We are proposing to change the regulations for the quality and standards which universities and colleges must follow.
Find out more
We know that the things that matter most to students are high-quality courses, successful outcomes, and the ongoing value of their qualifications.
These pages explain:
- what students can expect from universities and colleges now
- how they can find out more
- how we are planning to change the regulations universities must follow and how students can give their views.
What can students expect now?
Any university or college which is registered with the Office for Students must meet conditions of registration. A group of these conditions – what we call the ‘B conditions’ – relate to quality and standards.
Together these conditions mean that students can expect any registered university or college to meet a minimum set – or baseline – of standards for quality.
The conditions are:
Condition B1: The provider must deliver well-designed courses that provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student’s achievement to be reliably assessed.
Condition B2: The provider must provide all students, from admission through to completion, with the support that they need to succeed in and benefit from higher education.
Condition B3: The provider must deliver successful outcomes for all of its students, which are recognised and valued by employers and/or enable further study.
Condition B4: The provider must ensure that qualifications awarded to students hold their value at the point of qualification and over time, in line with sector recognised standards.
Condition B5: The provider must deliver courses that meet the academic standards as they are described in the Framework for Higher Education Qualification (FHEQ) at Level 4 or higher.
Beyond this baseline, if a registered university or college has more than 500 students, they must also take part in 'the TEF' - the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework. The TEF measures excellence in addition to these requirements.
Under the TEF, universities and colleges in the UK are rated as gold, silver or bronze (or provisional where there is not yet enough data to make a full assessment).
More about the TEF and TEF results
