This is a list of schools worldwide that identify as open universities, either as part of their titles or as an explicit tenet of their educational philosophy and methods. Open education is a core value for these institutions; they are not just secondary offshoots from more traditional universities. This list does not include distance learning units of traditional universities, some of which branded as open university systems.
The information shown for each school is deliberately limited. Each university listed here is linked to an existing article, where more information and verifiable references can be found.
(Column headings: 'DL' = distance learning, 'PC' = physical campus)
Africa Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes National Open University of Nigeria Public Abuja Nigeria Yes YesMiva Open UniversityPrivateAbujaNigeriaYes Open University of Mauritius Public Réduit, Moka District Mauritius YesUndergraduate Diploma/Degree, Master's Diploma/Degree, Doctorate Diploma/Degree Laweh University College Private Accra GhanaYes Open University of Kenya Public Konza Kenya Yes YesShort Courses, Undergraduate Diploma/Degree, Master's Diploma/Degree, Doctorate Diploma/Degree Open University of Tanzania Public Dar es Salaam Tanzania Yes Open University of Sudan Public Khartoum Sudan Yes Zambian Open University Private Lusaka Zambia Yes Zimbabwe Open University Public Harare Zimbabwe YesInternational Open University Private Kanifing Gambia YesInternational Open InstitutePrivateLagosNigeriaYesYesBachelor Science, Bachelor Education. Affiliated with International Institution Université Général Lansana Conté Public Sonfonia Guinea YesBotswana Open UniversityPublicGaboroneBotswanaYesCertificate, Diploma, Post Graduate, Bachelor, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, Master of Education, Master of Science
Asia + Asia Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes Ankara University Public Ankara Turkey Yes Yes Atatürk University Public Erzurum Turkey Yes Yes Bangladesh Open University Public Dhaka Bangladesh Yes Yes Teerthanker Mahaveer University Private Moradabad India Yes YesEveryone's Smart UniversityPublicFujairahUnited Arab EmiratesYesYes Anadolu University Public Eskişehir Turkey Yes Yes Andhra Pradesh Open University Public Hyderabad, Telangana India Yes Yes Arab Open University Private Riyadh Saudi Arabia No Yes Non-profit, Pan Arab Al-Quds Open University Public Palestine Palestine Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University Public Ahmedabad, Gujarat India Yes Yes Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University Public Hyderabad, Telangana India Yes Yes Ho Chi Minh City Open University Public District 3, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam yes Yes Hanoi Open University Public Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi City Vietnam yes Yes Indira Gandhi National Open University Public Maidan Garhi, New Delhi India YesYesJharkhand State Open UniversityPublicRanchi, Jharkhand IndiaYesYesCertificate, Diploma, PG Diploma and Bachelor's & Master's Degree Programmes. Karnataka State Open University Public Mysore, Karnataka India Yes Yes Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University Public Guwahati, Assam India Yes Yes Korea National Open University Public Seoul South Korea Yes Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University Public Guwahati, Assam India Yes Yes Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University Public Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India Yes Yes Nalanda Open University Public Patna, Bihar India Yes Yes National Open University Public Luzhou District, New Taipei ROC Yes Nepal Open University Public Lalitpur, Bagmati Nepal Yes Yes Netaji Subhas Open University Public Kolkata, West Bengal India Yes Yes Odisha State Open University Public Sambalpur, Odisha India Yes Open Cyber University South Korea A consortium of Korean universities. Open University Malaysia Private Petaling Jaya Malaysia Yes Yes Open University of China Public Beijing PRC Yes Open University of Hong Kong Public Hong Kong PRC Yes Yes Open University of Israel Public Ra'anana, Central District Israel Yes Yes Open University of Kaohsiung Public Siaogang, Kaohsiung ROC Yes Open University of Sri Lanka Public Nawala, Nugegoda Sri Lanka Yes Yes Open Orthodox University Russia Theological Pandit Sundarlal Sharma (Open) University Public Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh India Yes Yes Payame Noor University Public Tehran Iran Yes Yes Shanghai Open University Public Shanghai PRC Yes Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University Public Nonthaburi Thailand Tamil Nadu Open University Public Chennai, Tamil Nadu India Yes The Open University of Japan Private (Semi-public) Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Japan Yes Former University of the Air Universitas Terbuka Public Tangerang Selatan, Banten Indonesia Yes Yes University of the City of Manila, Open University Public Intramuros, Manila Philippines Yes Yes University of the Philippines Open University Public Los Baños, Laguna Philippines YesYes Constituent University of the UP System Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University Public Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh India Uttarakhand Open University Public Haldwani, Uttarakhand India Yes Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University Public Kota, Rajasthan IndiaYes Venkateshwara Open University Private Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh India Wawasan Open University Private George Town, Penang Malaysia Yes Yes Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University Public Nasik, Maharashtra India Yes Yes Allama Iqbal Open University Public Islamabad Pakistan Yes Yes Virtual University of Pakistan Public Islamabad Pakistan Yes Yes
Oceania + Australia Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes Open Universities Australia Private Melbourne, Victoria Australia Yes
Europe + Europe Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes Public Hamburg Germany Yes No Hellenic Open University Public Patras Greece Yes Yes Taras Shevchenko National University - KNU Open University Public; Self-Governing Kyiv Ukraine Yes Yes Intercultural Open University Foundation Private Granada Spain Yes Non-profit, Graduate Istanbul University Public Istanbul Turkey Yes Yes Only the distance education and "second university" parts are considered open. Novi Sad Open University Novi Sad Serbia Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine" Private Kyiv Ukraine Yes Yes Non-profit Open University of the Netherlands Public Heerlen Netherlands Yes Open University of Catalonia Public Barcelona Spain YesBachelor, Master, Doctoral, Research. Ranked among top 500 universities (Times Higher Education World University Rankings) Open University of Cyprus Public Nicosia Cyprus Yes The Open University Public Milton Keynes United Kingdom Yes Yes Bachelor, Master, Doctoral, Research. Ranked among top 500 universities (Times Higher Education World University Rankings) Universidade Aberta Public Lisbon Portugal Yes National University of Distance Education Public Madrid Spain Yes Yes
North America, Central America and the Caribbean + North America Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes Athabasca University Public Athabasca, Alberta Canada Yes Yes Bachelor, Master, Doctoral. Intercultural Open University Foundation Private Arden, Delaware United States Yes Non-profit, Graduate Open SUNY Public New York City, New York United States Yes University of the West Indies Global Campus Public Cave Hill Barbados Yes Yes Bachelor, Master, Doctoral. Serves the 17 anglophone CARICOM countries. Université TÉLUQ Public Quebec City, Quebec Canada Yes Yes Bachelor, Master, Doctoral. Cushite Hebrew Yeshiva Open International University Private Atlanta, Georgia United States Yes Religious Non-profit, Doctoral, Masters, Bachelors, Associates, Diploma, Certificate Commonwealth Open University Private British Virgin Islands YesDistance education Universidad Abierta y a Distancia de México Public Mexico City Mexico Yes Yes HIHMATech Open International University Private Sussex County, Delaware United States YesNon-profit, Doctoral, Masters, Bachelors, Associates, Diploma, Certificate
South America + South America Name Type Headquarters Country DL PC Notes Interamerican Open University Private Buenos Aires ArgentinaUniversidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia Private Colombia Colombia Universidad Nacional Abierta Public Venezuela Yes Yes Masters, Bachelors, Associates, Diploma, Certificate
References