Access and participation plan variation requests
We have refreshed our guidance to help providers understand when a variation request is required, and when it is likely not necessary.
A provider may from time to time need to make minor changes to the delivery of its approved access and participation plan. Whether or not they need to tell us about the change or submit a formal variation request depends on the nature and scale of what’s changing.
If a provider needs to make significant changes to its plan, they need to submit a formal variation request. In other circumstances this may not be required. Our guidance sets out our expectations in more detail.
An approved access and participation plan must not be altered and republished without approval by the OfS.
We expect providers to take all reasonable steps to meet the commitments outlined in their existing approved plan. A variation that would reduce the rate of progress or support for students is unlikely to be accepted in the absence of exceptional circumstances and a compelling justification. Please see Regulatory notice 1 for further information.
Access and participation plans form important pre-contractual information that students might rely on to inform their decisions about whether and where to study. Providers have a duty to ensure that they remain compliant with relevant Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance and consumer protection law.
Feedback on this guidance
We are committed to keeping our guidance under regular review and continuously improving it. We welcome feedback on these webpages to help ensure the guidance is clear and useful for providers.
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