The Open University

Image showing a lightbulb in the sky depicting a "lightbulb moment". Image credit: Jetalproducoes, Pixabay

OU’s Open Business Creators Fund awards grants totalling £30k to student-led enterprises

21 August 2026

Eighteen budding entrepreneurs have been awarded cash grants to kickstart their business ideas thanks to Open Business Creators (OBC). The popular and long-running initiative supports Open University students and alumni to start, grow and sustain their own businesses or freelance careers. Through a combination of training, funding and business support, OBC aims to help entrepreneurs […]

Michael Sheen investigates a toxic legacy in new OU/BBC series

20 August 2026

A new OU / BBC series, Buried with Michael Sheen begins Monday 17 August at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. For years, Welsh actor Michael Sheen has been haunted by the story of Douglas Gowan, a farming consultant who claimed communities in Wales had been poisoned by decades of toxic chemical dumping. In this […]

Still image taken from Emergency 24/7, Credit: BBC/Expectation TV

Emergency 24/7 takes viewers inside a major NHS trauma centre in new OU/BBC series

18 August 2026

A new OU / BBC series, Emergency 24/7 begins Tuesday 18 August at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. From the makers of Murder 24/7, Emergency 24/7 takes viewers inside one of the UK’s busiest Major Trauma Centres, the Emergency Department at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Filmed across reception, resuscitation, operating theatres, intensive care and […]

Professor Ian Pickup, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Student Experience at the Open University, advises on results day, clearing, and the power of flexible higher education

10 August 2026

A‑level results day can feel like a crossroads. For some, it brings relief and celebration, for others, it brings uncertainty, disappointment, or a sudden need to rethink plans that felt fixed only days before. But as Professor Ian Pickup, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students at The Open University, points out, this moment is rarely as final as […]

OU celebrates inauguration of Anatolia American University

23 July 2026

The Open University recently joined partners in Thessaloniki, Greece, to celebrate the official inauguration of Anatolia American University, marking a major milestone in a long-standing partnership built on trust, shared values and a shared belief in the power of education to change lives. The inauguration marks a new chapter in the OU’s 12-year validation partnership […]

Student Home update

21 July 2026

We’re very sorry that many students are still having trouble accessing Student Home. We know how important your results are and appreciate your patience while our technical teams work around the clock to resolve this complex issue. Current situation: Some students can access Student Home, but many still cannot. Pages are taking a long time to load. […]

Read more about Student Home update

BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? comes to The Open University in Milton Keynes

9 July 2026

The Open University will welcome one of the BBC’s longest-running and most respected current affairs programmes to its Milton Keynes campus this summer. BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? will be broadcast from The Open University’s Walton Hall campus on Friday 7 August 2026, bringing a live audience and a panel of leading figures from politics and public life to Milton […]

The OU’s 2026 National Student Survey results

9 July 2026

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2026 have been published, with The Open University (OU) continuing to perform strongly across key areas of the student experience. This year, 14,966 OU students took part and overall have highly rated the OU for its teaching, assessment and organisation of their courses. 90.9% of students responded positively about the teaching on their course, 2.8% higher than […]

Chris Packham explores the story of evolution in new OU/BBC series

9 July 2026

A new OU / BBC series, Evolution begins Monday 13 July at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Chris Packham reveals the epic, 4-billion-year story of life on Earth. From humble origins to the complex creatures we see today, shaped in surprising ways by the unstoppable force of evolution. Across five episodes, Chris explores some […]