The OU's mission

The Open University's mission is to be open to people, places, methods and ideas.

We promote educational opportunity and social justice by providing high-quality university education to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

Through academic research, pedagogic innovation and collaborative partnership we seek to be a world leader in the design, content and delivery of supported open learning.

How we deliver our mission

The OU was founded to open up higher education to all, regardless of their circumstances or where they live. We have students of all ages and backgrounds: school students wanting experience of university-level study, school leavers who choose to begin their careers while they study for a degree, people wanting to develop or update their skills, or change career entirely, and retired people wanting to explore new interests and keep mentally active.

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities for all and we monitor ourselves to make sure we live up to our ideals.

Equality and diversity website

Open to all: what we mean by open admissions

Nearly all of our undergraduate courses have no formal entry requirements, either prior qualifications or experience. We allow people who have missed out on education to fulfil their potential and achieve a university-level qualification.

We believe that it is the qualifications with which our students leave, rather than those with which they enter, that count.

Frequently asked questions on entry requirements 

Supporting students with disabilities

The OU has more disabled students than any other UK or European university: the flexible nature of OU study and our experience in harnessing technology to enable all our students means around 9,000 people with a wide range of disablities - including mental health issues - study with us each year.

Services for Disabled Students

We have an Access Centre dedicated to ensuring our disabled students are provided with whatever technical and practical support they need to study successfully. Support can mean anything from special computer software to sitting exams in their own home, having a personal assistant at day or residential school, and advice on available funding support.

Access Centre