What happened
The Open University's own news service set out the sequence: she left school at 13, completed her A-levels at 15 and graduated at 18 with a law degree, studying by distance learning throughout. The university titled its article "Meet the OU's youngest ever law graduate" and, in a companion piece, quoted her judgement on the institution: "The OU gave me a head start."
The reason the route worked is structural. The Open University has no minimum entry qualifications and teaches at a distance, so a 15-year-old who has finished A-levels can enrol on the same terms as an adult. What the route demands instead is self-discipline: she told the university that distance study required substantial motivation and that she had to raise her writing to degree standard.
The pull towards the Bar
"I've had a passion for law from a young age," she said, "I always spent as much free time as I could visiting public galleries, reviewing cases and following them." She named the Old Bailey and the Royal Courts of Justice as the places she wanted to practise, and becoming a barrister as the ambition.
The research record adds that press coverage at the time reported her as on track to be called to the Bar at 19. That is an unusual age even for an unusually early graduate, since Bar training and pupillage follow the degree, and it is listed among the open points below rather than stated as fact.
The coverage
In August 2016 the television channel London Live interviewed her about receiving a law degree at 18, an appearance noted by the community publication Ismailimail. The interest was not only in the age but in the method: a British teenager who had opted out of the school system at 13 and out-run it.
She was explicit about not having done it alone, crediting what she called incredible support from peers, students and tutors at the Open University, and saying their belief in her had helped her believe in herself.
What is documented, and what is not
The sources establish the ages, the route, the institution and her stated ambitions. They do not state her date of birth, the class of her degree, or which subjects she took at A-level. The research record lists a birth year of 1998, consistent with graduating at 18 in 2016.
Nothing in the material gathered here documents what happened after 2016: whether she completed Bar training, whether she secured pupillage, or where she works now. Those are the questions most often asked about her, and the honest answer is that this record does not contain them.
Why the Open University keeps producing these stories
Britain's early-degree stories cluster at one institution for a simple reason: open entry. Conventional universities admit on A-level grades and, in practice, on age-linked expectations. The OU admits anyone, which makes it the natural landing place for home-educated children who have exhausted school qualifications years early.
The trade is independence for structure. There is no campus, no year group and no timetable enforcing progress, which suits some teenagers and defeats others. Alidina's account of the experience, self-discipline, tutors who believed in her, and a great deal of rewriting, describes both sides of that bargain.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- She left school at 13 and completed her A-levels at 15 through home education (Open University)
- She graduated with an Open University law degree at 18 and is described by the university as its youngest law graduate
- She stated an ambition to become a barrister and named the Old Bailey and the Royal Courts of Justice
- London Live interviewed her in August 2016
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No source read states her date of birth or the class of her degree
- The report that she was on track to be called to the Bar at 19 is not confirmed in the sources read
- Nothing documents her career after 2016
Questions people ask about Zahra Alidina
How old was Zahra Alidina when she graduated?
Eighteen. The Open University describes her as its youngest ever law graduate.
Where did she study?
The Open University, by distance learning, after leaving school at 13 and completing her A-levels at home at 15.
Did she become a barrister?
She stated that ambition, and the research record notes reports that she was on track to be called to the Bar at 19. No source gathered here confirms what followed.
What did she say about the Open University?
"The OU gave me a head start," and she credited support from peers, students and tutors for helping her believe in herself.
What was hardest about distance learning?
She told the university it required significant self-discipline and that she had to improve her writing substantially to meet degree standards.
Is Zahra Alidina on Wikipedia?
The research record found no standalone Wikipedia article about her.
Where is Zahra Alidina now?
No source in this record documents her career after 2016.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Zahra’s story?
At what age did Zahra Alidina leave school?
Which university awarded her law degree?
What career did she say she wanted?
Sources
- "The OU gave me a head start" says UK's youngest Law graduate — Open University News, 2016
- Meet the OU's youngest ever law graduate — OU News, 2016
- London Live TV Interviews Zahra Alidina who received Law Degree at just 18 years old — Ismailimail, 2016-08-15
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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