Open University - Financial support

What you get

The Open University (OU) is the UK’s open university. It brings together various ways to fund your studies and reduce your costs under one roof. Some of these are loans that you will repay later. Others are genuine scholarships that cover your full tuition fees free of charge. Scholarships for free study include those for unpaid carers, people who grew up in care (up to the age of 30), disabled war veterans, Black students and people who have been displaced from their home country and now live in the UK. In addition, students from low-income households (up to 25,000 GBP, approximately 29,000 EUR per year) may be eligible for a free ‘Access’ module. They may also be eligible for reimbursement of additional study-related costs, such as internet costs of up to 15 GBP per month, the cost of purchasing a computer of up to 250 GBP, and childcare costs of up to 100 GBP per month.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the Open University and are studying via distance learning from home.
• Level: Funding opportunities are available for both Bachelor’s degree programmes and postgraduate study.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Residence: Most of this support is aimed at people living in the UK. Government loans and grants for free university education depend on which part of the UK you live in.
• Financial need: To be eligible for reimbursement of tuition fees and the free ‘Access’ module, your household income must not exceed 25,000 GBP (approximately 29,000 EUR) per year, or you must be in receipt of certain social security benefits.
• Specific groups: Each full scholarship is aimed at a specific target group, such as unpaid carers, people under the age of 30 who grew up in care homes, war veterans with disabilities, Black students or refugees living in the UK.

How to apply

When you enrol on the Open University website, you will select your course and your payment or funding option. Each scholarship and fee subsidy scheme has its own eligibility criteria; you should therefore apply for the one that best suits your circumstances.

How realistic are your chances?

This is not a single scheme that you have to apply for, but rather a range of options; your chances therefore depend on which of these applies to you. The government student loan is taken up by most undergraduates and is not subject to a selection process. Full scholarships are strictly limited to specific groups. If you clearly belong to one of these groups – for example, carers or students with care experience – your chances are good. If you do not belong to any of these groups, these scholarships are simply not an option for you.