Founded in 1969, The Open University was one of the world’s first successful distance-learning universities. Today the University is one of the largest in Europe with over 200,000 students worldwide. The sheer scale of the organisation is considerable, with around 500 courses offered across a wide range of subjects leading to 200 different qualifications.

It is essential The Open University continues to become less dependent on UK government funding. Competition for students, staff and funding is intense and global, and students’ expectations have risen sharply as learners increasingly view themselves as ‘consumers’ of education. To address these market factors, The Open University has developed ambitious plans to grow the number of students and associated revenues from students overseas through its commercial entity, Open University Worldwide (OUW).