How we regulate quality and standards
Areas of assessment
Our assessments of quality and standards at English higher education providers cover different areas.
1. Registration
When a provider first registers with the OfS, we assess whether it will meet our conditions of registration for quality and standards.
These ‘initial conditions’ of registration – conditions B7 and B8 of our ‘B’ conditions – form one stage in the process of registration.
Broadly, a registering provider must be able to show that:
- it will comply with our 'ongoing' conditions of registration for quality and standards, if it is registered.
- the awards it grants will be consistent with the standards recognised across the higher education sector.
Where a provider meets the regulatory requirements for registration, but is at increased risk of not being able to comply with requirements on an ongoing basis, we may undertake a further assessment to follow up on those concerns.
More about quality and standards for registering providers
2. Quality assessment for registered providers
We assess registered providers to ensure they continue to meet the minimum requirements set out in our ongoing conditions of registration.
Following our risk-based approach, each year we assess quality at a number of providers we regulate.
We do this by monitoring the regulatory intelligence we gather for areas of potential concern.
The regulatory intelligence we consider covers, among other things:
- student experience data
- student outcomes data
- notifications we receive.
More about monitoring registered providers
3. Student outcomes
We want to ensure that students from all backgrounds receive positive outcomes.
To that end, we require any provider registered with us to deliver positive outcomes for the students on its higher education courses.
We set minimum thresholds for the numbers of students on courses continuing, completing or progressing from their studies.
When we assess providers in this area we look at where they are performing below these thresholds and consider the context that the provider gives us which may justify this performance.
Read more about how we assess student outcomes
4. Degree awarding powers
When a provider applies for the power to award degrees, we assess whether it meets our criteria for degree awarding powers.
A registered provider can apply for degree awarding powers through one of two routes: 'new degree awarding powers' or 'full degree awarding powers'.
In both cases, the provider will only be granted the powers initially for a period of three years.
More about applying for degree awarding powers
5. Higher and degree apprenticeships
We regulate the outcomes of apprenticeship provision to ensure that OfS-registered providers are delivering positive outcomes for their apprentices.
Ofsted inspects the quality of apprenticeship training provision at all levels. We consider the judgements that Ofsted reaches through its inspections to identify where we have concerns that a provider is not meeting our conditions of registration.
We also share relevant information with Ofsted that we gather through our monitoring activities to inform its inspection of apprenticeship training.
But we also have a specific role in assessing the quality of the final assessments – ‘end-point assessments’ – that higher and degree apprentices complete where this assessment forms part of a degree.
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