The Open Futures Fund: rewriting futures through life-changing OU scholarships

Posted on 8 April 2026 • Around the OU, University news

Applications are now open for people from traditionally underserved backgrounds who could benefit from the truly life-changing opportunity to study for free at The Open University.

Through the Open Futures Fund, a bespoke scholarships programme supporting people from five distinct groups – disabled military veterans, unpaid carers, lower-income Black students, those seeking sanctuary in the UK, and people who have spent time in the care system – futures are being rewritten each year through the remarkable power of education.

Since 2018, the OU has awarded 740 scholarships, funded exclusively through the generosity of alumni, friends and supporters of the University.

Without these scholarships, and the opportunity to access flexible, remote education, university study would be out of reach for so many applicants. Instead, those facing barriers to education are now being supported to achieve their dreams.

“The Open University’s social justice mission is more important now than ever before, and the Open Futures Fund scholarships programme is a crucial part of this mission: to ensure everyone has the same access to life-changing education, regardless of who they are or where they came from.”

Professor David Phoenix, The Open University Vice-Chancellor

Scholarship applications are now open for study commencing this autumn. Please visit or share the links below for eligibility criteria, closing dates, and details on how to apply:

• The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund. Giving access to OU education, alongside specialist disability and careers support for up to three years post-study. Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund
• Carers’ Scholarships. Providing full higher education scholarships to unpaid carers, with a proportion of places ring-fenced for young carers. Carers’ Scholarships
• The Black Students’ Support Fund. Offering the opportunity of fully-funded undergraduate study to lower-income students who identify as Black. Black Students’ Support Fund
• Sanctuary Scholarships. Open to people seeking refuge in the UK, helping them to rebuild their lives by studying and gaining skills to forge new careers. Sanctuary Scholarships
• The Care Experienced Scholarship. Kindly supported by the John Lewis Partnership, this programme offers undergraduate scholarships to people aged 30 and under who have experienced time in care. The Care Experienced Scholarship

“This scholarship gave me the purpose never to give up and to believe that anything is possible in life. And that is what I call a miracle.”

Tinta, Open Futures Fund scholarship recipient

To hear first-hand from more current scholarship recipients and proud graduates, visit the Student Stories videos page.

And for information on donating towards scholarships, please visit https://giving.open.ac.uk/openfutures

We look forward to warmly welcoming the new cohort of inspiring, determined scholarship students in autumn 2026.