The Open University

Open University programme offers Black students chance for free study

28 April 2023

The Open University is offering 50 UK-based Black students on lower incomes the chance to study a degree for free. The Black Students Support Fund is part of a life-changing package of scholarships and bursaries worth more than £3 million offered by the University to address inequity in access and success in education. Those who […]

‘My degree has given me insight and knowledge to run my business’

26 April 2023

Busy mum and entrepreneur, Elly, 28, shares how studying for an Open University degree has helped her to launch and run a business selling body positive artwork. Inspired to do more Elly chose the OU so she could boost her skills and become an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) specialist. Part way through an MA […]

Super-student mother notches up three degrees in six years while working

18 April 2023

When a mother-of-two climbed the stage at London’s The Barbican in celebration of passing her Open University degree the audience was left agog when they discovered she was there for not one degree but three. In fact, Diana de Vega de Ceniga, 50, from Surrey, doesn’t have just three degrees, but a total of FIVE! […]

Image of white male with coastal background

‘From a plane to a café in Paris, I can study anywhere with the OU’

18 April 2023

With the flexibility of The Open University (OU), Colm, 32, has been able to study whilst travelling the world. Originally from Ireland, Colm has spent the last eight years working towards a Bachelor of Engineering, alongside his adventurous life living in Budapest and Madrid. Earning and learning Colm was attracted to OU study, as he […]

Nicola officially ‘collects’ her Open University degree – 31 years after earning it

14 April 2023

Thirty-one years after passing her Open University degree, former Weymouth schoolgirl Nicola Willis-Jones finally ‘officially’ graduated at an OU degree ceremony. After living in three different countries, now settled in America, the 61-year-old hadn’t made time to ‘collect’ on her hard-earned work. But that all changed recently when she climbed the stage at the Milton […]

‘It was my route into nursing – no boat required’

6 February 2023

Kerry Black, 30, is one of the first Nursing Associates to qualify through a partnership with The Open University and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Kerry shares how an apprenticeship has allowed her to pursue her NHS career dreams without having to leave her island home. “I started off at the GP surgery 10 […]

‘There weren’t many women in the industry – I wanted to make a change’

6 February 2023

After leaving school, Phoebe, 21, chose to fast-track her IT career by starting a digital apprenticeship with The Open University while working at technology company RDT. Phoebe’s journey began with an interest in video gaming. Having completed A-Levels in maths, economics and history, she knew that a role in IT was the route she wanted […]

OU research student Lois in the lab at Milton Keynes

Meet the OU researcher using sunlight to create clean water

2 February 2023

When Lois Damptey left her home in Ghana to study for a PhD with The Open University, she had one clear goal: for her research to help save lives. Now in the final year of her doctorate, Lois, 30, is exploring how solar energy can be used to create a low-cost water filtration system. The […]

Start your degree in 2023

26 December 2022

If you want to change direction in 2023 but never thought of education before, an Open University degree could be just what you are looking for. A university degree can be lifechanging, ask our students. The Open University currently has 205,000, including 9,000 across the globe, and many who have achieved against the odds. Earlier […]

OU degree is ‘on pointe’ for Scottish Ballet star

21 December 2022

An acclaimed Scottish Ballet dancer shares how she achieved her first-class Open University degree alongside a full-time career as a professional ballerina. Constance Devernay-Laurence is used to wowing audiences as a Principal dancer in Scottish Ballet. She’s now added another achievement to her bright career by completing a degree in Sport, Fitness and Coaching. “It’s […]

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Category: Student stories