Charlotte from Treorchy

Charlotte had excellent grades at GCSEs but severe bullying by students and teachers resulted in her leaving school without A Levels.

The OU gave Charlotte the confidence to study again. She’s now set up her own company as an international anti-bullying speaker.

Ahmed from Cardiff

Ahmed left school without many qualifications. However, he knew he was capable of more, so signed up for one of our Access modules.

Studying with the OU meant he could balance family life and his job with the NHS alongside his studies.

Dr John Evans from Ammanford

In 1970, Dr John Evans was two miles underground in Cwmgwili Colliery in Carmarthenshire when he came across an advert in a coal magazine for the Open University.

He cut out the advertisement, took it home and immediately applied for the OU, becoming one of the first students to enrol in Wales.

Lauren from Caernarfon.

Studying with the OU gave Lauren the flexibility to help her partner on the farm and pursue her dream career as an English teacher.

The support she received from the OU allowed her to achieve her ambitions.

Ashleigh from Swansea

Ashleigh went straight into work after leaving college. She decided she wanted to start a degree but didn’t want to quit her job.

The flexibility of the OU meant she could stay in work and gain valuable experience whilst studying towards her degree.

Mark from Llandysul

Mark worked in a bar alongside his OU studies to fund his degree. He’s now starting his first IT job and hopes this is the beginning of a new career.

Mark won the Sir John Daniels Award for the best overall score in Computing and IT at this year’s Cardiff graduation ceremony.

If you are feeling inspired by our students’ remarkable stories, check out our range of courses. Explore what’s possible when you learn around your life with The Open University.

Request your prospectus

Explore our qualifications and courses by requesting one of our prospectuses today.

Request prospectus