The Open University Reviews 

Standard of teaching is low and offers little value. However, library is very well resourced and helpful.

Was unable to book tutorials on my last module due to an IT error. Reported it but was ignored.

If you’re happy to 100% self-direct your study the OU is okay but if you want engaging and meaningful tutoring you’ll be sorely disappointed.

A lifeline for coping as full concentration is needed to pass the assignments and makes you forget your worries. I enjoy studying and learning and the OU makes It all very easy to do.

Always there to help, guide and support you through whatever life gives you to ensure you are able to achieve your study goals.

Not flexible at all and portal is not user friendly
- all tutorials are on weekends so if thats not a good time there’s no alternative
- only one generic contact number and email , so every query is a nightmare to reach the right ppl and takes forever (i once missed a reg deadline and had to wait for next term because nobody replied to multiple emails for weeks)
- portal is not friendly at all
- young applicant cannot enroll to anything online and need phone calls etc
- start and end date of modules are set, assignments start and end date as well, so actually no flexibility to start things ahead of time

Having repeatedly told the Open University NOT to write to me at home due to personal reasons and assurances that this would not happen again, I have come home today - TO MORE MAIL WITH THE OU LOGO ON SENT TO MY HOME ADDRESS!!!!

I requested my course be cancelled to stop the Open University writing to me at my home address, yet I've heard no confirmation that this has been cancelled yet I'm still receiving mail about other Open University information to my home address!

Not only that, the promised investigation as to why this happened, has not materialised. I have heard from no one at the Open University to explain why I have been ignored.

I had hoped to complete the open degree but due to the Open University not following instructions, I'm now having to revise my further education options.

Love Open University a brilliant way to learn which works around my schedule

What an absolute shambles!

It's been torture trying to get confirmation of my place on the course. The average wait time just to get through on the phone is nine minutes, and since last Friday I've spent well over an hour trying to resolve this matter. Thirty-nine minutes of that was wasted today alone, yet I am no further forward.

The online information is ambiguous, and the call handler I spoke to today was appalling. There's crossed lines, yelling and hollering in the background and ghastly music when put on hold for an eternity. Despite all my time and effort I have accomplished nothing.

If this is the level of organisation before the course has even begun, it does not inspire confidence for what lies ahead. The whole experience has been frustrating, time-consuming, disappointing and unacceptable.

Disgraceful.

OU are wrong to place faith in ProctorU remote invigilation.

ProctorU are an online invigilation company whose reputation is clearly portrayed by 99% of all reviewers giving a 1* rating (the worst possible).

I logged in with ProctorU for the OU exam I was due to take and made contact with my invigilator, Rashmi, who asked me to download additional software which I did successfully. Rashmi then disappeared completely ~ I waited 25 minutes and received no contact from him or any other invigilator. I finally did make contact with someone from their admin dept but from that point on I was transferred from dept to dept and had no success in finding out what the problem was (if indeed there was a problem at my end) and how I should rectify it.

I understand that OU are intending to roll out ProctorU for other courses and if this is the case then applicants to OU should be very wary of enrolling for such a course because of the risk that they will be unable to complete their exams successfully.

The OU are remarkably sanguine about the further use
of ProctorU and one comment that I have seen from them is that "ProctorU has been generally successful...". They should try telling that to the students who have withdrawn from their course through difficulties in dealing with the invigilation process.

For those who are contemplating taking a course with OU I strongly suggest that they browse the Trustpilot reviews for ProctorU and the overall conclusion is distressing for any student about to take a course where the exam is invigilated by ProctorU

The appropriate company name to enter on Trustpilot to see the reviews is "go.proctorU"

Great tutors, well organised tutorials with clarity,fantastic coffee meetings and friendly students.

Content and schedule works well and is easy to follow. The tutor team are appalling at communication and accountability. Assignments always marked late and tutors constantly going off the grid and no able to be reached. Tutor management team reach out to me but that ignored me once i have voices my concerns and issued

Studying with them, the worst idea ever. They mess with feelings but not cyber terrorists. When running a uni make sure the info is communicated clearly, making sense, or it'll be easy to push us away. This former, very popular, uni shouldn't be getting loads of 1 stars. I really miss the days when university made more sense. I hadn't failed one module unlike the previous uni. The tutor is allowed to mark as long as it's not with Simon from BGT.🎈🎉🎊🎆🎇 What was once full of meaning for people is now becoming meaningless & I shall leave it at that.;)😉 I don't want them to close down ever. We are all hoping that they are doing their best to prevent that from happening. Finishing up is a blessing in disguise I suppose. They have no funding to be of any help, students should be so lucky. I could have got into a lot of soapy bubble. Thankfully that didn't happen, I don't deserve it. Either win free food shopping vouchers or just join another uni. I could go on forever but it is very important to have a positive learning experience. It is actually all over finally which I'm glad, way too much hassle. One of my tutors believed that I'm a quirky individual with the potential to get a distinction. They turned out to be spot on. Maybe just replace the nightmarish institution with my learning hub. This is going to apply to me without a doubt. Money just makes some people very rude & dismissive, we deserve better. Open learning is closed off pretty much. Isn't my review pretty including text as follows: ❤︎ ♥︎ 𔘓⁩ ♡ ᥫ᭡ ✶ 𖤐 ★ 𒀭 𑁍 ꕤ ❑ ❒ !i！？!!online experiments=excellent ❝ ୨୧ ‣ › ⌫ ✧ ✦⭒ ✓ ✘ 𓈈 ᚙ ⩨ ஃ To be fair I have difficulties, we all have difficulties, even the uni too (the strikes were not a good sign) oh dear. I did well considering, someone blamed me as if it's my fault. It is so overated but that's just my opinion after all. Don't get yourself into a mess, research your universities by all means. This has been no joke, it has already been treated like one. A pass usually means you can go onto the next stage. In fact I'm suprised I get to graduate. I am beginning to think that they punish people for no reason at all. If that's not the case then they are certainly unfit for purpose either way. Anyway I feel like the lad who got rejected at Waitross after many years of volunteering. If this weren't the case the OU would get many more stars. It was good while it lasted (the situation turning very sour was the last thing I ever expected despite many, many years of experience) & this review is not written by AI either (even although the subject is erratic in itself). :) The open uni is most bonkers/clued up or clueless/impossible/impolite/impatient/passive aggressive, should be sacked/great for some. It is even possible to fail and succeed at the same time. That's never happened before, so you are better off studying at Heriot Watt. I did everything to save my course but was painted the bad guy. At the end of the day a pass is a pass 🥳, apart from "'it's not legit' coming from the great(est pain in the donkey and yet somewhat famous) uni."[... been sick with a lesion on my back for 4 years. This has costed me four years at uni therefore staff need to be empathetic.] I got pulled up falsely for AI generated plagarism (they used AI themselves to achieve this) and passed. A family member is sending a congratulations gift. It is a real mixed bag. I am on a year's study break only to quit ironically. The OU has useful resources such as short courses. I am also barred from making complaints. They are well aware that things are not up to scratch. They just do not want me to rub it in. Some of the tutors are lovely though. *I could have lost my module I worked so hard for.* However I did do well in the TMAs, what more could you ask for (so much for the special circumstances). My certificate is on it's way to secure a pass and close down the penalty because the appeal didn't work. A word of advice, make sure your work is not too vague and repetitive. If you are needing guidance, I recommend student advice, they're pretty supportive. That's how the OU could improve.

The open university is an experience that allows everyone, no matter their walk of life maybe. Achieving career or personal goals, in a time frame that suits your work or personal life.

As my course has progressed i feel that my experience has lessened.
Hard copies of books were only provided for the first module of my course. This is disappointing as I would like to have hard copies that I could refer to at a later date.
I feel the online quality has dropped also, where a lot of the information could be condensed and more concise. I often struggle to take in the online content due to significant amounts of irrelevant filler content.
I also do not like that in recent modules it has changed from TMAs and an EMA each module to TMAs and an invigilated assessment. I do not feel that an invigilated assessment is indicative of a students comprehension when questions are missed or rushed due to arbitrary time constraints.

I have had a very positive experience studying with The Open University. The flexibility of online learning has allowed me to balance my studies with other commitments, while still receiving high-quality educational support. The course materials are well structured, engaging and designed to encourage independent thinking. I particularly appreciate the variety of learning resources, including online activities, tutorials and academic guidance from tutors. Studying with the Open University has helped me develop valuable skills in research, critical thinking and time management. Overall, it has been a rewarding and enriching experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering distance learning.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 6 years spent with the OU. The university has mastered the art of online learning, providing comprehensive learning platforms and resources which made the experience both interesting and rewarding. All of the tutors that I have had the pleasure of working with have been personable and supportive, and I have gained far more than just a law degree. The experience has improved my problem solving skills, time management, resolve and more than anything else my confidence. I would highly recommend the OU to anyone who is looking for a challenging yet rewarding journey.

Avoid.

I have been waiting since September 2025 for a pending result and we are in June 2026, they do not care about you. Received no communication apart from one generic email.

I wrote two complaints, one in April 2026. Which they claimed that they would respond within 10 working days and they failed to do that. I had to write another today. They just want your money and do not care about you.

So to summarise. Made me wait 9 months and counting for a result, two months for a complaint that they should have responded to within 10 working days.

Great experience! My tutor was available and helpful. The course was interesting and really fed my curiosity.

I absolutely love this university, the flexibility its grants you is unparalleled, the only down side id say is you have to be disciplined with your time because they wont give you reminders to do your work or help you when things are slow if you can balance uni modules with your personal life, then you will excel substantially in this university, there genuinely are no flaws i can bring besides the lack of constant tutor and teacher support. All in all its a top tier institution and would highly recommend to anyone who wants to get a Higher education qualification whilst maintaining their social and personal life without compromise.

That was a good experience overall, but some things could have been organised differently, mostly during the last two years. There is help, but I felt that it wasn't enough, as some parts of the material were not covered while others were repeated. I will recommend OU as the best option for working people.

Nice spread of tutorials so always able to attend a few. Some lectures/tutors are better than others and those that are good are really really good. I would love a hard copy of the text book which was available when I started the course and was a reason to mitigate the cost as text book were included. Study groups would be good and would help elevate the isolation which is an inherent problem with open university and its online format. That said for anyone working fulltime or having commitments that prevent attendance at a physical University it is a plausible way of getting a degree and perhaps without the distraction of the students union bar some might even say better. Signed up for second year so clear it has its merits. Additionally, I will be travelling for a few months which wont interfer with my course as long as I have internet. As with everything in life Open University has its pluses and minuses but overall it addresses a need for ongoing professional development while progressing your career