The Open University

The Open University (OU) is the United Kingdom's only university dedicated to distance learning. The University has around 150,000 undergraduate and more than 30,000 postgraduate students. 10,000 students have disabilities. Nearly all students are studying part-time. About 70 per cent of undergraduate students are in full-time employment. More than 50,000 students are sponsored by their employers for their studies.

The Open University's style of teaching is called supported open learning.

Most OU courses are available throughout Europe. Some of them are available in many other parts of the world. More than 25,000 OU students live outside the UK.

The University itself is ranked among the top UK universities for the quality of its teaching.

A third of UK undergraduate students have entry qualifications lower than those normally demanded by other UK universities.