The National Open University does not have this concept. Do not belong to a basic university or several universities. Based on the Central Radio and TV University and local radio and TV universities, supported by modern information technology, it covers urban and rural areas throughout the country, pays equal attention to academic education and non-academic education, faces the whole society and has no walls.

The reason why ordinary colleges and universities are divided into undergraduate courses is because ordinary colleges and universities are basic universities set up by the state to select talents, promote social progress and optimize educational resources. The National Open University is not a basic university, but a university established by the Ministry of Education for adult education.

The predecessor of National Open University is Central Radio University. In July of 20 10, the Outline of Education Planning put forward "Running the Open University Well". In July of 20 10, the State Council issued the Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Work of National Education System Reform, and identified Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Yunnan and other five provinces and cities and Central Radio and TV University as the pilot units of "Exploring the Construction Mode of the Open University", which opened the door. 20 12 In June, China Central Radio and TV University was renamed as the National Open University. In August, 2020, the Party Group of the Ministry of Education deliberated and passed the Comprehensive Reform Plan of the National Open University issued by the Ministry of Education, clearly demanding that the National Open University be built into the main platform (four platforms) for lifelong education, online education, flexible education and foreign cooperation, marking the transformation and upgrading of RTVU and the high-quality development of the Open University entering a new stage.