The Open University of Hong Kong is a Hong Kong university providing sub-degree, degree and postgraduate courses leading to awards and qualifications principally through a system of open access and distance education. The university was initially named Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong (OLIHK, ????????). Under the expansion of education in the 1990s in Hong Kong, the establishment of institute introduced distance learning to Hong Kong and set an alternative path of continuing education for its working force. Students are able to adjust the pace of learning according to their own conditions. As programmes are self-financing, there are no financial subsidies from the Hong Kong Government for the university itself. However, full-time students may get grants and loans from the scheme "Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students" (FASP), while other distance learning students are able to make special loan arrangements with a bank. Recently, the OUHK has designed many non-distance learning courses, including full-time courses. In 2006-2007 academic year, they also participated the Joint University Programmes Admissions System, which mainly target at secondary school graduates, marked as the only self-financed university under the scheme.
