Validation

Validation is where an established higher education provider validates courses delivered by another provider.

It enables institutions without degree-awarding powers or specialist resources to offer higher education courses, often in partnership with universities. This can be particularly valuable for further education colleges seeking to deliver higher-level technical and vocational provision.

Validation partnerships can:

• help ensure that students across England have access to high-quality higher education options, including in areas where provision is currently limited
• play a role in widening access to higher education
• increase student choice
• address skills gaps.

Our role in improving the validation system

The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 gave us the power to commission validation arrangements from suitable providers, and we set out our intention to use these powers in our regulatory framework.

Any provider entering into validation or other subcontractual arrangements must have robust oversight and governance processes in place to ensure quality, protect student interests, and safeguard public funding. They are expected to meet all the relevant regulatory requirements set out in our regulatory framework and to manage associated risks effectively.

Open University validation project

Between 2022 and 2025, we commissioned the Open University to deliver a pilot validation service for high-quality Level 4 and 5 vocational and technical courses.

The project aimed to support further education colleges and other providers to expand their higher education offer in line with government priorities.

Five partner colleges completed the project, which concluded in July 2025. To assess its impact, we commissioned Ecorys UK Ltd to undertake an independent evaluation. We expect to publish the findings in spring 2026.