The organization, methods, and outcomes of the distance education systems at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) in Spain and The Open University of the United Kingdom are compared. The following topics are covered: higher education in Spain, UNED's ideology, student characteristics in both universities, organization, administration and control, duties and responsibilities of the UNED staff, regional centers, the teacher-tutor system, admission policies, course offerings, enrollments, course development and delivery, the production of written and audio materials, academic credits, the use of study units and audiovisual materials, student assessment, finances, staffing levels, program evaluation, degrees, student views of the schools, teacher-tutor views, and dropouts. Among the conclusions are the following: both UNED and Open University are reaching out to a new audience similar in age, social background, and education, and both are using new methods and offering students an education on easier terms than those in campus universities. However, there are vast differences between the two systems at all levels from organization to practice to results. (SW)