The Open University of the Netherlands was founded in 1984[1] and opened to students that September. The administration is based in Heerlen, in the province of Limburg, in the very south of the Netherlands. The university has study and support centres dispersed throughout the continental Netherlands, as well as study centres in Dutch-speaking Flanders (Belgium) and partnerships with institutions in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Suriname. Since the Open University was founded, more than 250,000 students have enrolled in courses. As of September 2016, approximately 15,000 students were enrolled at study or support centres in the Netherlands,[1] including some residents of other countries.