Transfer From the OU?

I'm looking into this too! did you get any responses from unis?

It is extremely hard to use the OU as a springboard from year 1. Every university in the UK has the first year to bring everyone up to speed. This is NOT used to determine degree classification. The OU uses this year to teach a multidisciplinary set of subjects (for the arts) to get everyone ready for years 2 and 3 (the classification years). The OU teaches a cohort of students who they assume have been out of education for longer so the content starts at a more basic level. The OU is a rigorous university and sits comfortably in the middle of the rankings, but the first year is an introduction to university study. Thus most universities recognize OU degrees for MA courses highly but transferring into the second year at a brick university may be an issue because the first year methodology is different. The end point is the same but the early journey is different.

It is not unheard of, but it is a costly method of entering a brick university.

Tl;dr: The OU uses the first year to bypass the need to set entry requirements. Some universities may allow you to transfer but some will not. The content is vastly different but brick unis and the OU have the same endpoint.

It is extremely hard to use the OU as a springboard from year 1. Every university in the UK has the first year to bring everyone up to speed. This is NOT used to determine degree classification. The OU uses this year to teach a multidisciplinary set of subjects (for the arts) to get everyone ready for years 2 and 3 (the classification years). The OU teaches a cohort of students who they assume have been out of education for longer so the content starts at a more basic level. The OU is a rigorous university and sits comfortably in the middle of the rankings, but the first year is an introduction to university study. Thus most universities recognize OU degrees for MA courses highly but transferring into the second year at a brick university may be an issue because the first year methodology is different. The end point is the same but the early journey is different.

It is not unheard of, but it is a costly method of entering a brick university.

Tl;dr: The OU uses the first year to bypass the need to set entry requirements. Some universities may allow you to transfer but some will not. The content is vastly different but brick unis and the OU have the same endpoint.

well I was homeschooled my whole life, so I never sat traditionsl qualifications, my parents are very.. abstract. Nevertheless, it's not going to hold me back, so my plan is to do my first year of law with the OU, and then transfer to a brick uni, but use my first year as a kind of a level substitute. Alot of unis accept it so I'm gonna plan to do that!

It is extremely hard to use the OU as a springboard from year 1. Every university in the UK has the first year to bring everyone up to speed. This is NOT used to determine degree classification. The OU uses this year to teach a multidisciplinary set of subjects (for the arts) to get everyone ready for years 2 and 3 (the classification years). The OU teaches a cohort of students who they assume have been out of education for longer so the content starts at a more basic level. The OU is a rigorous university and sits comfortably in the middle of the rankings, but the first year is an introduction to university study. Thus most universities recognize OU degrees for MA courses highly but transferring into the second year at a brick university may be an issue because the first year methodology is different. The end point is the same but the early journey is different.

It is not unheard of, but it is a costly method of entering a brick university.

Tl;dr: The OU uses the first year to bypass the need to set entry requirements. Some universities may allow you to transfer but some will not. The content is vastly different but brick unis and the OU have the same endpoint.

Student Finance are very hazy on their own rules for funding. Before embarking on OU study make sure you have fully researched the funding options available to you. 1 year at the OU is counted as 1 year of your full time entitlement. Sometimes SFE will grant the year back if you didn't achieve a qualification, but not always. If you are hoping to do this then do 1 year at the OU max and then get into your university. Doing >1 year will put you at risk of not getting all of your full time funding for your new course.

I have a friend who did exactly what I am doing. Now SFE actually give you 5 years of finance. I will of course double check with them before I make any decisions.

Nobody gets 'x-years' of funding. Everybody gets 'length of course + 1' so that number will vary depending on the length of your course. But it gets complicated when changing unis and changing from part time to full time study.

Don't go on what other people got, that is no argument if SFE turn around and reject your application. Do thorough research of their T's & C's and don't go on what the advisors tell you.

A few of my friends situations: 1 did 120 credits at OU, used this to get into a brick uni and got funding for it all. Another dropped out of a uni in their first year, restarted and then dropped out in their second year, then restarted again and had to pay for their first year but funding for the rest. Another dropped out of uni in their second year and restarted and got funding for it all.
Looking at that it appears they give five years of finance as a general rule, I've also read somewhere (can't remember where) that this is the case. As I said in the previous message, however, I will not apply for anything until I have spoken to SFE and found out for myself.
Have you been in a similar situation with funding then? And what did they tell you?

How about not going on anecdotes and reading SFE rules? They are notoriously hazy on their own rules and advisers on the phone are no use when asking these questions. Some people will be granted funding, some won't. It is better to adhere to SFE rules to be safer.

I have both been granted then later refused funding due to my OU study which was 120 credits over 2 years. The safest option is to study your 120 credits over 1 academic year to get what your uni requires to gain admission to the course, don't accept a qualification from the OU and then start uni. You will have used your +1 year.

As already said you get length of course +1, not 5 years. You might be gifted years back if you're ill.

Here is the response I got from SFE after a 2 month appeals process I went through in 2015:

Previous study is detailed under Part 4, Chapter 1, paragraph 12, 1b (i)


12.—(1) Subject to the exceptions in paragraphs (4) to (7), a “previous
course” is—


(b) where the current course begins on or after 1st September 2009—

(i) a lower level qualification achieved following a full-time or part-time
higher education course, a course for the initial training of teachers or a
course designated under regulation 5(10), which the student attended or, in
the case of a compressed degree course or a designated distance learning
course, undertook before the current course;



The calculation to determine standard entitlement for a student is detailed
under Part 4, Chapter 3, paragraph 21, 1


21.—(1) The standard entitlement of a current system student who has
studied on a previous course and who does not fall within regulation 22 is
calculated as follows—

(OD) +1) – PC

Where

OD is the number of academic years that make up the ordinary duration of
the course

PC is the number of academic years that the student has spent on previous
courses.

I was refused, couldn't go through the stress anymore and decided to complete my degree with the OU.

Good morning,

I know I’m late to the party here but I’m in a similar situation, at the OU about to sit my second year exams which will be 240 credits completed. Will I be able to transfer to a brick uni for the start of second year. I have no A-Levels and have been studying at a rate of 120 credits a year.


Many thanks in advance