The Open University (also commonly referred to by its initialism OU) is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom. The university is funded by a combination of student fees, contract income, and allocations for teaching and research by the higher education funding bodies in each of the four countries of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). It is notable for having an open entry policy, i.e. students' previous academic achievements are not taken into account for entry to most undergraduate courses. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-campus, but many of its courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) can be studied off-campus anywhere in the world. There are a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the 48 hectare university campus where they use the OU facilities for research, as well as more than 1000 members of academic and research staff and over 2500 administrative, operational and support staff. The OU was established in 1969 and the first students enrolled in January 1971.
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Scientists at The Open University (OU) have analyzed isotopic measurements in the atmosphere of Mars, providing new information on the evolution of the Martian climate throughout history and the origin of surface organics ...
Planetary Sciences
May 12, 2023
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Three OU astronomers today announced groundbreaking discoveries allowing scientists to understand planets outside the solar system. Professor Carole Haswell, Dr. Daniel Staab and Dr. John Barnes discovered three, new, nearby ...
Astronomy
Dec 24, 2019
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Environmental scientists from The Open University (OU) have discovered that trees growing in the Amazon floodplains surrounding the Amazon River emit as much methane (CH4) into the atmosphere as all of the world's oceans. ...
Environment
Dec 13, 2017
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A team of scientists led by The Open University has discovered evidence of recent glacial meltwater on Mars, despite the widely-held view that the recent climate was too cold for ice to melt.
Space Exploration
Nov 23, 2017
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A paper published this week in Astrophysical Journal, led by Open University academics, has examined the exact structure and behaviour of the icy particles that collide and grow at the onset of planet-formation, in a series ...
Astronomy
Oct 19, 2017
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The Rosetta Mission will end with a controlled descent to the surface of Comet 67P on Friday 30 September 2016; however, its legacy will live on in applications on Earth, developed by academics at The Open University, including ...
Space Exploration
Sep 28, 2016
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12th November 2014. That is the date in which Rosetta, led by the European Space Agency, will release its lander Philae to touchdown on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in outer space.
Space Exploration
Nov 10, 2014
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A team at The Open University is designing dog-friendly technologies which will help animals and people to work together in their homes. They will present the significance of this approach in a paper at the ACM SIGCHI Conference ...
Other
Apr 26, 2013
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New research by The Open University and Lancaster University discovered another type of Icelandic volcanic eruption that could cause disruption. Published in Geology (February 2013), the team found magma that is twice as ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 3, 2013
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Researchers at The Open University have devised a new method to understand the processes that happen when atoms cool which could lead to new materials for superconducting power grids and widespread use of magnetic resonance ...
Superconductivity
Dec 13, 2012
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