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Last updated on 14 May '25The Open UniversityWhat's new?
Open University is accepting admission applications for entry to its 2025 & 2026 courses, listed below are the upcoming deadlines for the same:
- Deadline for October 2025 entry: Sep 11, 2025
- Deadline for February 2026 entry: Jan 08, 2026
- Deadline for April 2026 entry: Mar 12, 2026
About The Open University
The Open University (OU) in Milton Keynes is a public research university primarily known for offering distance based learning via online courses, with a very few courses in offline format.
The institute’s degrees are internationally recognized, with every degree complying with the exact quality standards that are set for other UK universities, i.e. OU courses have the same status as any other university based in United Kingdom.
Things to know about Open University
Check out the table below for some interesting facts about Open University:
|
Particular |
Data |
|---|---|
|
Founded |
1969 |
|
Location |
Milton Keynes, England, UK |
|
Total Students |
200,000 |
|
International Students |
8,819 |
|
Students with a Disability |
38,991 |
|
Total Courses |
692 |
|
Average Tuition Fees |
INR 9.30 L-INR 27.90 L |
|
Notable Alumni |
Tim Berners-Lee, Gordon Brown, Fleur Anderson, Ian Byrne, & Ben Davies |
History
OU was founded in 1969, by the Labour Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
The notion of technology supporting freedom was behind Wilson’s idea of creation of the institute.
It welcomed its first cohort of about 24,000 students in the year 1971, & was aimed at providing higher education to part-time adult learners, irrespective of their past qualifications or health status after the events of the second World War.
The Privy Council granted it a royal charter in the year 1969, & the institute to continued to expand over the rest of the 20th century, with the opening of the Open University Business School (OUBS) in 1988 which was among the select number of institutes in the UK to have attained triple accreditation by AMBA, AACSB, & EQUIS.
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The Open University Ranking 2025
The Open University Ranking for country level is: #82 as part of the UK-wide rankings given by Shiksha, while globally, the institute secures a rank #504.
Further, some of its popular courses also rank among the top 100 courses in United Kingdom, & the table below gives a description of the same.
|
Course |
Shiksha Popularity Ranking |
|---|---|
|
MS |
#71 |
|
LLM |
#46 |
|
MA |
#50 |
|
MIM |
#83 |
|
Others PG |
#85 |
#515
#82
Commonly asked questions On Rankings
The Open University Courses
The Open University Courses primarily consists of online courses, aimed at improving the accessibility of its education to students around the world, & is a key reason why OU happens to be one of the largest enrolled universities in Europe, with a student population of nearly 200,000 students.
OU courses are available to be pursued in degree, certification & diploma formats.
Listed below are some popular undergraduate degree courses offered by the institute:
- BSc (Honours) in Accounting & Finance
- BSc (Honours) in Computing & IT & Business
- BSc (Honours) in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence
- BA (Honours) Business Management (Marketing)
- BSc (Honours) Data Science
Open University also offers an extended range of postgraduate degree courses, in some popular industry relevant streams, these are mentioned below:
- MSc in Cyber Security
- MSc in Computing
- MBA
- MBA (Technology Management)
- MA in English Literature
For more of the Open University courses, feel free to check out the table below:
Guided 4.1K students to UK universities.
Guided 4.1K students to UK universities.
Guided 4.1K students to UK universities.
Commonly asked questions On Popular Programs
The Open University Admissions 2025
The Open University admissions are open for the October, February & April intakes to international students.
Check out the table below for the latest upcoming OU deadlines:
|
Intake |
Deadline |
|---|---|
|
October 2025 |
Sep 11, 2025 |
|
February 2026 |
Jan 08, 2026 |
|
April 2026 |
Mar 12, 2026 |
Open University Admission Requirements 2025
There are no special Open University admission requirements for admissions to majority of OU courses.
Undergraduate Requirements
Students are required to have some basic understanding of the specific stream they are applying for, along with good reading & writing skills & decent grasp of verbal & written English.
Postgraduate Requirements
PG course requirements vary with course, given below are the requirements for the Open University MBA:
- UG degree with honours from a recognized international institute
- GMAT score: 640 or higher (if no honours degree)
- Three OU undergraduate level Business Management micro-credentials (if no honours degree)
- Minimum three years of work experience in a technical or managerial role
- Minimum IELTS score: 5
English Language Requirements
The general language test score requirements are mentioned below:
|
Test |
Minimum Score |
|---|---|
|
87-109 |
|
|
5.5-6.5 |
|
|
Cambridge English Language Assessment |
First Certificate in English |
|
Grade 4 (formerly, Grade C) |
Admission process for International Students
The Open University admission process involves submission of valid language & university entrance test scores, as listed below:
- Register on the official Open University application portal
- Pick a course
- Check its requirements & upload all essential documents
- Pay the specified application fee
- Submit the application
- Track status of the application at regular intervals
- Accept the admission letter, only after a careful review of the terms & conditions
- Follow any further instructions as specified by the institute
Documents| Type of documents | Applicable for |
|---|
Commonly asked questions On Admissions
The Open UniversityThe Open University Scholarships
The Open University Scholarships are available in very limited numbers to International students.
OU offers scholarships to help cover the costs of studying & living in Milton Keynes, & provide some welcome respite from the overall stress of funding one’s studies.
Among some popular scholarships are the Hayes Postgraduate Scholarship & Sanctuary Scholarship.
The table below gives a detailed description of both:
|
Scholarship |
Financial Reward |
Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
|
Hayes Postgraduate Scholarship |
Full fee waiver |
|
|
Sanctuary Scholarship |
Full Tuition Fees |
|
The application form for the Hayes Scholarship can be downloaded from here: Open University Hayes Postgraduate Scholarship Form
Commonly asked questions On Scholarships
The Open University Popular Courses
36 monthsThe Open University Placements
The Open University Placements offer employment opportunities at the UK Ministry of Defence, National Health Service (NHS), the British Army as well as virtual internships at some of the best organizations in the UK & abroad.
Open University find jobs across a number of prominent industries including Information Technology (IT), Business Development, Operations, Education & Engineering among others.
The table below gives a more detailed breakdown of the industries OU graduates are currently employed at:
|
Industry |
Percentage |
|---|---|
|
Business Development |
11.88% |
|
Operations |
10.24% |
|
Education |
8% |
|
Information Technology |
7.2% |
|
Engineering |
6.38% |
The Open University Internships
Open University offers a dedicated platform for finding remote-work opportunities, that allows students to work from the comforts of their home, & gain valuable experience of the dynamic demands of the industry.
All students need to do is register on the OU OpportunityHub platform, & apply relevant filters such as mode of work, type of work & the location of the work to find the ideal internship roles for themselves.
Commonly asked questions On Placements
The Open University Fees
The Open University Fees for a full-time honours degree is GBP 24,552 (INR 27.9 L), for a full-time diploma is GBP 16,368 (INR 18.60 L) & for a full-time certificate of higher education is GBP 8,184 (INR 9.30 L).
The table below gives a detailed breakdown of the OU Fees as per different course types:
|
Qualification |
Course Duration |
Per year cost |
Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits) |
1 |
GBP 8,184 (INR 9.30 L) |
GBP 8,184 (INR 9.30 L) |
|
Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits) |
2 |
GBP 8,184 (INR 9.30 L0 |
GBP 16,368 (INR 18.60 L) |
|
Honours Degree (360 credits) |
3 |
GBP 8,184 (INR 9.30 L) |
GBP 24,552 (INR 27.90 L) |
For more about the Open University Fees, check out the table below:
| Courses | 1st Year Tuition Fees | Duration & Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
B.E. / B.Tech(5 courses) | INR 20 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
B.Sc.(3 courses) | INR 20 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
BBA(4 courses) | INR 20 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
MIM(4 courses) | INR 12 L - 14 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 24-36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
UG certificate(7 courses) | INR 7 LGet Fee Details | – / – |
B.A.(2 courses) | INR 20 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
LL.M.(2 courses) | INR 11 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 24 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
M.A.(8 courses) | INR 10 L - 13 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 24-36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
M.Sc.(7 courses) | INR 11 L - 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 24-36 months Exam Accepted: PTE |
MBA/PGDM(2 courses) | INR 20 L - 27 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 18 months-2 years Exam Accepted: PTE, IELTS: 6.5 & Above |
Commonly asked questions On Fees and Eligibility
The Open University Notable Alumni
The Open University Notable Alumni include popular TV personalities, politicians, engineers, lawyers & athletes who are well known across their respective industries.
The table below lists some popular members of the OU alumni network:
|
Alumni Name |
Alumni Profession |
Alumni |
|---|---|---|
|
Fleur Anderson |
Politician, serving as the Member of Parliament for Putney as part of the Labour party |
|
|
Ian Byrne |
Politician, member of the Labour party & Member of Parliament |
|
|
Julie Christie |
British Actress, winner of the prestigious Oscars, BAFTA, Golden Globe & Screen Actors Guild Award |
|
|
Ben Davies |
Football Player: Wales National Team |
|
|
Steve Backshall |
Naturalist & TV Presenter |
|
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Commonly asked questions On Alumni
The Open University vs University of Nottingham vs University of Warwick: Which is better?
The Open University, University of Nottingham & University of Warwick are all part of the top 100 colleges & universities in the UK.
Rank-wise, the University of Warwick has a country-level rank of #9 per the Shiksha Popularity Rankings which is reasonably better than the University of Nottingham (#24) & OU (#82).
Acceptance rate wise, Open University gets the better of the other two with its acceptance rate of 87%, significantly higher than Nottingham’s (11%) & Warwick (14%).
Check out the table below for a more comprehensive comparison between the three institutes:
|
Criteria |
The Open University |
University of Nottingham |
University of Warwick |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Location |
Walton Hall, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, United Kingdom |
Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom |
Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom |
|
Acceptance Rate |
87% |
11% |
14% |
|
Popular Programs |
Accounting & Finance, Arts, Computing |
Law, Psychology, Computer Science |
Business & Management, Economics, & Social Science |
|
Tuition Fee |
INR 9.3 L-INR 27.9 L |
INR 7.5 L-INR 63.5 L |
INR 21.6 L-INR 64.7 L |
|
Shiksha Popularity Ranking |
#82 |
#24 |
#9 |
Compare The Open University with other similar colleges
| College | 1st Year Tuition Fees | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| INR 6.04 L | -/- |
CompareCommonly asked questions On Comparisons
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The Open University Campus Life
The Open University campus, based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK, offers academic & recreational facilities to around 1,200 full-time academics, along with 250 full-time & part-time postgraduate research students.
The Open University Culture
The campus culture can be described as “vibrant” offering plenty to explore & be part of over the duration of studies.
Ballet, Orchestral Concerts, Opera, & stand-up performances by popular comedians are some of the many events hosted by the OU campus.
Not to forget, The National Bowl, which happens to be United Kingdom’s largest outdoor venues plays host to a number of sporting & musical events throughout the year.
The Open University Nightlife
Milton Keynes is very well known for its party-like atmosphere during the nights. The OU campus is located in close proximity to a number of lively pubs & clubs along with some of the best fine-dining places, offering an extensive range of cuisines such as Italian, French, South American & Asian.
The Open University Housing
Open University does not maintain accommodation facilities of its own, however, it has negotiated the use of a student living facility at another nearby university campus, along with an accommodation adviser that guides students navigate the process of finding accommodation in Milton Keynes.
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The Open UniversityLocation
| University City | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK |
The Open UniversityCampuses
Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
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