Open Study College

Open Study College is an online distance learning college for adults, selling home-study courses and formal qualifications that learners take at their own pace with a personal tutor. The homepage says it was "Established in 2007 with 150,000+ learners", calls itself the "UK's most trusted online college", and offers "700+ career-boosting courses, including online A Levels & GCSEs." Its main reader is an adult who wants a recognized qualification without attending a college: someone retaking exams, a parent retraining around school hours, a worker adding a professional certificate, or a retiree studying for interest. A "Business training" section in the main menu shows it also sells to employers.

What learners can study

The catalog is broad, and the homepage shows how it splits. Online A Levels lists 27 courses, which the site says are "industry standard and exactly the same as those studied in a traditional school or college", flagged as "UCAS points eligible" with a "Fast-track available" option. Online GCSEs list 22 courses, aimed partly at learners who want to retake: "Looking to retake your GCSEs? This time, study on your terms, around your schedule." The site says it has "helped 50,000+ students improve their grades by studying online."

Professional and vocational qualifications make up much of the rest. Accounting shows 28 courses, with "levels 1-4 qualifications available in AAT and ACCA." Teaching assistant shows 21 courses built on "NCFE CACHE accredited qualifications", and the wider NCFE CACHE range covers education, childcare, and health and social care. Nails and beauty is the largest group at 85 courses, covering nails, skincare, makeup, beauty therapy and massage. Animal care shows 24 courses, including animal behavior, welfare and dog grooming. Beyond those, the site offers CIM marketing qualifications, NEBOSH health and safety qualifications, and Access to HE Diplomas, which it describes as a way to "Get to university without studying A levels" that "comes with no exams". The adult courses page adds lighter subjects too: "Our courses range from subjects like gardening and horticulture to history, and from animal care to criminology."

That mix serves two kinds of learner at once. One wants an exam qualification or professional certificate with a recognized awarding body behind it. The other wants a subject library to dip into for a career change or personal interest. Both sit in the same catalog and use the same study model.

How study works

The adult courses page explains the delivery: "You'll study via an online learning platform or printed course materials that we package up and send to your house, the choice is yours." The paper option is presented as a deliberate choice for older learners: "We know that this is often a preferred method of studying with our more mature learners." For learners with additional needs, the same page says, "we can provide our materials in larger fonts or on coloured paper where required."

Pacing is flexible but not unlimited. The homepage says there are "no strict deadlines" and adds: "you'll have up to a year and most of our online courses require 80 hours of study. That's around 1 hour and a half a week!" Learners can study on weekends, in the evenings, or "even the middle of the day when the kids are at school", and "if life gets particularly busy, you can pause your studies until you're ready to pick them back up again."

Every learner gets a tutor. "When you enrol with Open Study College you'll be assigned a personal tutor who will be on hand to guide you through your course and provide support to any questions you may have." The homepage describes this as "award-winning tutor support on demand" and says learners "can contact them as regularly as you want!" A learner services team works alongside the tutors.

Results and recognition

The homepage carries the college's headline claims: "Fully accredited qualifications", "Highly qualified tutors", a 97% A Level pass rate and a 98% GCSE pass rate. It also shows a "Rated Exceptional 5/5 Stars" badge and an "Awarding bodies we work with" section. The qualification descriptions make their own claims about recognition: NCFE CACHE qualifications are "nationally recognised", CIM is "globally recognised" and "trusted by marketing professionals and employers worldwide", AAT courses are "internationally recognised", and NEBOSH qualifications "are highly sought after by employers in the health and safety sector."

The adult courses page leans on age range as proof that the model works: "Hundreds of people in their 60s, 70s and 80s have enrolled with Open Study College. We even have a 91 year old learner currently studying for her A Level exams!" Story links on that page cover a learner studying in his seventies, a retiree, and a learner returning to education, and the homepage features an Access to HE learner who moved into nursing and a mature A Level student.

Prices, sales and finance

The homepage shows discounts rather than full course prices, so the price of a given course sits on its own page. A September sale advertised "up to 40% off across hundreds of courses", with discounts that grow with the number of courses: on A Levels, £50 off one, £200 off two and £400 off three or more; on GCSEs, £100 off one, £250 off two and £400 off three or more. Other offers in the same sale included up to £150 off NCFE CACHE qualifications, £200 off Access to HE, £100 off CIM courses, and £50 off each of animal care, nails and beauty, AAT and NEBOSH courses.

Payment can be spread. "We offer a range of finance options to pay for your course. Use PayPal, Klarna, or longer-term finance solutions." The college also offers a price match: "We'll price match against any other UK retailer if you see the exact course cheaper elsewhere!"

Support and contact

Help is available by phone, WhatsApp and live chat, Monday to Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm, and by email. The site offers a free downloadable prospectus, a callback request for anyone weighing A Level or GCSE retakes, an FAQ on distance learning, and guides on A Level grades, UCAS points and GCSE grading.

Who it suits and who it does not

Open Study College suits adults who want a formal qualification from home and value having a named tutor: someone retaking GCSEs or A Levels, a career changer working toward AAT, CIM, NEBOSH or a teaching assistant qualification, a prospective nursing student taking an Access to HE Diploma, or a retiree who would rather study from a printed pack than a screen. The year-long study window, the pause option and the paper materials make it accommodating for older learners and people with irregular schedules.

It is a weaker fit for learners who want live classes or a peer cohort, since study is independent with tutor support on request. Learners comparing costs will need to open each course page, because the homepage gives discounts and finance options but not base prices.