HE White Paper makes it easier for new universities to open
19 May 2016
New rules will make it easier for "challenger institution" to award degrees.
This is one of the main intended outcomes of the new Higher Education White Paper which puts student choice, teaching quality and social mobility at the top of the government’s agenda for HE.
Success as a Knowledge Economy outlines the plans for more people to have the opportunity to access a high-quality university education. Policy changes include:
- Degree Awarding Powers
A streamlined process will be put in place to encourage a wider range of institutions to award degrees with approval subject to strict on-going monitoring. Student number controls will also continue to be lifted for all providers that can meet the quality standards. - Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
The White Paper confirms plans to deliver the TEF. The Framework will assess and measure different aspects of teaching, including student experience and job prospects of graduates. The TEF will give students more information about the teaching they will receive before they apply to university and reward universities that are judged to deliver high-quality teaching by allowing them to raise their fees in line with annual inflation from autumn 2017. For the first time this will seek to link the funding of university teaching to quality and not the quantity of students. - Fair Access
The government aims to double the proportion of disadvantaged students entering HE by 2020. Increased reporting requirements relevant to social mobility will be established. - UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
This single, strategic body will be established to allocate funding for research and innovation. - Office for Students (OfS)
This will be the new HE regulator (in place of HEFCE) - a non-departmental public body with Ministers responsible for appointing its Chair and Board members. The OfS will have a duty to monitor and assure quality and standards across the sector, including all registered HE institutions.