York Learning Competitors

Leeds is among the top ten universities for research power in the UK. Our academic breadth, commitment to quality and determination to make a genuine impact on the world around us enables us to achieve extraordinary results in: • Creating knowledge through research and innovation. • Disseminating it through excellent student education. • Applying it to make a difference to society, culture and the economy. We have over 34,000 students, over 7,000 members of staff and a global network of more than 240,000 alumni. Integrating research and learning and teaching is at the heart of our strategy. Our courses are taught by staff who are engaged in world-class research and cutting-edge professional practice. We have strong ties with industry, and work with organisations of all sizes. Our outstanding entrepreneurial record of commercialising our research has seen us launch more spin-out companies on the AIM stock market than any other UK university.

The Open University is an expert in flexible higher education that fits around your working life. We don’t make you choose between a degree and a salary – more than 76% of our students are in full or part time work, while 86% FTSE 100 companies have funded staff on OU courses. Employers including IBM, The Metropolitan Police, Unilever and many more recognise the value for money we provide, while students appreciate the range of affordable routes we offer. As a result, we are the largest academic institution in the UK, with nearly 180,000 current undergraduates, postgraduates and students on validated programmes - plus almost 1.8 million who have studied with us since our foundation in 1969. When you join the OU, you gain a vast international network of support from university staff, alumni and fellow students (including more than 15,000 overseas) with a truly global reach. Wherever you are based, we offer flexible study with structure and support and we have been rated in the top ten UK universities for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey since its foundation in 2005. Our commitment to distance learning and access to education enables us to cater for the widest range of students - not only those who are in paid work but also the retired, those returning to education, registered carers, single parents and more disabled people than any other UK-based university. Flexible, affordable, respected and connected. Don’t take our word for it: Listen to what our students say at www.youtube.com/user/OUlife or click on the ‘Recommendations’ tab at the top of this page.

A member of the prestigious Russell Group, we are a dynamic, research-intensive university. We work collaboratively in partnership with institutions across the world to develop life-saving discoveries and new technologies that tackle some of the most pressing global challenges. Our 30+ academic departments undertake groundbreaking research that underpins our inspiring teaching and challenges students to dream big, think critically and change the world.