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Registration as a student

The rules and regulations on this page apply to students registered with The Open University. They define the basis of the registration agreement between the student and the University.

Conditions of Registration

These documents set out the general conditions of registration that apply to students’ study with The Open University.

Fee Rules

  • Fee Rules 2012 (202KB) revised 15 May 2013 - for qualifications and modules starting from 1 August 2012. This document sets out the rules we apply to work out the fees you may have to pay to study with The Open University, including eligibility for transitional arrangements (where applicable), and the fee refunds or fee discounts you may be eligible for if there is a change in your study plans.
  • Fee Rules 2013 (292KB) revised 15 May 2013 for qualifications and modules starting from 1 August 2013. This document sets out the rules we apply to work out the fees you may have to pay to study with The Open University, and the fee refunds or fee discounts you may be eligible for if there is a change in your study plans.
  • Discretionary Fee Discounts (31KB) - applies only to modules starting on or before 31 July 2012 

Regulations

These regulations apply to students registered with The Open University and together with the Conditions of Registration, they define the basis of the registration agreement between the student and the University. 

Admission of Applicants under the Age of 18

This document sets out the University's policy for the admission of applicants under the age of 18 and includes the admissions process for applicants under the age of 16.

Policy for the admission of applicants under the age of 18 (53KB)

Code of Practice for Student Assessment

This document is part of the student regulations which apply to all students of the OU.

These regulations define the basis of the registration agreement between the student and us. Students who register for a specific academic qualification from the University are also governed by our qualification regulations which deal with registering for a qualification, completing a qualification and other matters about qualifications. The detailed assessment rules for each module appear separately as module rules.

Code of Practice for Student Discipline

Under statute 16(23) of our Charter, we must have a Code of Practice for Student Discipline. The aim of this code is to make sure that we maintain academic standards and provide an appropriate learning environment.

Deferrals, Withdrawals and Cancellations

This document sets out the policy that will govern how we will respond if you want to take a break in your studies or wish to change your study plans.

 

This document explains the procedure you must follow if you have registered for a module or qualification which starts after 1 August 2012, and you want to defer or withdraw from your studies or want to change your choice of module. 

 

The Assessment banking rules set out the conditions you will have to meet if, when you defer a module, you wish to retain the scores from assessments you have completed, carry these forward to a future presentation of the same module, and complete the assessment requirements during that future presentation. This process is called 'assessment banking'.

Student Progress - Conditions specified by Senate, Student Regulation 8.8

If you have not completed at least one module successfully in three eligible presentations of study you will not be allowed to register for another module unless you meet the conditions specified by the Senate.  This document explains those conditions.