Open University Worldwide - Accreditation and Recognition

Accreditation and league table rankings

National Student Survey

For the last five years, The Open University has been ranked first or second for overall student satisfaction in the UK in the National Student Survey (excluding specialist universities. In 2009, 94% of Open University students "definitely" or "mostly" agreed with the statement, "Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my course".

155 higher education institutions (HEIs) across the UK and 117 further education colleges (FECs) in England took part in the survey.

Teaching Quality

The Open University has been ranked number 5 for the quality of its teaching in the Sunday Times University Guide in the most recent table (2005). 86.7% of The Open University's taught subjects were considered "excellent".

Rank	Institution	% of excellent subjects since 1995
1	Cambridge	96.3
2	Loughborough	94.4
3	York	93.8
4	London School of Economics	87.5
5	The Open University	86.7
6	Oxford	85.7
7	Essex	84.6
8	Imperial	81.8
9	University College London	77.4
10	St. Mark and St. John	75

USA Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education

The Open University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The Open University is one of only two UK higher education institutions to gain MSCHE accreditation.

OU Business School - Assurances of Quality

The OU Business School is accredited by the world's top management education associations - AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA - an achievement that puts us in an elite group. Less than one business school in a hundred worldwide is quadruple accredited.

AACSB
The OU Business School was the first business school offering exclusively distance learning to gain international accreditation from AACSB, the leading recognition body in the USA.

EQUIS & CEL
In 2005, the OU Business School was re-accredited with the prestigious European management development kitemark (EQUIS) by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). The OU Business School was also the first business school to receive the EFMD's Certification of elearning (CEL), recognising the innovative quality of the Professional Diploma in Management.

The Association of MBAs (AMBA)
The OU Business School's MBA programmes are accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) which uniquely represents the interests of MBA students and graduates, leading business schools and MBA employers.

Research at the OU

The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is a periodic Government audit designed to evaluate the quality of research in universities and colleges throughout the UK for each recognised discipline. The most recent exercise (RAE 2008) saw The Open University climb in the UK research league tables based on the assessment of its performance. The table below shows the proportion of research, in each of the units of assessment submitted by the University, deemed to be either world-leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised.

Unit of assessment	World class and international quality
Computer Science & Informatics	100%
History of Art, Architecture & Design	100%
Earth Systems & Environmental Sciences	95%
Geography & Environmental Studies	95%
Social Work and Social Policy & Administration	95%
Music	95%
Statistics & Operational Research	95%
Philosophy	95%
Art & Design	90%
English Language & Literature	90%
History	90%
Metallurgy & Materials	90%
Sociology	85%
Development Studies	85%
Education	85%
Classical Studies	85%
Business & Management Studies	80%
Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies	75%
Biological Sciences	70%
Mathematics	70%
Accounting & Finance	65%

Most Satisfied Students*

Institution**	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Open University	95%	95%	95%	94%	94%
St Mary's University College	85%	89%	91%	89%	93%
Buckingham	n/a	94%	93%	96%	92%
Harper Adams University College	90%	86%	91%	90%	92%
St Andrews	n/a	92%	94%	93%	92%
Cambridge	n/a	n/a	n/a	93%	91%
Leicester	89%	89%	90%	92%	91%
Aberystwyth	87%	90%	90%	90%	90%
Birkbeck	90%	91%	92%	92%	90%
Exeter	86%	85%	91%	91%	90%
Glasgow	n/a	84%	87%	87%	90%

*Institutions are ranked on the percentage of students who "definitely" or "mostly" agreed with the statement, "Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my course".

**Excludes specialist universities

Source: HEFCE (published in The Guardian and Times Higher Education)