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Changes to policy and curriculum

Show all changes for 2021/22

Fee Rules 2021/22 (Undergraduate)

September 2021

In September 2021, The Open University made some changes to its Fee Rules 2021/22 (Postgraduate).

The changes made

There have been several significant changes to this policy:

  1. Amendment to paragraph K1 whereby extra costs have been amended to include internet access and postage costs for materials sent to addresses outside of the UK.
  2. Amendment to paragraph section K2, where replaced description of ‘Europe’ with ‘Continental Europe’ when discussing examinations at non-established examination centres.
  3. New paragraph K4 added to clarify that study materials sent to addresses in Continental Europe may incur additional postage costs.
  4. The terms ‘British overseas territories’, ‘EU overseas territories’ and ‘Relevant person of Northern Ireland’ is now defined in the Glossary of this document.
  5. The term ‘Agreed Overseas Territories’ is no longer defined in the Glossary of this document.
  6. Multiple changes made to Appendix 1, Section 2.1 - UK nationals, to include additional detail clarifying UK nationals’ eligibility for UK fees. Students must now fall into at least one of the three categories outlined to be eligible for UK Fees:
  7. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.1.2 describing first eligibility category – Settled in the UK.. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees. Paragraph has been amended to remove Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland as areas that students can be lawful residents to be eligible for UK fees. This has been replaced with the inclusion of UK Islands and Republic of Ireland as areas that students can be lawful residents to be eligible for UK fees.
  8. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.1.3 describing second eligibility category – Have a period of ordinary residence in Europe or the UK overseas territories. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees.
  9. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.1.4 describing third eligibility category – Have exercised a right of residence in the EEA and Switzerland before 1 January 2021. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees.
  10. Subsequent renumbering of original sections 2.1.2 (now 2.1.5) and 2.1.3 (now 2.1.6).
  11. Multiple changes made to Appendix 1, Section 2.3 - European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Swiss nationals, to include additional detail clarifying EU, EEA or Swiss nationals’ eligibility for UK fees. Students must now fall into this category to be eligible for these fees.
  12. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.3.2 stating that students must now be eligible for EU Settlement Status (EUSS) to meet this criterion. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees. Paragraph has been amended to remove Gibraltar as an area that students can be lawful residents to be eligible for UK fees. This has been replaced with the inclusion of UK Islands, EU overseas territories and British overseas territories as areas that students can be lawful residents to be eligible for UK fees.
  13. Multiple changes made to Appendix 1, Section 2.4 - Family members of UK nationals:
  14. Removal of information stating eligibility for family members of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals.
  15. Amendment to paragraph 2.4.1 stating that, for dependent direct ascendants, both persons must have left the UK and exercised a right of residence in the EEA and/or Switzerland.
  16. Additional detail added to paragraph 2.4.2 to clarify Family members of UK nationals’ eligibility for UK fees. Students must now fall into at least one of the three categories to be eligible for these fees.
  17. Section 2.4.3 - Inclusion of new paragraph 2.4.3 describing first eligibility category – is a family member of a UK national. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees.
  18. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.4.4 describing second eligibility category – both the student and the UK national family member have a period of residence in Europe or the EU overseas territories. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees.
  19. Inclusion of new paragraph 2.4.5 describing third eligibility category – both the student and the UK national family member have exercised a right of residence in the EEA and Switzerland before 1 January 2021. Students in this category would need to meet further criteria to be eligible for these fees.
  20. New Section 2.5 added to Appendix 1 to outline the eligibility criteria of students who are family members EU nationals and relevant person of Northern Ireland (RPNI) to pay a UK fee.
  21. Multiple changes made to Appendix 1, Section 2.6 - Nationals of countries outside of the UK, EEA and Switzerland, to include additional detail clarifying EU, EEA or Swiss nationals of countries outside of the UK, EEA and Switzerland eligibility for UK fees. Students must now fall into this category to be eligible for these fees.
  22. Removal of Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland in paragraph 2.6.2 (was paragraph 2.5.2) as areas that students can be lawful residents of (who have been granted indefinite leave) to be eligible for UK fees.
  23. Inclusion of Wales in paragraph 2.6.4 (was 2.5.4) as a country that students can be resident in to be potentially eligible for UK fees.
  24. Inclusion of Wales in paragraph 2.6.5 (was 2.5.5) as a country that students can be resident in to be potentially eligible for UK fees.
  25. Removal of Humanitarian Protection from paragraph 2.6.7 (was 2.5.7) as something that can make a student potentially eligible for UK fees, and inclusion of UK islands as a territory that students can be resident in to be potentially eligible for UK fees.
  26. Clarification added within paragraph 2.6.9 (was 2.5.9) that a students’ circumstances will still be considered even if they believe that the categories listed do not apply to them.
  27. Subsequent renumbering of original sections 2.1.3 (now 2.1.6) and 2.5 (now 2.6).

March 2021

In March 2021, The Open University published its new Fee Rules 2021/22 (Undergraduate) for the first time.

This document sets out the rules that affect the fees, Fee Liabilities, Fee Refunds and Fee Credits for Students studying undergraduate modules or qualifications. They explain the circumstances in which you may receive Fee Refunds or Fee Credits, The Open University’s Discretionary Fee Refunds and Credits policy, when you will become liable to pay fees, as well as what The Open University might do if you do not pay your fees.

The changes made:

There have been several significant changes to this policy:

  1. Amendment to final paragraph in the Scope section to note that students will be notified of any significant changes to the document via email, and that a particular amendment to Appendix 1 would be subject to review
  2. Vocational learners added to the out of scope section
  3. Amendment to The Open University Student Charter section to reference the Student Charter Values which were launched in 2020
  4. Multiple changes from the term ‘we’ to ‘The Open University’ throughout
  5. Amendment to paragraph A2 to change the reference to the Government, to Office for Students
  6. Rewording of paragraph B1.1 to clarify that this relates to modules selected, not registered to study
  7. Reordering and renumbering of paragraphs within Section B1: “Which fees apply to me?” to move paragraph B1.3 to the end of the Section
  8. Rewording of paragraph B3: “Liability for a Devolved UK Nation Fee” to refer to ‘your place of ordinary residence’ as opposed to ‘your home address’
  9. Amendment to paragraph B5.1 to state that students in Wales may pay fees of different amounts depending on relevant factors
  10. Rewording of paragraph B3.5.1 for clarification purposes
  11. New Section 5.4 “Eligibility for Transitional Welsh Fees” has been added
  12. Removal of the word ‘total’ from paragraph C2.1
  13. Further clarification added to paragraph E9 regarding the requirement to formally notify The Open University of your intentions
  14. A sentence has been added to paragraph G2 to signpost to paragraph G11
  15. Table 2, Section H1 and Table 3, Section H2: dates have been amended to reference the new Academic Year
  16. References to Senate have been removed (paragraph G9; paragraph I1; paragraph J2c; Appendix 2; Table 5 in Appendix 2)
  17. Removal of sentence within paragraph J3 (“This fee is applicable to repeating a module where the original presentation started after 1 August 2017”)
  18. Inclusion of students in Wales within the Section K4.1 “Accommodation charge”, and information regarding when you will be made aware of this charge
  19. Amendments to Glossary entries for ‘Agreed Overseas Territories’, ‘Assessment Banking’, and ‘European Economic Area (EEA) countries’
  20. Additional wording added to the Further Clarification section to state that the most up-to-date response times for receiving and sending postal correspondence are available on the Open University Offices webpage
  21. References to Academic Year clarified to ‘Seasonal Academic Year’ throughout appendices
  22. Amendment to paragraph Ap1 2.1.1 to update the area that a student must have been ordinarily and lawfully resident, to the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland
  23. Amendment to title of Section Ap1 2.3 to ‘European Union (EU), EEA or Swiss nationals‘
  24. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.3.1: to update the area that a student must have been ordinarily and lawfully resident to the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland
  25. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.3.1: to include the new criterion of having been granted Pre-settled or Settled status via the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as of the first day of the Seasonal Academic Year of their module
  26. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.3.1: to include the new criterion of being an Irish citizen
  27. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.3.1 to remove the criterion requiring Swiss and EEA nationals to be workers or migrant workers
  28. Amendment to title of Section Ap1 2.4 to include UK nationals
  29. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.4.1 to change the nationalities of family members to include UK and Swiss nationals
  30. Removal of what was previously paragraph Ap1 2.4.2 defining family members of Swiss nationals as a spouse, civil partner or child
  31. Amendment to paragraph Ap1 2.4.2 to amend the area that a student must have been ordinarily and lawfully resident to the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland
  32. Amendment to paragraph Ap1 2.4.2 to include the new criterion of having been granted Pre-settled or Settled status via the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as of the first day of the Seasonal Academic year of their module
  33. Removal of paragraph Ap1 2.4.4 detailing the criterion family members of EEA nationals were required to meet if they did not have 3 years of ordinary residency in the EEA and Switzerland
  34. Amendment to title of Section Ap1 2.5 to ‘Nationals of countries outside of the UK, EEA and Switzerland ’
  35. Amendment to paragraph Ap1 2.5.1 to refer to those who are not UK, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals instead of nationals of territories not mentioned above
  36. Amendment to paragraph Ap1 2.5.2 to amend the area that a student must have been ordinarily and lawfully resident to the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland
  37. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.5.3 to include ‘the spouse, civil partner or child of a refugee’
  38. 2.5.3b amended from ‘do not need to have been resident in the EEA for three years prior to the first day of the seasonal academic year of the module’ to ‘have not ceased to be resident in the UK since being granted leave to remain’
  39. New paragraph 2.5.3c
  40. Addition of new sections Ap1 2.5.4 (You are resident in England and have been granted Humanitarian Protection or Stateless Person leave; or are the spouse or civil partner or child of a person listed); and Ap1 2.5.5 (You are resident in England and have been granted Indefinite Leave to remain as a bereaved partner). Renumbering of remaining section as required
  41. Amendments to paragraph Ap1 2.5.6 (was 2.5.4)
  42. Amendments to paragraph 2.5.6a) to refer to England, Wales or Northern Ireland (not the UK)
  43. 2.5.6b amended from ‘you do not need to have been resident in the EEA for three years prior to the first day of the seasonal academic year of the module’ to ‘you have not ceased to be resident in the UK since being granted limited leave to remain‘
  44. Amendments to paragraphs Ap1 2.5.7 (was 2.5.5) and Ap1 2.5.8 (was 2.5.6)
  45. Addition of ‘or are a spouse, civil partner, or child of a person listed above’
  46. 2.5.7b amended from ‘you have been ordinarily and lawfully resident in the EEA for at least three years prior to the first day of the academic year of the module’ to ‘you have been ordinarily and lawfully resident in the UK for at least three years prior to the first day of the academic year of the module; and if you are the are the spouse, civil partner, of a person listed above you must have been their spouse or civil partner at the time of them submitting their application to the Home Office’
  47. 2.5.8b amended from ‘you have been ordinarily and lawfully resident in the EEA for at least three years prior to the first day of the academic year of the module’ to ‘if you are the spouse or civil partner, of a person listed above you must have been their spouse or civil partner at the time of them submitting their application to the Home Office’
  48. Removal of clause (originally Ap1 2.5.7) about asylum seekers who do not meet these criteria to contact the Student Support Team
  49. Addition of new paragraph Ap1 2.5.9: If you have been granted any type of leave other than those listed above, your circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis
  50. Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 amended as follows
  51. Supporting evidence in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 clarified to be examples
  52. Criterion 1 in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 altered to past tense
  53. Criterion 3 in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 amended to reference the Equality Act (2010), and to account for other statutory duties and obligations outside of England, Scotland and Wales
  54. Criterion 4 in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 amended to include surrogacy, and evidence from a health professional
  55. New Criterion 5 in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 inserted to cover “An unforeseen prolonged incapacity of yourself due to adoption” and related conditions and examples
  56. Criterion 9 (was Criterion 8) in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 amended to include evidence from household insurance documentation
  57. Criterion 10 (was Criterion 9) in Table 5 “Conditions approved by The Open University”, Appendix 2 clarified to specify ‘an unforeseen change’ in caring responsibilities
  58. Additional sentence added into Ap 3.1 to explain that Students in Wales may be liable for an accommodation charge, and when this will be advised
  59. Ap 3.2 now includes an additional sentence: “the residential school is provided by an external provider or third party to whom direct payments are required”
  60. Numbering within the section has been amended. The reference in Ap 3.5c (was 3.4) has been amended in line with the new numbering

For more help or information

Please talk to your Student Support Team if you need any further information. You can find out how to contact them on Contact the OU.