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 this quarter, it was revealed that over the past five years there’s been a 17% increase of registrations in the 18-19-year age bracket who are opting to study from home with the OU.
Life happens and that means higher education was not always open to people when they were teenagers, or they just weren’t ready for study at a brick university.
What’s the average age of OU students?
You can be young or old to attend the OU. The average age of an OU student is 28 and the biggest age group range is from 25-34 years.
Ten per cent of OU undergraduates are aged between 18-21 but graduates in their eighties and beyond study with the OU and 70 per cent of students work full time.
Brick universities, where you can live in halls of residence for the first year, are not right for everyone, especially those with family commitments, people with disabilities or those who need to earn a living to keep the roof over their heads and food on the table.
Part-time degrees usually take six years but people can take them over a longer period of time if they so wish, spreading the cost, but you can also study full-time from home.
Kieran combined work and study
Kieran is now 28 and knew he needed a degree to progress in his career, but didn’t want to take a career break.
He said: “I noticed that most of my colleagues had a degree. I thought, well, if everyone else has one, why not me?”
“Being able to work and study at the same time was something I never thought possible. Then I found the OU,” he added.
Is an OU degree less expensive?
Hadiyyah is aiming to become a science teacher
Studying with the OU could help you save money compared to a brick university while giving you the flexibility to earn while you learn and pay for one module at a time.
Eighty per cent of OU students pay nothing up front by funding their studies with a tuition fee loan. See the Fees and Funding page for further details.
Hadiyyah began studying as a single mum struggling to make ends meet and is now progressing to become a science teacher.
She says: “I look back and I think I was about 21 when I started and I had no money. I was all on my own with tiny children. And now I think, I’ve got a career! I’ve really achieved something. The OU really has changed my life.”
Will I need to study away from home?
If you study with The Open University you study from your own home or wherever your job takes you in the world.
Kianna said studying from home avoided extra expenses and meant she could work, too
You just don’t have the same living expenses that you do when you go to a brick university and either live on campus or rent alternative student accommodation.
OU student Kianna, 21, of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: “I need to stay and study at home because I can work at the same time. Especially with the prices of transport going up too, this is the best option for me.
“I have friends who don’t know how they’re going to cope with living away from home.”
But is it a real degree?
Talia feels her OU degree sets her apart in the working world because she gained work experience at the same time she studied
YES! OU qualifications are globally recognised for their high quality and highly regarded by employers as it shows the commitment of those students who have to fit their studies in around family life or a full-time job, for instance.
The OU is also in the top 1% of business schools worldwide and produce more CEOs and MDs than any other UK university. So you know you’ll be in good company.
Talia is an international honours graduate from South Africa who said the OU was the ‘perfect fit’ for her after college.
She said: “I absolutely think being an OU student sets you apart in the working world. I’m now qualified with my honours and I’ve already got over two years of working experience and that wouldn’t have happened if I was at a standard brick university. I’ve got skills that some graduates would have to gain coming into the workforce.”
How do I get support?
You will be in regular contact with your tutors. The OU has been a specialist in distance learning for more than fifty years.
Abiola says there are plenty of ways to stay connected. He receives support not just from his tutor but fellow students
Abiola is an assurance network data analyst whose employers have sponsored him to take a degree that is relevant to his job.
“The tutors and I stay in communication by email, Skype and phone. I am able to give my tutor a call and just spend five or 10 minutes on the phone to explain where I’m getting stuck. That’s been really helpful,” he says.
There are many community student networks that students can join. In fact, you can stay connected through social media groups, clubs, local meet-ups, weekly online forums and, of course, those tutorials. There’s even a Freshers Fortnight run by our Students’ Association to help welcome you to the OU family.
The Final Enrolment Date for courses beginning February and April 2023 is 12 January 2023.
Photo: Shutterstock
