The previous TEF scheme
The previous TEF scheme ran for three rounds of assessment from 2017 to 2019. It was originally developed by the then Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and later the Department for Education (DfE), and operated in accordance with the DfE's TEF specification.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was initially responsible for implementing it. In 2018, the OfS adopted the TEF under section 25 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which gives us the power to operate a scheme to give ratings to higher education providers.
Participation was voluntary and over 300 higher education providers took part over the three rounds of assessment.
All previous TEF ratings had been due to expire in 2021. We wrote to providers in June 2021 with information about the arrangements for the extension of these ratings until they are replaced by ratings from the TEF 2023 exercise.
We also wrote to providers without a TEF rating with information about applications for new provisional TEF ratings in advance of the TEF 2023 exercise, and a number of provisional TEF ratings were granted from September 2021.
All these ratings have now expired following the publication of the outcomes of the TEF 2023 exercise, except for providers with a TEF 2023 rating that is currently listed as ‘pending’. The previous TEF ratings for these providers will expire when we publish their TEF 2023 ratings.
See our archive of previous TEF ratings
Providers were advised not to promote or use previous TEF ratings for student information from September 2021.
Developing the TEF 2023 exercise
We developed proposals for a new approach to the TEF and undertook a public consultation in early 2022. The consultation on the new TEF was part of a wider set of consultations to develop our approach to regulating quality and standards.
We used a substantial body of evidence to inform the consultation proposals for the new TEF scheme. This includes considering the recommendations of the independent review of the TEF and having regard to the government's response to that review. It also includes the findings from our pilot exercises to run the TEF at subject-level, as well as our experience of operating the TEF to date.
Following the consultation we made decisions about the TEF 2023 exercise, and implemented it from autumn 2022.
Earlier work
HEFCE initiated a programme of research exploring the measurement of learning gain, which focused on the knowledge, skills, work-readiness and personal development gained by students during their time in higher education.
HEFCE also supported a programme to develop and evaluate experimental innovations in learning and teaching.
