Global students given free access to more than 300 UK higher education courses as Study UK launches fourth online campaign
The Study UK campaign is giving students all over the world access to the UK higher education experience as it launches its fourth annual online campaign today, hosted on the social learning platform FutureLearn.
From Tuesday 1 October 2019, students worldwide will be able to access 325 massive open online courses (MOOCs) from 35 UK universities. The campaign – ‘Study UK: Learn online with a UK university’ — showcases the diversity of the UK’s higher education offering and covers courses about robotics, science, sustainability, human anatomy, public money, video game design, and many others.
All students are welcome to take part and can complete as many courses as they wish. Eligible learners in the 143 non-OECD countries can take advantage of a free upgrade until Friday 31 January 2020. This will enable them to access the course for an extended period, take tests and assessments (if applicable) at no additional charge, and earn a digital certificate subject to completing at least five steps on the course. A total of 50,000 free upgrades will be available, capped at one per learner.
Since launching in 2017, the ‘Study UK: Learn online with a UK university’ campaign has enabled more than 300,000 learners from 130 countries to gain free certificates from FutureLearn’s UK university partners as evidence of their academic achievement.
Fiona Samson, Director of the Study UK campaign, said:
“We’re delighted to be running this campaign once again and to provide global learners with the opportunity to experience the diversity of higher education courses in the UK. Gathering such a multitude of courses on FutureLearn’s platform and placing them at the fingertips of learners in all parts of the world demonstrates the breadth and openness of the UK higher education system. I strongly encourage all learners to take full advantage of this great opportunity and to see what the UK has to offer.”
Simon Nelson, Chief Executive at FutureLearn, said:
“We were delighted with the success of the previous runs of the campaign and are thrilled to be collaborating with the British Council on the 2019/20 phase. Study UK highlights exactly what FutureLearn is about: helping everyone fulfil their potential in a changing world by transforming access to education. The quality of education in the UK is renowned worldwide, so to be able to support the British Council in offering free digital certificates to learners overseas is something we’re very proud to be a part of.”
About the British Council: The UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, we work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.
About the Study UK campaign: Showcasing the UK’s outstanding higher education provision and the life-changing opportunities it brings to international students. Launched in 2016, the campaign has engaged more than 50 million people, helping them to realise their personal and professional ambitions. It is delivered by the British Council in partnership with the UK government’s GREAT Britain campaign.
About the GREAT Britain campaign: Showcasing the very best of what the country has to offer to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK. It has generated returns of more than £3bn for the UK economy since 2012.
About FutureLearn: A leading social learning platform formed in December 2012 by The Open University and is now jointly owned by The Open University and The SEEK Group. FutureLearn has almost ten million people signed up worldwide. FutureLearn uses design, technology and partnerships to create enjoyable, credible and flexible online courses as well as undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that improve working lives. It partners with over a quarter of the world’s top universities, as well as organisations such as Accenture, the British Council, CIPD, Raspberry Pi and Health Education England (HEE). It’s also involved in government-backed initiatives to address skills gaps such as The Institute of Coding and the National Centre for Computing Education.
Participating UK universities
- Abertay University
- Cardiff University
- Coventry University
- Durham University
- King’s College London
- Lancaster University
- London College of Fashion
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Newcastle University
- Royal Holloway, University of London
- St George’s, University of London
- The Open University
- The University of Edinburgh
- The University of Manchester
- The University of Nottingham
- The University of Sheffield
- Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
- University College London
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Dundee
- University of East Anglia
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- University of Kent
- University of Leeds
- University of Leicester
- University of Oxford
- University of Reading
- University of Roehampton
- University of Southampton
- University of Strathclyde
- University of York
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