About the OU
Open to People, Places, Methods and Ideas
About the OU > Faculties and Centres > National and Regional Centres
We have 13 centres across the UK and Ireland. Their role is to organise the support for our 250,000 distance learning students.
At the centres students can meet with advisers, careers experts and other students, view course materials, and get help with their study choices. Many centres also host tutorials, day schools and social events.
At each centre, our student services teams help with:
Our national and regional centres also employ the associate lecturers who tutor our students.
Much of the University's work in widening participation starts with our national and regional centres who are best placed to identify local needs and build partnerships with communities and other providers. For example, our regional centre in the North West is host to the Greater Manchester AimHigher Co-ordination Unit (pictured), working to encourage more people into higher education.
Widening participation
The majority of our centres are based in major population centres within the area they cover - accessible to as many students within their region as possible. All of them take an active part in the life of their region whether celebrating the success of mature students during Adult Learners' Week or sponsoring arts or science festivals.
Find your nearest OU centre:
The Open University in Wales
The Open University in Scotland
The Open University in Ireland
The Open University in the East Midlands
The Open University in the East of England
The Open University in London
The Open University in the North
The Open University in the North-West
The Open University in the South
The Open University in the South-East
The Open University in the South-West
The Open University in the West Midlands
The Open University in Yorkshire
All of our national and regional centres host open days at which visitors can look at OU materials, talk to advisers and meet others who are already studying. These events are listed on the centres' own websites and on the OU community's website, Platform.
Each year the Open University in Scotland is a sponsor of events at the Edinburgh Festival.
OU in Scotland