Pay nothing up front
80% of students pay nothing up front by funding their studies with a student loan.
How much will it cost?
Qualifications at The Open University are made up of a series of modules. Every module has an individual fee – added together, they give you the total cost.
You’ll fund your modules as you study them, so you won’t have to pay for your whole qualification upfront.
Most of our students study part-time, but you can vary the amount of study you take on each year, which means you can achieve your qualification in a timeframe that works for you.
Part-time study is roughly equivalent to studying at half the rate of a student on a full-time course at a campus-based university.
- You’ll typically study one 60-credit module a year.
- Our fee for a 60-credit module is £3,636.
| |
Years to
complete |
Cost
per year* |
Total
cost* |
Certificate of higher education
(120 credits) |
2 |
£3,636 |
£7,272 |
Diploma of higher education
(240 credits) |
4 |
£3,636 |
£14,544 |
Honours degree
(360 credits) |
6 |
£3,636 |
£21,816 |
What’s included?
Your module materials, tuition, assessment and exams are all included in our module fees.
Some additional costs aren’t included:
- You’ll need your own computer and internet access.
- For some modules, you may need to buy additional set books, such as fiction books or a language dictionary.
- A handful of our courses include a residential school. For these, there may be an additional cost. You’ll also need to fund the cost of your travel.
- For a small number of our qualifications, you may be able to apply for additional accreditation – this may be something like a membership fee.
You can find more information about additional costs in our qualification and module descriptions.
How do our fees compare with other universities?
Our qualifications are approximately 80% of the cost of an equivalent qualification offered at a campus-based university.
| |
The OU* |
Campus
unis** |
Saving |
Certificate of higher education
(120 credits) |
£7,272 |
£9,250 |
£1,978 |
Diploma of higher education
(240 credits) |
£14,544 |
£18,500 |
£3,956 |
Honours degree
(360 credits) |
£21,816 |
£27,750 |
£5,934 |
*The fee information provided above is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2025. Fees typically increase annually. In England, fees are subject to the part-time fee limit, as set out in section C of the University's Fee Rules.
**Maximum chargeable fees for 24/25 academic year.
Funding your studies
Pay nothing upfront – over 80% of our students in England fund their studies with a Part-Time Tuition Fee Loan (sometimes called a student loan), meaning they pay nothing upfront.
Learn more about this and our other funding options below.
- Covers the entirety of your module fees.
- Eligibility isn’t based on your income, and there’s no age limit.
- You won’t repay a penny until you earn over £25,000 a year.
Pay your fees in instalments with a loan from The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd.
Your employer could partially or fully pay for your module fees.
Pay for each module with a debit or credit card in one quick, simple payment.
If you’re a member of the Armed Forces, ELCs could help fund your studies.
Combine your payment options to fund your studies the way you want.
If you’ve studied at university before, save time and money by counting your academic credit towards an OU qualification.
Bursaries and other support
Depending on your circumstances, you could be eligible to apply for one or more of the following:
If your household income is not more than £25,000, you could take one of our introductory Access modules for free.
After you’ve started studying, if you’re eligible, you could access reimbursements for some additional study costs.
If you are or have recently been an unpaid carer, you may be able to study a full qualification for free.
If you provide unpaid care to a friend or family member, you may be eligible for £250 for study-related costs.
If you’re aged 25 or under and have been or are currently in the care of a local authority, you may be able to study a full OU qualification for free.
If you’ve ever been in the care of a Local Authority, you may be eligible for £250 for study-related costs.
You could access financial support towards study costs incurred due to your disability.
If you’ve been injured in or as a result of military service, you could study a full qualification for free.
If you identify as being from a Black background, you could study a full qualification for free.
If you’re a UK resident who’s been displaced from your homeland or place of residence for political, economic, ethnic, environmental, or human rights pressures, you could be eligible to study for free.
Interested in second degree funding?
Tuition fee loans are now available to study a second degree part-time in a range of subjects.
Learn more about our degree holder loans
Pay nothing upfront
Over 80% of students pay nothing up front by funding their studies with a tuition fee loan.
I couldn’t have studied through other universities because of the cost. The value for money that you got from the OU was incredible, and, along with the flexibility of distance learning, it did make it a more feasible option.
Julie McGuinness, BA (Hons) Open
Academic credit explained
Credits show the amount of work you’ll need to put in to successfully complete a module or qualification.
One credit represents about 10 hours of study.
You’re awarded credits after you successfully complete a module – for example, a 60-credit module awards 60 credits.
I wanted to prove I could achieve my aspirations of being an engineer. Full-time courses weren’t an option as I had to work. That’s when I enrolled on a course with the OU, paying with a student loan. It offered the perfect balance between earning and learning.
Steph Lee, studying for a Bachelor of Engineering