Going back to study: Open University, community colleges, free courses and how to fund it

“I’d love to study properly again, but…” The “but” is usually one of three things: no qualifications, no wish to sit in a lecture hall with twenty-year-olds, or no money. All three have answers. This article is the practical follow-up to our guide to keeping your mind sharp after 50; if you want a taster before committing, learning a language is a good low-stakes place to start.

First decide what kind of learner you want to be

There are really three tiers, and the mistake is to assume the top one is the only “real” one.

1. Learning for the pleasure of it, with other people, no exams: u3a, library groups, adult-education evening classes.
2. Structured short courses, online, free or cheap, with a certificate if you want one: FutureLearn, Coursera and similar.
3. A qualification: a module, diploma or degree, part-time, with funding.

You can move between tiers; a free course is a fine way to discover you can still write an essay.

Tier one: learning for fun, in company

u3a (the University of the Third Age) describes itself as “a UK-wide movement of locally-run groups providing a wide range of opportunities to come together to learn for fun”. Members run the groups, “membership is open to everyone who is not in full-time employment”, and there are over 435,000 members in more than 1,000 local u3as, found through the “Join a u3a” page on the national site. Because members teach members, it costs far less than a college course.

In the US the nearest equivalents are community-college “continuing education” programmes and the classes run through community centres and public libraries. Your library will know which exist near you.

Tier two: free online courses that are actually good

FutureLearn, launched in 2013 and owned by Global University Systems, runs courses from universities and other partners that are “accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop”. Courses can be joined free; paying gets you longer access and certificates. Coursera “partners with more than 375 leading universities and companies” and sells certificates and subscriptions; check each course page for a no-cost way in, because where one exists it is sometimes tucked away.

The trick with online courses is not choosing one; it is finishing one. Pick something short and put the weekly hour in your diary.

Tier three: a qualification, part-time

The Open University was “founded in 1969 and took its first 24,000 students in 1971”, and today has “almost 200,000 students”. It is built for people exactly like you: “76% of OU undergraduates had no previous HE qualifications on entry”, and “69% of directly-registered OU students work full or part-time during their studies”. Study is by module, at home, at a pace you choose. The OU’s own fees-and-funding pages set out the cost per module and the funding available in each UK nation, which differ.

In the US, community colleges are the equivalent open door: public two-year colleges with evening and online classes, credit and non-credit courses. Many states go further for older residents, as the next section explains.

How to fund it

UK, England. Three schemes matter:

• The Advanced Learner Loan is for courses at “Level 3, 4, 5 or 6 … for example A levels” at an approved provider in England. You must be “19 or older on the first day of your course”, “loan eligibility does not depend on your income and there are no credit checks”, and repayment only begins when your income is over the threshold. Your college can also tell you about grants such as the adult skills fund.
• Part-time student finance for higher education: a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £7,335 for 2026/27 if your course intensity is at least 25% of full-time. Note the one age rule: “you’re not eligible for a Maintenance Loan if you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year.” Tuition Fee Loans are not age-limited on that page.
• The Lifelong Learning Entitlement replaces this system for courses starting on or after 1 January 2027. It gives “Tuition Fee Loans up to a total amount of £39,160 … the same as around 4 years of full-time study or 480 credits”, usable flexibly across your life rather than in one go. Check the gov.uk page for any age conditions before you plan around it.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

US. AARP’s survey of state schemes found that “it’s free (or less costly) for older residents of every state and Washington, D.C., to take college courses”, usually on a space-available basis and often for auditing rather than credit. Examples from official pages:

• Virginia: residents “60 years of age and older” can “take courses without paying tuition or required fees, except for course materials”, admitted “after all tuition paying students have been accommodated”; credit courses carry an income limit of taxable income “not more than $23,850 in the preceding year”.
• Texas: the Higher Education Coordinating Board lists “Senior Citizen, 65 or Older, Free Tuition for 6 Credit Hours” and free tuition for auditing classes.
• Missouri: residents “at least 65 years of age” get an exemption from tuition on a space-available, non-credit basis.

Rules change, so confirm with the college’s financial-aid office, and ask there about federal and state aid if you are studying for credit.

This is general information, not financial advice; a loan is still a loan.

A note on nerves

You will not be the oldest person in the room as often as you fear, and when you are, nobody minds. If you want a gentle structure for rebuilding the habit before enrolling anywhere, Sharp: 8 weeks to a learning habit is our workbook for exactly that run-up.

This week

1. Pick your tier: fun, short course, or qualification.
2. Do one concrete thing in it: join a free course, email your local u3a, or read one OU or community-college module description.
3. If money is the blocker, read the funding page for your nation or state and write down the actual figure.
4. Tell one person what you are planning. It makes it real.