A study examined the success of the first three years of the Dutch Open University's operation by analyzing data pertaining to students' backgrounds and academic progress while enrolled in the open university. The fact that registered inquiries about the Dutch Open University rose from 120,000 during the summer and autumn of 1984 to more than 200,000 toward the end of 1986 indicates that the Dutch Open University's market appeal appears to be increasing. The Dutch Open University has also been successful in continuing to attract new students; it had 30,302 formal enrollees as of January 1987. The greatest percentage of these enrollees are over the age of 31. The expectation that the Dutch Open University would attract increasing numbers of females and would have a student body that was at least half female has not materialized; the percentage of female enrollees has remained between 30 and 35 percent (with only one semester in which it reached 38 percent). More than 53 percent of the 1987 enrollees already had a higher education diploma before enrolling in the Dutch Open University. Although the Open University's stated goal of providing adult learners with a "second chance" appeared to be on target when it first opened, enrollees are, with increasing frequency, using it as a way of updating or continuing education. Although self-fulfillment remains the dominant motive of new enrollees, the importance of labor market-related motives is increasing. To date, the average course completion rate is within 1.5 years for the first students, and for the first 17 courses it is 32.7 percent. (MN)