The Open University Reviews 

good resources.
helpful
quality

My experience with The Open University has been deeply disappointing. The biggest issue is the level of stress and uncertainty students face throughout the assessment process. The university's review and investigation procedures can take a very long time, leaving students in a state of anxiety without clear timelines or transparent communication.
What I found particularly frustrating was the lack of clear information about the criteria and circumstances under which submitted work may be referred for additional scrutiny. Students are often left unsure about what is expected of them and what might trigger a review. This uncertainty creates significant psychological pressure and makes it difficult to focus on learning.
Instead of encouraging students to stay motivated and engaged, the prolonged review process can reduce confidence and enthusiasm for continuing with studies. The stress associated with waiting for outcomes can also affect the quality of future assignments, as students may become overly cautious, discouraged, or lose motivation altogether.
I believe the university should improve transparency around its assessment policies, provide clearer guidance on review procedures, and ensure that investigations are completed within reasonable timeframes. A more supportive and student-centered approach would help create a healthier learning environment and allow students to focus on their education rather than prolonged uncertainty.

Learning was personalised and tutors are well experienced in promoting good learning.

Tutors are amazing, the modules are well organised and overall the staff is very helpful.

Very good university, there are lots of help if you needed, Very good syllubus.

The assistance and the understanding I get everytime I need it from the Open University is incredible. It makes me feel heard, supported and motivates me to continue. From the assistance on the phone to the tutors, I respect their work and their kindness, and I feel happy I study with the Open University.

The constant availability of my tutor is the main reason I manage to complete T192 successfully.
I commend the professionalism of the instructor during the lessons and the availability of learning materials.

I loved studying at Ou for 3 years! The platform is amazing, all modules easy to access and understanding. Plenty of exercises. A huge library as well.
Tutorials are my favourite as always helped me a lot. Quality of the modules are amazing! I would totally recommend studying with them.

Excellent- I've been studying with the OU since 1980 and attained a range of qualifications. High quality teaching resources which has had a positive impact on my own career in education.

I find it difficult to recommend the OU, the customer experience is poor, and the tutors are very good and kind and all, but they are clearly ran ragged. Staffing is something the OU does not seem to take seriously and overwork and standards & working conditions for staff are awful.
If you like learning in a meat processing plant as a piece of meat, the OU is a place to be (with that said all higher education is a feeder belt these days)
The interfaces are annoying to use so the first order of business is to fully learn the web interface and its nik naks- do not put that off!
As with any higher education you get out what you put in, but the overwhelming experience feels real distant.
The books and resources you are given are adequate

Just finished my first year of cyber security. The course is time-demanding if you want to complete it as a full-time schedule. But I am happy I started. 37 y old.

Almost at the end of my Law degree. The OU excel at online learning. They constantly strive to update the student learning environment and experience. Had some fab tutors. Great web module platform. Would highly recommend.

Student support and educational advisors were absolutely brilliant. Extremely kind and compassionate about my situation and supported me to make decisions thag will benefit my education and student journey. Thank you.

The course and the experience was great and worked well around my home life. I was able to access the learning at my own pace and found having set off of to study useful. I found difficulty in logging practice hours and systematic issues but these were resolved in a timely manner and my practice tutor in my second year could not help me enough, she was very supportive and visible throughout my studies.

This has been the best way for me to get my nursing degree the support is amazing. I would recommend to anyone particularly if they have a busy family life it works amazingly

Very disappointed in the lack of support from tutors, I am studying 3modules, 1 tutor is very good, the other 2 are absent.

Professional

The OU is a great way to learn, especially for adult learners

Once you are enrolled, you are just a number

The Open University spends a fortune marketing itself as flexible, inclusive and student-focused. My experience has shown the opposite.

I had a serious technical issue with an assessment that forms part of my TM257 EMA. The Cisco NetAcad CCNA2 Final Exam only showed questions up to Q19, then sent me straight to the submit/result page. The exam should have had 60 questions, but it recorded my attempt as completed with a score of 30%.

That is not a failed attempt. That is a broken assessment.

I reported the issue, provided screenshots and made clear that the EMA deadline was approaching. I later found that other students had experienced similar problems and that Cisco had acknowledged an issue at their end. Despite this, I was left chasing basic answers while an invalid score sat against my record.

As a disabled student, this has been even more stressful. What concerns me further is that other one-star reviews also raise concerns about disability support, which makes this feel less like an isolated mistake and more like a wider problem with how disabled students are supported when things go wrong.

The most frustrating part is the lack of ownership. You pay the fees, follow the process and meet the deadlines, but when the system fails, no one seems willing to take responsibility.

I have now had to raise a formal complaint just to get a serious assessment issue taken seriously.

Based on this experience, the OU’s support does not match its marketing. Once you are in the system, it feels like you are on your own.

Best decision I ever made studying mental health nursing through the OU!