TEF data

Data and the future of the TEF

We are consulting on the future of the TEF.

See how we are proposing to use data in our new framework.

About TEF data

Data plays a key role in informing TEF assessments. Here, we explain what data the TEF has drawn on to date, and how it has been used to assess performance. We intend to consult on the role data plays in a future TEF framework in winter 2021-22.

What data is used in TEF?

TEF assessment for current awards drew on nationally collected data to measure the performance of higher education providers in the following areas:

Student satisfaction - How satisfied students are with their course, as measured by responses to the National Student Survey (NSS).
Continuation - The proportion of students that continue their studies from year to year, as measured by data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
Employment outcomes - What students do after they graduate, as measured by responses to the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE).

In previous TEF exercises if a provider didn’t have TEF metrics, it couldn't receive a TEF rating but it could opt in to receive a Provisional TEF award.

Supplementary data

These metrics were considered alongside further data, about student characteristics as well as the provider’s location and provision.

Written submission

Providers also submitted written evidence to illustrate their performance, and make a case for excellence.

Further technical information

Full details about how metrics were produced and used were published as technical guidance for each year of TEF assessment.

Technical guidance for TEF Year Four

In October 2018, the OfS published updated guidance for the TEF specification. It set out the assessment framework and specifies the metrics, criteria and process for the implementation of TEF in Year Four.

The resources below provide technical information about TEF. They were intended to support providers’ understanding of how we used individualised student data to produce the TEF Year Four metrics and contextual data.

TEF Year Four metrics – technical document
The algorithms applied to the student records which were used to calculate the Year Four metrics
TEF Year Four metrics – sector averages for benchmarking calculations
Sector average proportions for each metric for each unique combination of benchmarking factors
TEF Year Four – contextual data on UK unemployment
Data map on UK unemployment rates
TEF Year Four – contextual data on UK highly skilled employment
Data map on the proportion of employed graduates in highly skilled employment.

Technical guidance for TEF Year Three

In October 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) published the TEF (Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework) specification. It set out the assessment framework and specifies the metrics, criteria and process for the implementation of TEF in Year Three.

The resources below provided guidance and technical documentation for providers.

The resources were intended to support providers’ understanding of how we used individualised student data to produce the TEF Year Three metrics and contextual data.

TEF Year Three metrics - technical document
The algorithms applied to the student records which were used to calculate the Year Three metrics
TEF Year Three metrics - rebuild instructions for individualised student data file
Details of how some of the data in the TEF1718 workbook could be rebuilt from the five individualised files we provided
TEF Year Three metrics - sector averages for benchmarking calculations
Sector average proportions for each metric for each unique combination of benchmark factors
TEF Year Three metrics - full descriptions
Descriptions of metrics based on data from: NSS; HESA/ILR; DLHE survey; LEO (supplementary metrics)
TEF Year Three - contextual data on UK unemployment
Data map on UK unemployment rates
TEF Year Three - questions and answers
Answers to frequently asked questions about TEF Year Three.

These resources were formerly hosted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and may contain links that are no longer current.

Technical guidance for TEF Year Two

Technical guidance for TEF Year Two was published on the HEFCE website.

Last updated 13 December 2021 + show all updates

13 December 2021: Minor text updates
24 June 2020: Technical information moved to this page

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