ALMOST double the number of young people are studying with the Open University today, compared to five years ago.

New figures show one in every 12 OU students is 24 or younger. The number of UK undergraduates with The Open University has risen from 5,894 in 1996/97 to 11,360 in 2000/01 - about the total number of students at many other UK universities.

Figures are even more striking for the rise in the number of Open University students aged 21 or under.

That has risen from 1,543 (about one per cent of the OU student body) in 1996/97 to 4,313 (about three per cent) in 2000/01.

Younger students are joining the university for three main reasons, according to Professor Allan Cochrane, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Students, Quality and Standards).

He said: "We're finding that the cost of going to other universities is putting people off and they are turning to The Open University instead. Our students do not have to find the money to live away from home and our fees are significantly lower, so, it is not altogether surprising.

"Secondly, an increasing number of people do not want to study for three years before embarking on a career. They want to be able to combine starting a career and studying as soon as they finish school - something they can do if they work and take Open University courses".

"Some of our students have tried studying at other universities, where they have found the lifestyle, including the lack of a strong work ethic that some of them perceive, not for them. Studying with the OU allows them to work at their own pace."Two-thirds of the students aged 21 and under are women.Almost half (46 per cent) of all students aged 21 and under who join the OU for undergraduate study without a first degree have qualifications that could take them into a conventional university, if they wished.

"We have also found that we are attracting the kind of students that the Government wants to bring into higher education to widen participation, for example, members of minority ethnic groups and members of lower socio-economic groups," Professor Cochrane added.