About the TEF

What is the TEF?

The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a national exercise, introduced by the government in England. Its aim has been to assess excellence in teaching at higher education providers and assess how they ensure excellent outcomes for their students in terms of graduate level employment or further study.

TEF assessments have taken place at ‘provider level’, which means that each provider of higher education (normally a university or college) is given a single award for their undergraduate provision.

There are systems in place to help ensure that all UK colleges and universities meet national quality requirements. The TEF has looked at what they are doing in addition to these requirements.

Universities and colleges that participated in previous TEF assessments could achieve either Gold, Silver, Bronze or a provisional award (meaning the provider met the rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education - and entered the TEF but didn't have the opportunity to be fully assessed).

Developing the TEF

The OfS carried out TEF assessments in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 according to the Department for Education's specification.

The Office for Students (OfS) has developed a new framework for the TEF which is currently under public consultation. This is part of a wider set of consultations to develop our approach to regulating quality and standards.

Read our consultation on the TEF.

Registered providers that do not currently hold a TEF award have been given the opportunity to apply for a new provisional award in advance of the next exercise.

Find out more about:

the current TEF awards and the process for mergers
the future of the TEF.

Why is the TEF important?

The TEF has encouraged universities and colleges to work with their students to develop a better student experience for all.

It has achieved this by measuring how well a university or college is performing in the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning and student outcomes (whether they go on to graduate-level employment or further study).

Students invest a significant amount of time and money in higher education and should expect a high-quality academic experience. The TEF has helped prospective students to choose where to study.

Which providers have TEF awards?

To date, participation in the TEF has been voluntary and over 300 higher education providers currently hold an award.

The current TEF awards have been extended to remain valid until the publication of the outcomes of the next TEF exercise.

See all participating universities and colleges and their TEF awards.

To receive a TEF award, UK universities and colleges must first meet the existing quality standards of their home nation. The TEF measures excellence in addition to these requirements. You can find out more about them here:

The approach to quality assessment in England

The Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework

The Quality Assessment Framework for Wales

The approach to quality assessment in Northern Ireland

Results from the future exercise will replace the current TEF awards and universities and colleges in England that register with the Office for Students will have to take part. Universities and colleges in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be able to take part voluntarily.

What do the TEF ratings mean?

Providers that took part in TEF Years Two, Three and Four were awarded either a Gold, Silver, Bronze or provisional rating.

How are the TEF awards judged?

The awards were judged by an independent panel of students, academics and other experts.

The TEF assessment used a range of official data, combined with a detailed statement from each provider to arrive at the final rating.

The TEF data considered the entry qualifications and characteristics of students, and the subjects studied, at each provider. These could be very different, and the assessment was based on what each provider achieved for its students within this context.

What information is available about a provider's TEF award?

The TEF awards are published on the TEF outcomes page on the Office for Students' website alongside further information.

As well as the individual awards of Gold, Silver, Bronze or provisional, you can also find:

written submissions from each higher education provider that was assessed for an award
data on student satisfaction, employment outcomes, and how many students continued their study from one year to the next
statements from the assessment panel, giving reasons for why each award was given.

Read the branding guidelines for providers with TEF awards

How does the TEF affect tuition fees?

England

Publicly funded higher education providers in England with a TEF award may charge up to the higher maximum tuition fee. The maximum tuition fee they can charge for a full-time course is £9,250 per year.

Those without a TEF award can charge a maximum of £9,000 per year.

Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland

Holding a TEF award has no effect on the tuition fees that universities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can charge.

Published 24 June 2020
Last updated 20 January 2022 + show all updates

20 January 2022: Updated to reflect the release of our consultation on the TEF.
13 December 2021: Minor text updates
24 June 2021: Added link to latest TEF letter to providers
21 June 2021: Added link to latest branding guidelines and updated text around extension of TEF awards
10 June 2021: Link to current TEF awards added
21 January 2021: Minor wording updates and notes that the current TEF awards are all valid until 2021.

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