The Open University Reviews 

Absolutely amazing. Both me and my family members have done degrees with the OU and we can’t fault them one bit. The work is always laid out so simply and is presented so well. The fact you need no previous qualifications is amazing and means everyone has an equal chance. It’s also very easy and flexible to do around other commitments and be able to work aswell as doing the degree. The tutors are great and always mark assignments promptly and are very good at what they do. I recommend anyone thinking of doing a degree to study with the OU.

Thoroughly enjoyed my experience over 6 years of 6 stying for a BS(Cons) History. I can recommend the Open Uni as a way of gaining a qualification whilst working.

There is a lot of support being given to the student. If you have any question is answered immediately

I loved studying with the OU. It was challenging but I felt supported and the structure was easy to follow. Would really recommend to anyone wanting to learn something or improve their skills

I like the tutorials where I get to interact with other students and tutors. There could be more of them.
The materials for my modules so far have been great.
The range of content covered on my course is great.
I am not happy that I am a British born student, paying international fees even though I am living here, just because I was honest enough to tell the university that I was living abroad last year.

The Open University is a great university with great tutors.

Hi, I have studied with the Open Uni since 2018. I never managed to finish my studies due to the death of an immediate family member. I just feel the whole experience was a waste of time and effort. I work in catering/hospitality, so Open Uni is not appropriate for those with a sporadic schedule. The course material was extremely difficult to understand. They put so much effort in the introductory part of the texts, but when it comes to explaining important principles/concepts, they are often vague and lack information. The tutors seem disinterested, it is as though they are juggling other commitments and I was the least of their concern. I understand the material needs to be difficult, but I felt like they could have supplemented the content with more information. Give more examples maybe? Even the lectures, though they are recorded, I just felt like they were pointless, especially when they talked about how to study, how to plan, bla bla bla, it is not as though the help centre is not packed with generic study advice. I do have a diploma, but not much I can do with it. I'm not expecting an avalanche of support, but it is not worth the money/debt with the little support you get with very tiny small miniscule career prospects.

As a mature student, I prefer to study and work on my own because it allowed me to fully concentrate on my course with online academic support. Not to mention it saved me a lot of travelling time (which I used for studying) and saved money as I dont have to travel back and forth.

Given the size, it’s impressive how personal the experience is at the OU. The Maths department should be very proud of their tutors.

The Open University has transformed the way I look and analyse information .It has improved my confidence greatly.

I spend six years studying Computing and IT. It was tough, with family commitments and working full time. I was very rewarding and I learned so much

It was personalized and credible.

The OU has a really inclusive and supportive culture. The tutors are really helpful and quick to respond to any academic questions you may have. The online library is simple to navigate and comprehensive. Study skill materials and sessions are available to support your studies. Whilst deadlines are set, study is flexible so that you can choose tutorials that suit your schedule. You can also engage with other students through the online forums and societies. I’m very happy with my OU experience.

I always had an interest in Geology opportunity arose to study with the OU, i really enjoyed i found the tutors to be very supportive, very knowledgeable and happy to help you succeed. The studying can be stressful at times and difficult but nothing like chsllenging yourself. I made lots of new friends and it open so many opportunities. Even a new career which i love. So anyone looking for a new challenge or new career path i highly recommend studying with the OU

I didn't succeed in school for numerous reasons, and The OU gave me the opportunity to study a BSc in Physics, regardless of my background.
I truly believe this institution is special - the number of people, like myself, who didn't succeed the first time around yet still have a passion for a subject, get a chance to pursue their chosen field.

That said, it isn't an easy path. From my experience of the Physics Bsc, you need to be extremely dedicated and willing to do a high amount of self-study to even achieve the recommended level to begin. To aid this, you are given a great selection of materials - the maths textbooks are some of the best I've read and are far more intuitive than some of the most decorated texts in the field.

The tutor support is overall good, but I found some of them to be inconsistent depending on the module. Some tutors would spend extra time helping me with problems, whilst others wouldn't reply to messages for weeks, and this is where the self-drive and willingness to solve a problem had to come into play.

The institution is also very supportive of people from diverse backgrounds. I am dyslexic and was supported very well throughout my undergrad.

My time at The OU will always be special to me - two stand-out memories are when differentiation first clicked and later understanding how the Schrodinger equation uses complex numbers to model the invisible "phase" of a system, which then collapses into real-valued probabilities.
I will be forever grateful to The OU for giving me the opportunity to get a physics BSc and pursue a career in science.
I would advise anyone who is considering studying at The OU to go for it - it's a difficult journey but an incredibly enriching one. If I was able succeed in a Physics undergrad, anyone can!

online teaching is ok but the lack of printed materials to supplement a course is a shortcoming. Also, day schools seems to have been ended. Many lecturers are not full time OU staff most having day jobs.

I felt unsupported. I can only recall one tutor who was engaging throughout my whole time with the OU. I will say however that the flexibility the OU provides around work and study are second to none and I congratulate them on their longevity.

I was very impressed with the online teaching materials and the very high calibre of knowledgeable tutors and staff during my two year fascinating challenge to secure an MA in History. I specialized in the Early Modern period 1500-1800, which I found truly marvellous, over 2023-2025. Many thanks to all tutors and staff.

I started my study over 10 years ago and I have reached my goal of a BSc.
I couldn't have done it in three years but the opportunity to spread it over 10 or so years was ideal for me.