Welcome to The Open University in Wales

Financial support for students in Wales

The Welsh Government has introduced a package of financial support for new part-time students. You could get up to £4,500 funding towards your living costs.

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New funding for postgraduate students

Now part-time postgraduate students in Wales can get up to £17,000 in funding. This financial support from the Welsh government is made up of grants and loans, some of which doesn't need to be paid back.

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The OU at 50

The OU was born from a radical idea: to open education for all, and in 2019 we celebrate our 50th birthday.

After years of planning by Harold Wilson and Jennie Lee, The Open University was granted a Royal Charter on 23 April 1969. Today, The Open University is the UK’s largest academic institution having empowered over two million students worldwide to transform their lives through learning, helping to make the impossible, possible.

Find out more about our unique story, meet some of our graduates and read about how we’re celebrating our milestone anniversary.

About us

We have around 9000 students across the whole of Wales supported by 300 tutors. Find out more about us and our work.

Courses and qualifications

As Wales’ largest provider of part-time undergraduate university study, The Open University in Wales offers a wide choice of qualifications in a broad range of subject areas.

Meet our students

Studying with The Open University can be life changing. See how some of our students have balanced study with work and family commitments and have flourished on their OU learning journeys.

Policy and public affairs

Through our policy and public affairs work we seek to ensure that higher education policy in Wales supports the needs of part-time learners.

The Welsh language

The Open University is subject to the Welsh Language Standards. This section includes information on how we comply with the standards and deliver our services though the medium of Welsh.