Who we are, what we do

The Open University in Scotland is the largest provider of part-time undergraduate higher education in Scotland. We are a world leader in providing innovative and flexible distance learning opportunities. We ranked first in Scotland for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2024.

Open and flexible

We were founded over 50 years ago with a clear purpose: to open up education to all. Our mission is to be open to people, places, methods and ideas.

We are open to everyone, regardless of age, income, geography and background and with no requirement for entry qualifications. That means that many of our new undergraduates join us without the qualifications you would normally need to get into university. The majority of our students in Scotland study for free with a part-time fee grant. 

Students can choose to study for a degree, diploma or certificate, or take a stand-alone module. Flexible study is core to our offer with 73% of our students working either full-time or part-time fitting study around their professional or personal life at a pace and level that works for them. 

We provide a supportive personalised open learning community and our students tell us that the experience is engaging, immersive and interactive. Over the last decade, we have consistently performed in the top three Scottish universities for student satisfaction.

Across Scotland

The OU in Scotland is one of the largest universities in Scotland. We have over 19,500 students based in every part of Scotland from the Shetland Isles to Dumfries and Galloway. Our students range from school age to 92, with our new undergraduates an average age of 28. Most of our graduates (85%) remain in the location where they studied, which means their talent and skills benefit local communities.

We offer high-quality distance learning to students, lifelong learners, communities, employees and businesses. We partner with NHS social care, the care home sector, the third sector and over 250 employers across Scotland. 

Our innovative national schools programme helps S6 pupils bridge school to university level study. We collaborate with Scotland’s other 18 universities and have formal progression arrangements with 16 regional colleges, as well as various shared teaching models which operate in colleges across Scotland. We are an educational partner of the Crichton Campus in Dumfries.

Our work includes widening access to higher education, irrespective of background or circumstances, and helping individuals and employers to develop and upskill their workforces.

Innovative teaching

The Open University has pioneered distance learning for over 50 years.  All our courses are specifically designed to be taught via distance learning and we are constantly innovating on how we deliver to students.

We offer over 200 globally recognised qualifications across a wide range of subjects, including undergraduate degrees, postgraduate degrees, certificates, and diplomas, many accredited by leading professional bodies.

Over 226,500 people have studied with the OU in Scotland and, since 1971, over 84,700 qualifications have been awarded. In a year, our students studied over 27,000 modules.

We have over 160 staff based at our offices in Edinburgh and over 420 associate lecturers working across Scotland. The associate lecturers are a key part of our supported distance learning as they provide guidance, advice and coursework feedback to students. Many also work in business and industry or for other Scottish higher education institutions or colleges.

OU research ranks in the top third of UK universities according to The Research Excellence Framework and we are a trusted partner of many leading organisations for teaching and research including the BBC, NASA, the NHS and the United Nations. 

We provide learning for everyone through our free platform, OpenLearn, our partnership with the BBC and with social learning platform FutureLearn.

Discover some key facts and figures (.pdf) about the OU in Scotland.