APS England: Access and Participation Plan

The Office for Students (OfS) approved the Open University's (OU’s) original Access and Participation Plan for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.  In spring 2022 the OfS asked providers to submit a variation to this original plan to cover 2023-24. The OU’s variation, which was approved by the OfS in December 2022 and and a subsequent alteration approved in October 2024, can be found here along with an accompanying summary document.  The OfS has also requested that we submit a new plan that covers 2025/26 to 2028/29, therefore the documents linked to on this page will be superseded by the new plan which will be submitted to the OfS in May 2024.

Our Access and Participation Plan outlines the OU’s commitment to widening participation and to equitable outcomes for students.  It states actions and financial commitments to deliver ambitious targets in terms of reducing gaps in access, success and progression to higher skilled employment or further study for students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.

See our summary of 2024-25 course fees.

You can also read our provider impact report summarising the progress we have made against targets, objectives and written commitments set out in our 2019-20 access and participation plan. 

Read more information regarding our transparency data.