Deadlines

Aligned with ESFA deadline

Individual Learner Record (ILR) data return

Every registered further education college and sixth form college will need to submit details of individual students and the courses they are studying.

The data collected underpin the OfS’s regulatory approach including metrics used to monitor condition B3 (student outcomes).

This data is collected by ESFA. Further information is available from GOV.UK.

Within seven calendar months and two weeks of a provider’s financial year end
(exact dates will be issued to providers)

Annual Financial Return

Every registered provider (excluding further education colleges and sixth form colleges) will need to submit financial data consistent with its latest audited financial statements, forecast financial and student number data, and other relevant contextual information, including signed, audited financial statements. A provider will need to submit the management letter from its external auditor.

The data collected is used to monitor the financial viability and sustainability of providers, in particular in considering compliance with Condition D (financial viability and sustainability).

This data is collected by the OfS. 

Our letter of 20 July 2021 gives early information about the requirements for the Annual Financial Return 2022.

Within 15 working days of the OfS sending the provider its ‘2020-21 access and participation plan impact report’

2020-21 access and participation plan monitoring: impact report

Providers will need to submit either:

• the URL of the location on the provider’s website of a document setting out information included in the 2020-21 access and participation plan impact report, or
• written confirmation that the provider has not published this information.

Guidance on submission requirements will be published in autumn 2021.

✔

Providers with access and participation plans covering academic year 2020-21

17 August
or two calendar months after the date of the provider’s registration

Unistats (2021-22)

Information about courses that providers will offer to their students. This helps prospective higher education students to make decisions about what and where to study.

See the HESA website

20 August

Graduate Outcomes contact details

Graduates are split into four cohorts depending on the date that they completed their studies.

Their cohort will determine when they are surveyed and when the provider will need to return accurate personal contact details for graduates.

See the HESA website

10 September

Capital funding bidding exercise

The majority of capital funding (approximately £123.6 million) will be distributed through a bidding competition open to all eligible providers (whether they have received a formula allocation or not). The minimum threshold is £50,000. We are setting an initial cap for funding of £3 million.

Successful bids must meet the priorities set out for capital funding.

Providers wishing to submit a bid must do so using the bidding template available to them via the OfS portal. Bids from eligible providers must be received by 1700 on 10 September 2021.

30 September

Annual fee limits

Information on the maximum fees that a provider wishes to charge ‘qualifying persons’ in connection with each ‘qualifying course’ provided in 2022-23.

See further information

 ✔

Providers intending to charge fees above the basic fee level for 2022-23

8 November

Formula teaching capital monitoring (2020-21)

Providers that received a formula teaching capital allocation in financial year 2020-21 will need to submit a short report providing assurance over how the funding has been spent.

Further information will be published in autumn 2021.

8 November

Student record (2020-21)

Details of individual students and the courses they are studying.

For further information, see the HESA website

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

10 November

Medical and dental students survey 2021

Providers with a medical or dental school will need to submit data relating to the intake of medical and dental students.  

Guidance on submission requirements will be published in autumn 2021.

 ✔

Those with a medical or dental school

11 November

Aggregate offshore record (2020-21) 

Providers will need to submit information about the number of students studying overseas who are either registered with them or studying towards their awards.

For further information, see the HESA website

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

 ✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

12 November

Graduate Outcomes survey (2020-21): Cohort A - for providers who have completed the Student record

Providers will need to submit and check the contact details for students who have completed their studies, who will then be surveyed by HESA.

For further education and sixth form colleges, initial contact details will be sourced from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) but will still need checking.

For further information, see the HESA website

✔

✔

15 November

Student Alternative record (2020-21)

Details of individual students and the courses they are studying.

For further information, see the HESA website

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

16 November

Staff record (2020-21)

Demographic and contract information for academic staff a provider employs and its governors.

For further information, see the HESA website

✔

22 November

Graduate Outcomes survey (2020-21): Cohort A - for providers who have completed the Student Alternative record

Providers will need to submit and check the contact details for students who have completed their studies, who will then be surveyed by HESA.

For further education and sixth form colleges, initial contact details will be sourced from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) but will still need checking.

✔

✔

26 November

National Student Survey (NSS) 2022

Providers will need to submit contact details for students who are on the target list. The data will be collected by contractors working on behalf of the OfS and other stakeholders.

See further information on the NSS

✔

✔

1 December

Prevent accountability and data return

Providers will need to submit a set of declarations signed off by their governing body confirming that they have continued to show due regard to the Prevent duty.

Each provider will also need to submit data on key areas of the Prevent duty: Prevent case management, external speakers and events, and staff training.

Guidance on submission requirements will be published in autumn 2021.

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

1 February

Higher Education Students Early Statistics survey 2021-22

Providers will need to submit data on the number of higher education students studying in the 2021-22 academic year.

Updated guidance on submission requirements will be published in the autumn.

18 February

Graduate Outcomes survey (2020-21): Cohort B

Providers will need to submit and check the contact details for students who have completed their studies, who will then be surveyed by HESA.

For further education and sixth form colleges, initial contact details will be sourced from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) but will still need checking.

See the HESA website

31 March

(early submission is strongly encouraged)

TRAC 2020-21

Providers will need to submit a TRAC return that has been reviewed and approved as set out in the TRAC guidance.

(Note – as last year, providers will not be required to submit a TRAC(T) return for the 2020-21 year.)

See the TRAC guidance

✔

Only providers that submitted a TRAC return in 2019-20

8 April

2020-21 access and participation plan monitoring: monitoring return provider submission

Providers will need to submit the 2020-21 access and participation plan monitoring return that the OfS will consider in order to assess its progress in meeting the objectives and targets set out in its 2020-21 access and participation plan.

Guidance on submission requirements will be published in the autumn.

✔

Providers with access and participation plans covering academic year 2020-21

12 April

Higher Education – Business and Community Interaction survey (2020-21)

Providers will need to submit information about the location of their campuses and their internal organisation. This data allows the OfS and others to understand the geographic distribution of higher education.

See the HESA website

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

20 May

Graduate Outcomes survey (2020-21): Cohort C

Providers will need to submit and check the contact details for students who have completed their studies, who will then be surveyed by HESA.

For further education and sixth form colleges, initial contact details will be sourced from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) but will still need checking.

See the HESA website

22 June

Provider profile (2021-22)

Providers will need to submit information about the location of their campuses and their internal organisation. This data allows the OfS and others to understand the geographic distribution of higher education.

See the HESA website

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

✔

excluding further education and sixth form colleges

19 August

Graduate Outcomes survey (2020-21): Cohort D

Providers will need to submit and check the contact details for students who have completed their studies, who will then be surveyed by HESA.

For further education and sixth form colleges, initial contact details will be sourced from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) but will still need checking.

See the HESA website

✔

✔

To be confirmed

Monitoring of capital funding allocations for 2019-20 and 2020-21

2019-20

Monitoring for teaching capital funding allocated in the 2019-20 financial year was originally planned to run in February 2021. However, in response to the challenges that providers continue to face during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will now not request such a report.

2020-21

All providers receiving formulaic capital funding for 2020-21 must submit a short monitoring return on their expenditure in late 2021, after the end of the 2020-21 financial year. This will provide us with assurance that the funding has been used for the purposes given. We will write to you following the end of the financial year 2020-21 with further guidance on how to complete the monitoring return for the year.

Release of additional capital funding for 2020-21

In October 2020, we consulted on the allocation through a bidding exercise of an additional £10 million of capital funding made available by the Department for Education for the financial year 2020-21. The bidding exercise for additional capital funding closed on 30 November 2020, with confirmed awards announced to successful providers in February 2021. To minimise burden, we will monitor the use of this additional grant alongside our annual monitoring of formula capital funding for the financial year 2020-21 as set out above.

Find out more about teaching capital funding