Michelle Smyth

The Open University

The Open University is an expert in flexible higher education that fits around your working life. We don't make you choose between a degree and a salary – more than 76% of our students are in full or part time work, while 86% FTSE 100 companies have funded staff on OU courses. Employers including IBM, The Metropolitan Police, Unilever and many more recognise the value for money we provide, while students appreciate the range of affordable routes we offer. As a result, we are the largest academic institution in the UK, with nearly 180,000 current undergraduates, postgraduates and students on validated programmes - plus almost 1.8 million who have studied with us since our foundation in 1969. When you join the OU, you gain a vast international network of support from university staff, alumni and fellow students (including more than 15,000 overseas) with a truly global reach. Wherever you are based, we offer flexible study with structure and support and we have been rated in the top ten UK universities for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey since its foundation in 2005. Our commitment to distance learning and access to education enables us to cater for the widest range of students - not only those who are in paid work but also the retired, those returning to education, registered carers, single parents and more disabled people than any other UK-based university. Flexible, affordable, respected and connected. Don't take our word for it: Listen to what our students say at www.youtube.com/user/OUlife or click on the ‘Recommendations' tab at the top of this page.