About

The Open University was established by Royal Charter on 23 April 1969 and celebrated its 50th birthday in 2019.  We are the leading university for flexible, innovative teaching and world-leading research in the United Kingdom and in 157 countries worldwide. Uniquely placed to understand the needs of part-time students, combining their learning while earning, our innovative, award-winning distance teaching credentials have seen over 2 million students receive an education, otherwise denied to them at campus-based universities. Interested in seeing more? Take a look at our prospectuses.

Annual reports

Our Annual Report 2019/20 website and Financial Statement tell the story of our year.

Our Vice-Chancellor

Meet Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor here at The Open University. Tim is a highly respected academic as well as the University’s chief executive and is incredibly proud to be leading the institution.

Governance at The OU

Governance at the University as defined by Royal Charter, including its officers, committees and procedures.

Strategy and policies

Learn about The Open University, its history, strategy and mission.

Find out where your fees go.

Teaching and research

Find out how OU-style open learning works from course development through to delivery to our students.

In addition to UK quality assurance, The Open University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). It defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources.

Find us

The Open University has its headquarters at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes, with representation across the UK.