There are several significant changes from the previous version of this document (Conditions of Registration 2023/24).
These are:
a) General restructuring of the document. This includes moving The Open University’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion commitment statement and the “Conditions of Registration superseded by this document” section to the end of this document.
b) References to the OU Students Association have been amended to Open University Students Association (OUSA) within the section ‘The Open University Study Charter Values'.
c) Information about Safe Space Reporting has been added to end of the document.
d) Clause A1c does not apply to students on the DHEP programme.
e) Clarification in Clause A1d, that the Conditions take priority if an Open University employee or agent has said something inconsistent either in writing or verbally.
f) Clause A4.1a requires you to understand the Conditions and to contact your Student Support Team (SST) if you do not understand or have any questions about the Conditions of Registration.
g) The Open University will keep records of your academic progress which has been reflected in Clause A6.1.
h) Clause A6.2 has been updated to include reference to The Open University’s Retention Policy.
i) The Open University use and process your personal information created as a result of your study, as detailed in Clause A6.2.
j) Additional information in Clause A7.2 and A7.4 about how The Open University will communicate with you and support you if there is industrial action.
k) Addition of online schools, field schools, lab schools or alternative learning environments in Clause A7.4, regarding short-term changes to learning, teaching and assessment arrangements.
l) Clauses A7.7.3 and A7.8.2 reference when the Student Protection Plan will apply.
m) Addition of postponement of your final module(s) in Clause A7.8.4.
n) Clause A8.2 has been updated to highlight that a Welsh language version of the Welsh Language Standards Complaints procedure is available.
o) Clarification in Clause B1.4 that the Fee rules which should be referred to, for information about additional costs of residential schools, are the Undergraduate Fee rules.
p) Clarification in Clause B3.3 that The Open University will provide a refund or waiver via your original payment method, if the correct fee is lower than the fee shown in the Registration Agreement.
q) Clause B5.1 has been reworded to improve clarity without changing the message.
r) Removal of references to declared undergraduate qualifications in Section C and in the Glossary.
s) Revised wording in Clause D1.1d about your obligation to engage with the Fitness to Study policy if requested, although the message given has not changed.
t) Clarification of the requirement to meet professional standards set out in the Fitness to Practise Procedure, if studying a professional programme, in Clause D1.1e.
u) Clarification in Clause D1.1e that you could be expelled or suspended from the professional programme when a Fitness to Practise Procedure is being followed.
v) References to the Code of Practice for Student Assessment have been removed from Clause D1.2c. This document is being decommissioned from the Student Policy and Regulations website. The information will be incorporated into the Assessment Policies.
w) Section D3 “The Residential School” now includes information on online schools, day schools, field schools and lab schools.
x) Removal of what was Clause D3.5, which detailed that cancellation charges could apply if a residential school booking was cancelled.
y) Clarification in section E3.3 of when a fee refund or fee waiver may be given.
z) Updated references to the Code of Practice for Student Discipline in Clause E2.1j and section K3 “Failure to disclose”.
aa) Addition of Clause F2.3 detailing your responsibility in keeping your Open University account secure.
bb) Section G4 “Students living in Wales” has been updated with a link to the Language Preferences form.
cc) Addition of Clause J3 in Section J “Affiliation with Third-Party Organisations”.
dd) The procedure for disclosing any unspent criminal convictions has been removed from Section K “Disclosing criminal convictions, legal restrictions, and conditions”. Instead you should refer to the Supporting Students subject to legal license, restriction, condition, or orders policy document for the procedure.
ee) Section K4 clarifies that you will not be required to make a self-disclosure unless explicitly stated within the Supplementary Agreement for your programme.
ff) Removal of references to Professional Development (PD) courses in the Glossary.
gg) Additional clarification in the glossary definition of “Credit/Credits” as to why some modules have a zero-credit value.
hh) Addition of “Short Course” to the Glossary.
ii) Clarification that Appendix 1 details additional conditions for Students who are in Secure Environments. “Secure Environments” has been defined in the Glossary.
