We provide funding to providers registered with the Office for Students in the Approved (fee cap) category. Providers registered in this category need to submit a data return to us to inform our funding calculations.
Data collection to inform funding for 2021-22
To calculate funding for the academic year 2021-22 (1 August 2021 – 31 July 2022), providers that are registered in the Approved (fee cap) category will be required to submit a data return in 2020-21.
Providers that have applied to be registered in this category, but who have not yet received a registration decision, may also be asked to submit a data return.
Providers will be asked to complete one of these data returns:
HESF21 – Higher Education Students Forecast Survey
- for providers that do not have registered students in 2020-21
In previous years, we have run a third return, called the HEIFES (Higher Education in Further Education Students) survey, which was only completed by further education and sixth form colleges and academies. From 2019, colleges do not need to complete a separate survey and will instead complete HESES with all other providers.
Data for transparency return
We also collect data from providers as part of the ongoing conditions of registration with the OfS. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA) requires the OfS to ensure that the ongoing conditions of registration for certain providers includes a transparency condition. This mandatory condition will apply to all registered higher education providers in either the Approved or Approved (fee cap) part of the register.
