What does the Office for Students do for students?

We’re the regulator for higher education in England.

We monitor over 400 universities and colleges to make sure that students’ interests are protected and that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education.

1. We regulate universities and colleges

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?
• graduate destinations – do graduates go on to employment or further study?
•  university and colleges’ finances – are they financially secure?
•  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?

We look at these areas, among others, to make sure that you have the best possible higher education experience.

• See if your university or college is registered with us

2. We investigate universities and colleges

Universities and colleges must continue to meet our requirements, or we will intervene.

This might involve investigating things like low quality courses, and imposing penalties like fines in serious cases.

You play an important role in this. If you have concerns about your university or college, you can tell us by submitting a notification.

• Find out more about submitting a notification

3. We listen to students

We work with students to understand the things that are important to you.

We:

·       have a Student Interest Board, who help us make decisions

·       run online student debrief events

·       conduct student polls to hear your views on different topics

·       manage the National Student Survey.

What don’t we do?

We don’t handle queries or complaints from individual students.

If you have questions or a complaint about your university or college, you should contact them in the first instance.

• Find out more about making a complaint