[Persipan]

First, a caveat: bear in mind that I’m some random woman on the internet. I don’t advise making decisions about your studies based on anything I say here or anywhere else. I don’t have any special knowledge. Check your plans for yourself, and with the OU, before you commit to anything.

OK, with that out of the way…

This is something of a running theme at the moment, so I thought it would be worth putting it all in one place for anyone who’s thinking of starting OU study.

As I understand it, the situation is this:

From September 2012, in line with changes in HE generally, the OU fee structure for undergraduate courses is changing. Also in line with changes in HE generally, it’s changing in the direction of more expensive. Much more expensive. Where an honours degree would currently cost, in total, something around the £4,500-£5,000ish mark (that’s a very back-of-a-fag packet calculation, by the way, and there are exceptions; notably Law which is much more expensive), it will from 2012 cost £15,000 for students in England (although the costs are different elsewhere, so if you aren't in England, check this out).

However, in order not to pull the rug out from under the feet of those already studying, people already working towards a degree will be able to continue paying at the same levels they currently do (other than inflationary rises) under transitional arrangements, which state:

To be eligible, and remain eligible, for these transitional arrangements you must also meet the following important date criteria:

- you will start a module that counts towards your qualification between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013
AND
- you have completed a module which is linked to your qualification and began between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011 OR you’re studying a module linked to your qualification that starts between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012

If you meet these criteria your fees will follow the existing pricing structure and you’ll have access to the same financial support options, so long as you continue to study each year until you achieve your qualification.

Transitional arrangements will not apply to any modules that start on or after 1 September 2017. If you wish to complete your study under transitional funding arrangements you will need to have finished your qualification by then.

NOTE – this information also relates to students in England – if you’re elsewhere, check the specific details on the OU website regarding your situation.

If you look at the OU page for whichever degree you’re interested in, you’ll notice that it currently says “Registration is not yet open for this qualification. For an autumn 2012 start, registration opens on 27 March 2012.” However, there are still a number of modules which will start before 31st August, and, if one of these can be counted towards the degree you want to do, then so far as I’m aware it should be possible to do that module, declare that you want it to count towards whichever-degree-it-is, and so fall under the transitional arrangements.
The modules available (info taken from the full course list here) are listed below.

(NOTE: As this thread is aimed at people new to OU study, I’ve only included Level 1 modules which don’t first require you to do other modules. I’ve also skipped residentials and one or two modules requiring very specific work experience – and it’s entirely possible I’ve missed things out by accident, too – so do double check for yourself if you’re interested in a particular subject.)

B120 An introduction to business studies May – 30 credits
B122 An introduction to retail management and marketing May – 30 credits
T122 Career development and employability May - 30 credits
D172 Contemporary Wales April - 15 credits
S170 Darwin and evolution May - 10 credits
T183 Design and the web May – 10 credits – final start date for this module
SK120 Diabetes care May - 15 credits – final start date for this module
T150 Digital audio May – 10 credits
T156 Digital film school May – 10 credits
T189 Digital photography: creating and sharing better images May – 10 credits
DSE141 Discovering psychology May – 30 credits
S187 Elements of forensic science May – 10 credits
S171 Empire of the microbes May – 10 credits – final start date for this module
SK195 Human genetics and health issues May – 10 credits
ST174 Inside nuclear energy May – 10 credits
Y181 Introducing environment March or June - 15 credits
DD131 Introducing the social sciences – part 1 May – 30 credits
B190 Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting May – 10 credits
D171 Introduction to counselling April – 15 credits
BD131 Introduction to financial services May – 10 credits
T155 Linux: an introduction May – 10 credits
S176 Living without oil: chemistry for a sustainable future May – 10 credits
U122 Make your experience count May – 30 credits
Y180 Making sense of the arts March or June – 15 credits
SK185 Molecules, medicines and drugs: a chemical story May – 10 credits
S159 Neighbourhood nature May – 10 credits
S173 Plants and people May - 10 credits
LB160 Professional communication skills for business studies May – 30 credits
S154 Science starts here March – 10 credits – final start date for this module
A182 Small country, big history: themes in the history of Wales April – 15 credits
S172 Sport: the science behind the medals May – 10 credits
Y186 Starting with law March or June – 15 credits
Y182 Starting with maths March or June – 15 credits
Y183 Starting with psychology March or June – 15 credits
S175 The frozen planet May – 10 credits
TM190 The story of maths May – 10 credits
SK123 Understanding cancers May – 15 credits
Y176 Understanding children and young people March or June – 15 credits
Y178 Understanding health March or June – 15 credits
SK183 Understanding human nutrition May – 10 credits
Y179 Understanding management March or June – 15 credits
Y177 Understanding society March or June – 15 credits
S189 Understanding the weather May – 10 credits
S186 Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis May – 10 credits
BU130 Working and learning: developing effective performance at work May – 30 credits
DB123 You and your money: personal finance in context May – 30 credits

Having had a poke around in the prospectuses to see what modules are asked for towards what, it should be possible to start towards a lot of degree courses (though not all of them) with modules from those listed above, either because particular modules from the list count specifically towards those qualifications, or because some degrees allow a ‘free choice’ element which lets you include a certain number of credits of whatever you want. Also, don’t forget the Open Degree, which allows you to combine modules very flexibly. I’m pretty sure everything listed above could be counted towards the Open Degree.

Do be aware of a couple of things:

• Certain modules count towards a lot of different degree courses, meaning that there may be a lot of people wanting to do them. From the above list DD131, DSE141 and DB123, in particular, count (or can count) towards a ludicrous number of different degrees. There’s no guarantee that there’s space on any of the modules listed above, but if you’re interested in doing anything likely to be popular, it would be a good idea to register as soon as possible.
• Even if you’re confident that your chosen module is so obscure it won’t be full, don’t forget that registration for each module usually closes about a month before the module starts – so, if something starts at the beginning of May, you won’t be able to suddenly decide on 30th April that you’d like to sign up for it.

Hope this proves useful to anyone contemplating taking the plunge. Right, off to find some other form of procrastination to keep me from my TMA...

[Persipan]

Just a quick heads up that registration for May start courses ends on 16th April (brought forward from today)...

[Nitebot]

Incredibly useful post Persipan. The OU should be employing you!!

[Elf.]

Hi,

I'm wondering about the PPE OU degree or possibly Humanities pathway Philosophy. Is it possible to start either of these before the fee increase or have I missed my chance?

Thanks for any help!

[Nitebot]

(Original post by Elf.)
Hi,

I'm wondering about the PPE OU degree or possibly Humanities pathway Philosophy. Is it possible to start either of these before the fee increase or have I missed my chance?

Thanks for any help!

Persipan's list shows that DD131 Introducing the social sciences – part 1 – 30 credits can be started in May if you sign up by Monday. You can use that course for a PPE or Humanities degree.

[Elf.]

(Original post by Nitebot)
Persipan's list shows that DD131 Introducing the social sciences – part 1 – 30 credits can be started in May if you sign up by Monday. You can use that course for a PPE or Humanities degree.

Thanks Nitebot, can you advise me on how I sign up - do I register for the DD131 *and* the undergraduate degree in one go or do I sign up for the first module independently of that? The reason I'm asking is the PPE page states the degree begins october 2012.

[Persipan]

(Original post by Elf.)
Thanks Nitebot, can you advise me on how I sign up - do I register for the DD131 *and* the undergraduate degree in one go or do I sign up for the first module independently of that? The reason I'm asking is the PPE page states the degree begins october 2012.

The degree programmes themselves are changing somewhat, so if you start before September, you'd actually be on the existing degree structure (degrees with a code which starts with a B), rather than the new structure (starting with a Q). What's on the website relates to a September start, so if you're looking at starting before that, you'd need to check with the OU exactly what degree programmes would be available to you and what modules would count towards what.

Edited to add: in the future, I believe students will sign up for a degree; under the old setup, though, you register for a module and then (either at the time you register, or later) declare what qualification you want it to count towards.

[L.O.V.E.]

because this is really useful!!

I know today was the last day to register for May starts, but they're normally not all that fussy if you're a day or two late to register (at least not with me anyway) Especially for the science short modules.

[NightVision23]

So if I wanted to study History then I can study the Y180 Making sense of the arts module and go on to History after this, and pay the lower financial fees?

[Persipan]

(Original post by NightVision23)
So if I wanted to study History then I can study the Y180 Making sense of the arts module and go on to History after this, and pay the lower financial fees?

Well, double check with the OU to be sure, but the current degree structure for the History degree includes 60 credits of free choice, so I don't see why not.

[NightVision23]

Thanks, will contact them tomorrow morning and find out.

[Shortarse1]

I'm thinking of dropping out of Uni after my first year and continuing my degree with the OU, I'm 99% certain my credits will be transferrable but will I be subject to the new fees system or the old one?

I'm not particularly adverse to the new one but as I'm already on the old one I'd prefer not to mix and match to keep it simple.

[Nitebot]

(Original post by Shortarse1)
I'm thinking of dropping out of Uni after my first year and continuing my degree with the OU, I'm 99% certain my credits will be transferrable but will I be subject to the new fees system or the old one?

I'm not particularly adverse to the new one but as I'm already on the old one I'd prefer not to mix and match to keep it simple.

Isn't it too late now for existing students to sign up for the transitional arrangements? I think you'll need to check.

[Shortarse1]

(Original post by Nitebot)
Isn't it too late now for existing students to sign up for the transitional arrangements? I think you'll need to check.

Thanks I'll give them a call.

[Sambarry]

All great info. What if you are already studying a short course with Open Uni, (which i paid for independently) and want to start a full degree in Feb 13, but want to start it afresh, ie. not transferring the credits from short course. I want to start full degree under new fee structure, so that I receive full student funding. The Ope Uni say I need to opt out of transitional funding structure.

[Persipan]

(Original post by Sambarry)
All great info. What if you are already studying a short course with Open Uni, (which i paid for independently) and want to start a full degree in Feb 13, but want to start it afresh, ie. not transferring the credits from short course. I want to start full degree under new fee structure, so that I receive full student funding. The Ope Uni say I need to opt out of transitional funding structure.

The one thing I'd suggest you look at is whether you'd be entitled to any funding under the old system (i.e. where you don't have to pay it back) - if you would, it might be worth thinking about sticking with TA, using your current course towards your degree.

Otherwise, yep, what the OU said - you just give up your entitlement to TA, and sign up for whatever you want under the new structure, and apply for student loans to cover it.