Open University Courses

Unlike other universities, where students register for a programme, OU students register separately for individual modules (which may be 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 CATS credits, equivalent to 5, 7.5, 10, 15, or 30 ECTS credits). These modules may then be linked into degree programmes.

During the 2009–10 academic year social studies was the most popular study area (with 16,381 full-time equivalent students), followed by biological and physical sciences  (12,357), and nistorical and philosophical studies (8,686); the least popular academic fields were mass communication and documentation (123 full-time equivalent students) and creative arts and desgn (2,528).

The most popular module during 2009–10 was DD101 An introduction to the social sciences (7,512 students), followed by AA100 The Arts Past and Present, B120 An Introduction to Business Studies, K101 An Introduction to Health and Social Care and Y163 Starting with Psychology.

61,787 students received financial assistance towards their study in 2009–10 and the typical cost for United Kingdom based students of a Bachelor's honors degrees at the OU was between £3,780 and £5,130. From September 2012 the Government will be reducing its funding for all students residing in England, English students will for the first time pay higher fees than those living the rest of the United Kingdom. The average cost of one full-time year or 120 credits will rise to £5,000, bringing the cost of an average Bachelor's honor degree for an English student to £15,000. (Uropean Union and international students pay more as the University does not receive government funding for them), government support, the second most important revenue stream to The Open University is academic fees paid by the students, which totalled about £157 million in 2009–2010