Join a u3a or an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and attend a group
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
These are learning groups run for the pleasure of it, with no exams and subjects ranging from geology to jazz. Members teach each other, so you may well end up leading a session yourself.
GentleUnder £100 / $130A few weeksIndoors or outWith othersUK and US
How to start
- Look up your nearest u3a in the UK, or Osher institute at a US university.
- Read the list of interest groups or classes and pick one.
- Join, attend your first meeting and introduce yourself to the group leader.
Where to go
We opened these links on 6 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. A habit needs a fixed slot in the week more than a plan, so the planner gives it one and checks in gently.
From the site
Going back to study: Open University, community colleges, free courses and how to fund it
The realistic options for studying as an adult: the Open University, u3a, FutureLearn and Coursera, US community colleges and state tuition waivers for older residents, plus the UK Advanced Learner Loan, part-time student finance and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
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