Sarah Rotundo-Fergusson left school with A grades and an offer of a place at Cambridge University, so when she started work as a nursery assistant on a salary of less than £11,000 (US$16,550), there were more than a few raised eyebrows among family and friends. However, she said, there was method in her madness. While her peers were running up debt at university, she combined work with distance learning through the UK’s Open University (OU), achieving a 2:1 degree in childhood and youth studies.
Now 24, Rotundo-Fergusson is manager of a day nursery in Berkshire, west of London, with a company car and a good salary. She is also a homeowner and has her sights set firmly on promotion. By the age of 30, she hopes to be earning up to £40,000 as an adviser in early years education. Meanwhile, her friends who chose more traditional higher education routes are trying to get their first foothold on the career ladder.
She said that her parents were initially disappointed at her decision to study through the OU, which “generally doesn’t have the same prestige as other universities.” However, the idea that it is somehow second-rate compared with campus-based universities is one of many misconceptions about the OU, she said.
The image of the bearded professor presenting TV programs broadcast in the early hours of the morning still prevails, and even to the more enlightened, the OU is often seen either as a “last-chance saloon” for those who messed up at school, or for “recreational” students such as the retired.
The truth is, the OU has always attracted a diverse range of students. What has changed in recent years is the number of young people choosing to study through the OU. Those who still subscribe to the 1970s stereotype might be surprised to learn that 25 percent of new students enrolling with the OU are aged between 17 and 25. Over the last year, there has been a 36 percent increase in students in this age group. So why is the “gray university” suddenly so popular?
Christina Lloyd, head of teaching and learner support at the OU, said it was partly to do with changing perceptions. The OU’s focus on distance or “open” learning naturally lends itself to the use of new technologies, for example making use of the digital media player iTunes and video-sharing Web site YouTube to deliver lectures and resources, which appeals to Internet-savvy young people.
More significant, perhaps, is money. Tuition fees are typically about £4,000 to £5,000 for an undergraduate degree through the OU, which compares favorably to £9,000 for a full-time degree at a campus-based university, which of course excludes accommodation or other living costs.
Earlier this month, the universities minister for England and Wales, David Willetts, announced proposals for nationally recognized degree programs that would allow students to take prestigious courses, but save on the expense of living away from home by studying at their local university or college.
He has strongly hinted that he thinks the cap on university tuition fees should rise, meaning the OU may still represent a more cost-effective option for those students unwilling or unable to run up vast amounts of student debt.
The latest Push Student Debt Survey estimates average student debt at more than £23,000, but the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that if the cap on tuition fees is lifted (a move championed by the Russell Group of elite UK universities, along with higher interest rates on student loans) students could leave university more than £40,000 in debt.
Under current funding arrangements, part-time learners, who make up about 39 percent of the student population, are particularly disadvantaged. They have to pay tuition fees upfront (full-time students do not pay anything until completion of their degree) and are not eligible for government grants and loans, putting higher education out of reach for many.
To achieve its central mission of increasing participation and widening access to higher education, the OU “tops up” the funding it receives from the government, known as the “block grant,” to support students on lower incomes or those experiencing financial difficulties, with almost a quarter of students receiving some kind of support at any one time.
“We’re a part-time university and finance is the biggest inhibitor to participation in higher education, which is why we’re so committed to offering support,” Lloyd said.
Rotundo-Fergusson qualified for financial help, which covered all of her tuition fees. She also received a grant for travel costs and to buy a laptop.
“The biggest irony is that all students are part-time these days, often fitting study around part-time jobs, rather than the other way round,” Lloyd said.
As a result, today’s higher education “customers,” many of whom will be paying for their education for years to come, demand value for money from their higher education provider.
Meg Dixon is one such example. She started out at a campus university, but, disillusioned with what was on offer, left in the second year and completed her degree through the OU.
The quality of resources, tutor support and academic rigor of OU degree study surprised her.
“I worked really hard to get the grades required to get on to my first university course, but I found out many students had poor A-levels or none at all. The OU may be open access, but expectations were much higher, as was the level of tuition and support,” she said.
Now 22, Dixon works in nanoscience and earns more than the average graduate salary of around £20,000.
Aaron Porter, NUS president-elect, is not surprised more young people are choosing the OU instead of campus universities.
“The threat of rising tuition fees will force many of those thinking about university education to reconsider their options,” he said.
However, Pam Tatlow, chief executive of the university thinktank million+, thinks rising concerns about the shortage of funded university places this year may be responsible.
“The OU is outside the Ucas system [for choosing and allocating university places], so students can apply without using up one of their five Ucas choices,” she said. “The OU is therefore an insurance policy.”
Lloyd agrees that fair funding for part-time students is vital, but said that the OU was far more than an “insurance policy.”
“That distinction between full-time and part-time study is eroding and more people are seeing the careers benefits of combining work with study. The world of higher education is changing and a big slice of that is about the OU,” she said.
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