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Category: Student stories

Young girl with long blonde hair throwing a mortar board in the air.

‘At the OU, I was able to get on with living my life’

Jordan, a 26-year-old secondary school teacher from the Isle of Wight was able to land the job she always wanted with the help of The Open University (OU). Despite having to drop out of a campus university, she pivoted to online-supported learning with the OU and personalised her qualification to suit her lifestyle. “Like so […]

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Open University graduate wins prestigious national nursing award

Open University graduate wins prestigious national nursing award

Open University graduate, Fay Dudson has won the Student Innovation in Practice Award at the annual Student Nursing Times Awards. The ceremony, which took place in a glitzy ceremony on 2nd May in London, honoured the outstanding achievements of the upcoming generation of nurses and their mentors, recognising those who consistently go above and beyond […]

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Two women wearing sunglasses, standing next to each other. The woman on the left is wearing graduation robes.

“The OU gave me the second chance I’d been looking for,” says gym owner turned solicitor

As Helen from Stoke-on-Trent approached her 40s, she felt it was time for a change. Even though she already had an arts degree and was running a successful gym with her sister, she’d always wished she’d pursued a career in law. The Open University (OU) allowed her to fit studies around other commitments and having […]

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Jaz facing the camera and smiling. Plants and a pergola are in the background.

‘OU study helped me get ahead in my career before I even graduated’

Rather than following the same path to higher education as her peers Jaz, 24, was itching to start work and earn her independence. Still determined to achieve a degree, Jaz discovered The Open University’s flexible distance learning courses and never looked back. Now a proud Business Management (Marketing) graduate, Jaz shares her thoughts on how […]

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Julie sitting on a chair, smiling at the camera. a leafy plant is on the left of the shot.

‘OU study gave me the opportunity to pursue new career goals with confidence and expertise’

As thousands of runners are nursing their aching legs after this year’s record breaking London Marathon, we’re thrilled to share the story of Open University MBA graduate Dr Julie McElroy, who became the first female frame runner to complete the iconic race last year. When Julie, an award winning disability rights campaigner, was confined to […]

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Daniel Bingley

Former soldier’s gratitude for life-changing scholarship

Ex-soldier Daniel Bingley, from Wootton in Bedford, credits a degree scholarship for disabled veterans from The Open University for helping him turn his life around, after a career-ending injury put paid to the working life he had known. As a career soldier from a military family, Daniel fully expected to continue in the job until […]

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Leonie dressed in graduation gown, smiling at the camera with a tree in the background.

‘I feel like I can do anything, thanks to OU study!’

Having struggled with the structure of school and college, Leonie, 25, was convinced that higher education wasn’t for her, until a TV advert for The Open University (OU) made her think again. Now a proud Business Management graduate, Leonie shares how she juggled being a new mum with a busy job and full-time study. Figuring […]

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Retired sub-postmistress notches up her third degree

Retired sub-postmistress notches up her third degree

At the age of 79 former sub-post mistress Pat Wetherell has proved that age is no bar to higher education since she recently donned graduation robes to collect her hard-earned MA in History from The Open University (OU). It’s the second OU degree the mother-of-two from Eston, Middlesbrough, has notched up, and her third degree […]

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A young woman is pictured smiling with her husband and four children.

“I wanted to show my kids that there isn’t just one path to education,” says mum of four

Ellie, 34 from Somerset, studied her BA (Honours) Arts and Humanities degree at The Open University (OU) alongside her busy life as a mum of four. What started as a route to a new career became a lifeline when her family were hit with challenging times. She not only gained a qualification but also a […]

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A young blonde woman, wearing a mortar board and holding a certificate, in front of a sea-view with mountains in the distance.

‘The OU allowed me to fit my studies in a schedule that worked for me,’ says busy working mum

Rebecca, 37, from the Isle of Ulva in Scotland, always had an interest in higher education but didn’t want to leave the beloved island she calls home. It wasn’t until she was 27 and a busy working mum of two children that she discovered The Open University (OU). Through her BA (Honours) Politics, Philosophy and […]

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