Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework
Having confidence in the quality of teaching at universities or colleges is important when you are choosing where to study.
To encourage excellence in higher education and help you make more informed choices, we have introduced the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework – the TEF.
To receive a TEF award, UK universities and colleges must first meet the existing quality requirements of their home nation. 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).
Find a TEF award for a university or collegeChecking what matters to you
The TEF provides information about the quality, environment and outcomes of teaching at a wide range of universities and colleges.
The TEF also lets your university or college see how it compares to others. It encourages them to focus on teaching excellence and helps them identify areas for improvement.
The awards are judged by an independent panel of students, academics and other experts. The panel looks at a range of official data and a submission from each university or college, to assess how it works to achieve excellence.
The TEF has been running since 2015. Participation has been voluntary and around 300 colleges and universities currently hold a TEF award. These awards are all valid until 2021. See all participating colleges and universities and their TEF results.
Alongside each award you can find a 'statement of findings' which explains the reasons behind the result for that university or college.
The future of the TEF
We will develop a new framework for the TEF during 2020, taking into account an independent review that was recently completed.
Find out more about the future of the TEFHow to get involved in the TEF
If you are a student who is passionate about excellent teaching and and a good student experience, you can have an impact by getting involved in the TEF.
Find out how to get involved in the TEFDescribe your experience of using this website