Student representatives – a guide to the Office for Students

The Office for Students is the regulator for higher education in England. We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers

This includes prospective and current students who are:

• undergraduates or postgraduates
• UK-based or international
• students studying full-time or part-time
• based on campus or learning at a distance.

We are not part of government. We are independent but we report to Parliament through the Department for Education.

Is your university regulated by the Office for Students?

All the universities we regulate are listed on our Register.

What we do

We regulate over 400 universities, colleges and other higher education providers. We make sure that they all meet their obligations to students.

This includes maintaining high quality teaching and making sure the rights of students are protected.

Universities and colleges that are registered with us must meet certain requirements.

We look at things like:

• teaching quality – is your course what you expected? Do you have the resources you need? Are your assessments effective
• equality policies – are students from all backgrounds supported
• university and colleges’ finances – are they financially secure, well managed and governed?
• consumer rights – are students being treated fairly? Are you receiving the service you expected?
• protection against harassment and sexual misconduct – does your university or college have effective policies to prevent and address harassment and sexual misconduct?
• notfifcations – if you have concerns that a university or college is not meeting these or other requirements, you can notify us. 

What we don't do

The OfS does not regulate in some areas. These include:

• Student accommodation
  We don’t regulate student housing and accommodation, whether this accommodation is owned by a university or college or it is privately owned.
• Admissions decisions
  We are not directly involved in university applications. Neither do we provide courses of our own.
• Complaints
  We do not have the power to intervene or advise in a dispute between a student and their university or college. Find out more about how to raise or progress a complaint.
• Student finance and fees
  We do not provide student loans or finance. The funding we allocate is for universities and colleges registered with the OfS. Neither do we provide financial forms of extra help, such as bursaries, support for students who are parents or disabled students.