Can the open universities in the UK and Greece be seen as representing two ideologies of openness? That is the main question this article poses. I argue that these institutions, shaped by their unique social, political and historical contexts, embody different interpretations of openness. The Open University in the UK was founded with a commitment to openness that aimed to democratise education and foster social equality, while the Hellenic Open University in Greece aligns its openness with the goals of developing a knowledge society within the framework of European integration. Despite these differences, both institutions share a complex ideological foundation that positions openness as a central, albeit divergent, guiding principle. However, what shapes the article is not this argument per se, but trying critically to reflect on the idea of openness as an epistemic and political position, and the ways in which the epistemology of higher education is embedded in the politics of both national reforms and international political relations.