Building on previous study

Have you successfully completed some study at higher-education level?

• It could be a qualification such as a foundation degree or an HNC or HND.
• It could be an OU qualification or one from elsewhere.
• It could be part of a qualification.
• It could be a year or two you’ve completed at university elsewhere.

If any of the above applies to you, you may be able to count this study towards an OU degree, reducing the number of credits you need from OU study to achieve a degree.

We enable you to do this by awarding a certain number of credits of ‘transferred credit’. 

Topping up your foundation degree to an Open degree

If your foundation degree has been validated by a recognised UK university, you can use all or some of that credit towards an Open University degree.

An obvious route is to top up your foundation degree to an OU BA or BSc (Honours) Open degree. Typically, you will need to study an extra 120 credits at Level 3 (the normal level of third-year full-time study).

This gives you some choice about what to do next:

• If you want to change direction completely, you can, although you will probably need to include some extra studying at Level 2 to ensure that you have appropriate preparation for the Level 3 study that completes your degree.
• If you want to finish your degree as quickly as possible, then make sure that you choose Level 3 courses that build on the studying you have already done.

Below is a leaflet about topping up foundation degrees in specific subjects.

• From a Foundation Degree to an Honours Degree leaflet.

Topping up your foundation degree to a specific named degree

If your foundation degree has been validated by a recognised UK University, you may be able to use some or all of that credit towards a specific named honours degree related to the subjects you have already studied.

To find out more about how this might work, see Can I count my previous study?

If you’ve got a different qualification

If you’ve got an HNC, and HND, any other qualification, or even part of a qualification, you might well be able to count some of this study towards an OU degree. And the more you’ve done, the less study you will need to add to it.

To find out how you might use the study you’ve already done, see Can I count my previous study?

I’ve done a year or more at university, but can’t finish it

If you’ve completed at least one year of full-time study at university, then you will probably be entitled to some credit against an Open University degree. And our flexibility means that you can choose to continue in the same subject, or you could opt for our Open Degree that allows you to combine different subjects.

To find out how to get the most out of the study you have successfully completed, see Can I count my previous study?