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About Kaplan Open Learning and the University of Essex

Kaplan Open Learning and the University of Essex are working together to offer online Foundation Degrees to working adults in the UK. This affiliation will help to widen participation in UK higher education and will enhance the aggregate skill set of the UK workforce.

Kaplan Open Learning

Kaplan Open Learning is part of Kaplan, Inc a leading international provider of education and career services and a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). Kaplan, Inc., has 25,000 employees in 600 locations worldwide. We reach over one million students around the globe.

Kaplan Open Learning is our specialist UK online higher education division. Kaplan Open Learning (Essex) Limited ("KOL") has been established as an affiliate college of the University of Essex. The College provides university level education, offering programmes of study for students who wish to obtain a university Foundation Degree or top up that degree to an Honours Degree. This model complements Kaplan's other UK university affiliate colleges where we work with leading universities including Glasgow University, University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool and Nottingham Trent University.

"If you are working full or part time, our online Foundation Degree courses will provide you with a flexible means of achieving a UK university qualification.If you are working full or part time, our online Foundation Degree courses will provide you with a flexible means of achieving a UK university qualification."

Whether you're thinking about promotion, a career change or starting your own business, with Kaplan Open Learning you could soon be making that important step.

Entry to the course is not dependent on A levels or any equivalent qualifications, as we also take into consideration your previous work experience. All you need is access to the internet. The programme of study is completely flexible, and the scheme is assessed through a combination of work-based learning and specialist subject areas. "We are delighted to be working with an institution as highly regarded as the University of Essex. We recognise the importance of the quality of the institution to our students, clients and staff.

Financially supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and with expert tutors to help you at every step of the way, we hope our online Foundation Degrees at Kaplan Open Learning can help play an important part in building your future."

The University of Essex

The University of Essex is one of the UK´s leading academic institutions, consistently ranking among the top 10 universities in the country for the quality of its research and teaching. The University has 19 departments spanning the humanities, social sciences, law and science and engineering. For more information about the University of Essex, please visit:

The University of Essex has final responsibility for all quality assurance matters at the College and issues award certificates to successful students. When you enrol, you become a student of both the University of Essex and Kaplan Open Learning with access to academic online university facilities and the groundbreaking Kaplan Open Learning platform. The Kaplan Open Learning platform leverages the knowledge, expertise and technological capabilities developed at Kaplan learning centres around the world, including the US-based Kaplan University, which serves more than 27,000 online students.

"The affiliation between Kaplan Open Learning and the University of Essex represents a significant step forward in making innovative university courses available to those who have the ability and ambition but for reasons of work and family cannot attend university in the conventional way.
We welcome the opportunity to work with such an internationally successful and experienced provider of online higher education as Kaplan."