What is the cheapest (but genuine) way to get a degree?

[DoormatBob]

I already have an Engineering degree and a lot of experience (I'm 46). I have an urge to do a (self study) Maths degree, maybe with Statistics.

When I looked at Open University the cost would be around £20k, that just isn't justifiable for me.

Are there any other options that are considerably cheaper?

I would consider a structured course without a qualification but would need to be degree level.

Not quite what you're thinking of the I think the Oxford Brookes/ACCA BSc in applied accounting is as inexpensive as anything. Exam fees for the ACCA exams plus the submission fees for the project are maybe about £1k. You need textbooks and if you self-study there are no further costs.

https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/qualifications/glance/oxford-brookes-bsc-degree-applied-accounting/oxford-brookes-bsc-degree-project-mentor.html

https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/qualifications/glance.html

If it's a degree you want, then no. Essentially, there's no cheap way to get one.

If a stint abroad is an option, you could do an English speaking course at a European university e.g. in Germany or Switzerland. Obviously that has other costs associated but the tuition would cost next to nothing.

Does it need to be undergrad?

What about something like this?

https://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Graduate/degree-programmes-2023/MSc-Applicable-Mathematics

There are probably similar options elsewhere for maths based masters which don't require a maths degree.

^ I didn't look at costs though, but postgrad funding is available.

Cheapest for you would be a degree apprenticeship www.ucas.com/apprenticeships/degree-apprenticeships I would recommend speaking to a qualified careers professional too

Graduate Diploma? Save level as final year of a degree but just one year.

If you have an engineering degree, you might meet the entry requirements for a mathematics masters. PG tends to be cheaper than UG.

Well technically through the apprenticeship levy but you would need a relevant role. The degree is free though.

You could purchase individual units and work through at your own pace.

What about buying the ou course notes and work books 2nd hand for the OU modules you are interested in.

I'm half way through an OU Maths and Statistics (STEM) degree. Despite having an existing degree (BSc Psychology) I was able to get a student loan for course fees as Maths and statistics are STEM subjects.

Loans not normally allowed for those who already have a degree regardless of whether they had a loan with 1st degree but exception made for STEM subjects.

I love the flexibility of OU study, you can start studying for a degree and not complete it if you're just interested in learning more about maths and stats. This would mean you'd have less to pay back. And you still have a record of grades, exam results etc for each of the completed modules to show for the work you've done.

There's so much info on the OU site, can be hard to work out what applies to your situation. The easiest way to find out more is to phone and have a discussion with an advisor, I've always found them very helpful.

Thanks all, the MSc options I will look into, that would potentially be a more worthwhile qualification and therefore more justifiable.

I don't particularly want to take on a new student loan, I only paid mine off around 6 years ago and have a relatively high paid role now that I don't think it would make sense.

Buying the course books 2nd hand I will certainly consider, a quick look on eBay and they are reasonably priced. This will also give me an idea of how complicated it gets and do I really want to commit to it or is it just a nice idea.

Extracts from most OU courses are already published for free on OpenLearn. If you just want a taster first, I'd start on OpenLearn. It's pretty transparent about which modules you're sampling.

They also have this quiz to help you work out if you're ready for their MSc :

https://learn1.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=100193&cmid=22037