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Accessibility statement
A view of Europe from space
The Open University was established by Royal Charter on 23 April 1969.
We’ve come a long way since then, constantly innovating at every step to ensure that our founding mission – enabling access to education for all – remains as relevant today as it did over 50 years ago.
We are the largest university in the UK and the most popular choice for flexible study.
Find out more about our degrees, diplomas and certificates – choose from over 200 qualifications.
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We consistently score highly for student satisfaction – 91.5% average over 10 years (National Student Survey 2012–21).
The OU supports a diverse community of over 900 postgraduate research students who are undertaking cutting-edge PhD and Professional Doctorate projects.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 assessed 82% of our research as having a world-leading or internationally excellent impact.
Our courses are underpinned by our research and are subject to rigorous external scrutiny.
In addition, a world-leading programme of research into teaching strategies and educational technologies ensures that our materials are effective and appropriate for large-scale supported distance learning.
Find out more about our research and the research degrees we offer.
PhD student, Hannah Sargeant.
PhD student, Hannah Sargeant. Her research is focussed on water production from Moon rocks as part of the ProSPA instrument that will be flown to the Moon in 2025.
Open University degrees awarded are comparable with those awarded by other UK universities. In fact, many employers and organisations worldwide employ Open University graduates and understand that an OU degree is equal in academic standard to a degree from any other British university.
Find out more about recognition of OU qualifications where you live.
Open University graduation ceremony
An Open University degree has the same status as one from any top UK university.
For over half a century, the OU and the BBC have been co-producing inspirational content with a mission to bring learning to life for millions of people.
Our partnership began in the early 1970s as an innovative mission to provide access to learning at scale via late-night lectures beamed into people's homes. Continuing to adapt with the changing times, it still inspires leading learning from a range of co-produced and award-winning content, like Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet II and Planet Earth.
The Open University has a vast range of academic expertise, and whatever partnership content we are co-producing benefits from our experts' specialist knowledge. OU academics consult throughout the entire production process.
Find out more about our latest co-produced projects with the BBC.
Blue Planet II promotional image from the BBC
The OU/BBC partnership benefits from the OU's academic expertise to produce groundbreaking series such as Blue Planet II. Image © BBC.
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