attenborough
Tim Berners-Lee – inventor of the World Wide Web and recipient of OU honorary doctorate.
King Charles III (then Prince Charles) received an Honorary Degree from the OU in 1982.
Brian Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate by the OU.
In 2013 the Open University honoured Terry Pratchett with an honorary doctorate.
Richard Dawkins holds an honorary doctorate from the Open University.

OU in Pop Culture

The Open University has appeared in many films and TV shows.

The movie Educating Rita is about a working-class woman who studies English literature through private lessons, similar to the OU.
TV characters like Anne Bryce in Ever Decreasing Circles and Yvonne Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart have taken OU courses.
In 2006, Lenny Henry starred in a BBC drama about someone who falls in love while taking an OU English Literature course. (Lenny Henry himself earned an OU degree in English!)
In the TV series Life on Mars, the main character received messages from his real world through Open University programs.

Partnerships

Armed Forces

The OU works with the Ministry of Defence to offer courses to members of the British armed forces. Soldiers can study even when they are on active duty or in conflict zones.

Partner Institutions

The Open University has partners around the world. These partner schools offer degrees that are approved by the OU. Some examples include Regent's University London and American College of Greece.

Doctoral Training Partnerships

The OU works with other top universities like the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. These partnerships help fund and train students who are working on their PhDs in various subjects.

Open University facts for kids

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