The different ways to pay your contribution can be found at open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding. Once the OU has received your Amazon voucher, you will be sent a registration agreement that you need to complete and return to the OU along with the payment method to cover your part of the fees.

Depending on in which Home Nation you are resident, you may be able to apply for a tuition fee loan: open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding/loan-england-finance. The module fee you pay will also be dependent on the Home Nation in which you are resident: see open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding. Tuition fees and financial support schemes differ across the UK depending in which Home Nation you are resident.

Depending on what you want to study, you may be able to start your studies in October, February or April each year. Start dates of all qualifications and modules can be found on open.ac.uk/courses. So long as you complete and return registration documentation and employee contribution by the Final Registration Date for your chosen module, you will start your studies on the module date stipulated. If you are new to the OU, you will receive a personal identifier number and an OU computer username, to give you access to your Student homepage and module and qualification websites where you will access your learning materials.

You are entitled to a full refund/waiver of module fees up to the day before module start date. After module start date, you may be eligible for a partial refund or fee credit depending on when you withdraw.  Further information can be found at help.open.ac.uk/documents/policies/changing-your-study-plans.

Each module you will be allocated a tutor. You will also have access to our student services and learning and disabilities support centre.

As you will be a OU student you will have access to our Careers and Employability Hub where you can be supported in CV writing, interview skills, job searches or even 1-to-1 help.

Once your registration agreement and the Amazon voucher have been received, processed and all fees cleared you will then be enrolled onto the programme. You will then receive an email from the OU notifying you of this and giving you access to your student OU homepage to access your module.

Part time study is the completion of 30-60 credits a year, where you will study 16-18 hours per week. Full time study is the completion of 120 credits a year, where you will study 32-36 hours per week.

A module is a unit of work that can be studied standalone or towards a qualification. Multiple modules make up a qualification.

If you have previously studied at a Higher Education institution within the last 16 years, you may be able to count your study towards an OU qualification, this is known at the OU as credit transfer.

You will need to apply for credit transfer before applying for your course. For more information on this please follow the link to the website: open.ac.uk/study/credit-transfer/

You can pay using a combination of the following:

• credit or debit card – open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding/credit-debit-card
• Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA) – open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding/ousba
• part time tuition fee loan – open.ac.uk/courses/fees-and-funding/loan-England-finance
• bank transfer