Editing Open University (section)

{{Short description|Public research university in the UK}}
{{About|the UK university|other institutions with similar names|List of open universities|the general concept|Open university (concept)|other uses of the term|Open university (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = The Open University
 | caption                = Coat of Arms of The Open University
 | other_name             = 
 | image_name             = File:Coat of Arms of the Open University.svg
 | motto                  = ''Learn and Live''
 | established            = {{Start date and age|1969}}
 | type                   = [[Public university|Public]], [[distance education]] university
 | budget                 = £474.1 million (2019–20)<ref name="Finance2020">{{Cite web |title=Financial Report 2020 |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/foi/main/sites/www.open.ac.uk.foi.main/files/files/Financial_Report_2020_Final.pdf |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=open.ac.uk}}</ref>
 | chancellor             = [[Martha Lane Fox|Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2014 |title=Chancellor of The Open University |url=http://www8.open.ac.uk/about/main/admin-and-governance/chancellor-and-pro-chancellor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408054305/http://www.open.ac.uk/about/main/admin-and-governance/chancellor-and-pro-chancellor |archive-date=8 April 2014 |access-date=2014-04-10 |publisher=open.ac.uk |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
 | vice_chancellor        = [[Tim Blackman]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vice-Chancellor – Professor Tim Blackman |date=28 June 2018 |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/about/main/governance-ou/executive-team/vice-chancellor |access-date=5 October 2019 |publisher=The Open University}}</ref>
 | students               = 199,400 (2023)<ref>[https://www5.open.ac.uk/foi/main/sites/www.open.ac.uk.foi.main/files/files/Financial_Report_2023_FINAL_Online.pdf he Open University Financial Statements 2023]. ''The Open University''. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.</ref>
 | undergrad              = 146,424 (2022)<ref name="renamed100">{{cite web |title=Facts and Figures 2021/22 |url=https://about.open.ac.uk/sites/about.open.ac.uk/files/files/Facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures-2022.pdf |website=Open University |access-date=17 November 2023}}</ref>
 | postgrad               = 11,379 (2022)<ref name="renamed100"/>
 | city                   = [[Milton Keynes]], [[Buckinghamshire]]
 | country                = United Kingdom
 | campus                 = Rural
 | colours                = {{scarf|{{cells|3|#006}}{{cell|#fc0}}{{cell|#000}}{{cell|#fff}}{{cells|2|#fc0}}{{cell|#fff}}{{cell|#000}}{{cell|#fc0}}{{cells|3|#006}}}}
 | affiliations           = [[European University Association|EUA]]<br /> [[University Alliance]]<br />[[Association of Commonwealth Universities]]<br />[[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]]<br />[[Universities UK]]
 | logo_size              = 100px
 | website                = {{URL|open.ac.uk}}
 | logo                   = The Open University logo.svg
 | logo_alt               = solid blue letter U with a large white spot just offset from the centre lines to upper left
 | founders               = [[Harold Wilson]]<ref name="OUhistory">{{Cite web |date=2018-06-13 |title=History of The Open University |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/historyofou/people-and-institutions |access-date=2018-06-13 |website=The Open University |archive-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613210626/http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/historyofou/people-and-institutions |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />[[Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge|Jennie Lee]]<ref name="OUhistory" /><br />[[Walter Perry]]<ref name="OUhistory" /><br />Peter Venables<ref name="OUhistory" /><!-- Not Peter Venables (1923–2017), ex U of York -->
}}
'''The Open University''' ('''OU''') is a [[Public university|public]] [[research university]] and the largest university in the [[United Kingdom]] by [[List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment|number of students]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Ison|first=Ray L.|title=Systems Practice at the United Kingdom's Open University|date=2001|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1313-1_7|work=Understanding Complexity|pages=45–53|editor-last=Ragsdell|editor-first=Gillian|place=Boston, MA|publisher=Springer US|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-1313-1_7|isbn=978-1-4615-1313-1|access-date=2021-09-23|editor2-last=Wilby|editor2-first=Jennifer|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Adult Skills and Lifelong Learning Inquiry.|url=https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/7476/pdf/ |website=UK Parliament}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Financial Statements|url=https://www.open.ac.uk/foi/main/sites/www.open.ac.uk.foi.main/files/files/Financial_Report_2020_Final.pdf| website=The Open University}}</ref> The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-[[campus]]; many of its courses (both [[undergraduate]] and [[postgraduate education|postgraduate]]) can also be studied anywhere in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study at the OU: What you can study if you're resident outside the UK |url=http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/explained/resident-outside-the-uk.shtml |access-date=22 September 2010}}</ref> There are also a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the {{convert|45|ha|acre|adj=on|abbr=off}} university campus at [[Walton Hall, Milton Keynes|Walton Hall]], [[Milton Keynes]], [[Buckinghamshire]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biodiversity at Walton Hall Campus |date=19 December 2016 |url=https://www.open.ac.uk/about/estates/node/105 |access-date=12 March 2023 |publisher=Estates Division, The Open University}}</ref> where they use the staff facilities for research, as well as more than 1,000 members of academic and research staff and over 2,500 administrative, operational and support staff.<ref>{{Cite web |access-date= 10 March 2023 |title=Research degrees {{!}} Being an OU research student {{!}} Life on campus |url=https://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/research-degrees/being-an-ou-research-student/life-on-campus |publisher=The Open University}}</ref>

The OU was established in 1969 and was initially based at [[Alexandra Palace]], north London, using the television studios and editing facilities which had been vacated by the [[BBC]]. The first students enrolled in January 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief history of the OU |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/about/ou/p3.shtml |access-date=2006-10-08 |archive-date=17 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717081233/http://www.open.ac.uk/about/ou/p3.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> The university administration is now based at Walton Hall, but has administration centres in other parts of the United Kingdom. It also has a presence in other European countries. The university awards undergraduate and postgraduate [[academic degree|degrees]], as well as non-degree qualifications such as [[diploma]]s and [[Academic certificate|certificates]] or [[continuing education]] units. It also offers unique Open Degrees, in which students may study any combination of modules across all subjects.

With around 200,000 students including around 34% of new undergraduates aged under 25<ref name="renamed101">{{cite web |title=About The Open University |url=https://about.open.ac.uk/strategy-and-policies/facts-and-figures |website=Open University |date=22 November 2017 |access-date=17 November 2023}}</ref> and more than 8,599 overseas students,<ref name="renamed100" /> it is the largest academic institution in the United Kingdom (and one of the largest in Europe) by student number, and qualifies as one of the [[world's largest universities]]. Since it was founded, more than 2.3 million students have achieved their learning goals by studying with the Open University.<ref name="renamed101" /> The Open University is one of only two{{efn|The other is [[Richmond, The American International University in London]]}} United Kingdom higher education institutions to gain [[Educational accreditation|accreditation]] in the United States by the [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools|Middle States Commission on Higher Education]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Open University : Database of Institutions Accredited |url=http://www.msche.org/institutions_view.asp?idinstitution=560 |access-date=10 October 2010 |publisher=Middle States Commission on Higher Education, United States of America}}</ref> It also produces more CEOs than any other United Kingdom university.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-28 |title=OU produces more CEOs than any other UK university |url=https://www.open.ac.uk/stem/computing-and-communications/node/147 |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=School of Computing and Communications |language=en}}</ref> Former United Kingdom Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]], astrophysicist [[Jocelyn Bell Burnell]], broadcaster [[Anna Ford]] and actress [[Glenda Jackson]] are among those who have tutored for the OU.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-22 |title=Facts and figures |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/about/main/strategy-and-policies/facts-and-figures |access-date=2020-11-19 |website=About The Open University |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-06 |title=Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell wins physics prize |url=https://ounews.co/science-mct/science-environment/dame-jocelyn-bell-burnell-wins-physics-prize/ |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=OU News |language=en-GB}}</ref>