Open University

The Open Institution (OU) is a public research university in the United Kingdom that has the highest number of students of any university in the country. The bulk of the University of Oxford's undergraduate students are located in the United Kingdom and mostly study off-campus; however, many of the university's courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) may be taken from anywhere in the globe, including other countries. There are also a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the university's 48-hectare campus in Milton Keynes, where they make use of the university's research facilities, as well as more than 1,000 members of academic and research staff and more than 2,500 members of administrative, operational, and support staff at the university.

The Open University (OU) was founded in 1969 and was originally located at Alexandra Palace in north London, where it made use of the television studios and editing facilities that had been left vacant by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The first students began attending classes in January 1971. The administration of the university is currently headquartered in Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, in Buckinghamshire, although it also has administrative centres in other areas of the United Kingdom, including London and Manchester. It also has a presence in other European nations, including the United Kingdom. Degrees are awarded at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in addition to non-degree credentials such as diplomas, certificates, and units of continuing education.

With more than 175,000 students enrolled, including approximately 34% of new undergraduates under the age of 25 and more than 7,700 international students, it is the largest academic institution in the United Kingdom (and one of the largest in Europe) in terms of student numbers, and qualifies as one of the world's largest universities in terms of total student population and research output. More than 2 million students have taken courses at the university since it was established. According to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency that has been recognised by the United States Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, The Open University was one of only two higher education institutions from the United Kingdom to receive accreditation in the United States of America. It is certified by the British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute for IT, and quality guaranteed by the European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education (EQAINIE).