New Office for Students (OfS) data finds the number of events or external speakers approved by universities and colleges increased from 39,475 in 2022-23 to 42,440 in 2023-24, with an accompanying rise in the number of events approved with conditions put in place.
The number of events or external speakers approved with conditions due to a Prevent-related risk increased from 15 in 2022-23 to 30 in 2023-24. These conditions include measures such as putting increased security in place, requiring tickets for attendance, and ensuring discussions are led by a chair. Conditions were placed on 1,410 external speakers and events in 2023-24 for non-Prevent reasons, up from 1,285 in 2022-23.
The number of events or external speakers rejected for non-Prevent reasons decreased from 340 in 2022-23 to 220 in 2023-24.
Universities and colleges return this data to the OfS as part of their compliance with the Prevent duty. This includes information about their management of individual radicalisation cases and any underpinning ideology for each case. ‘Mixed, unclear and unstable ideologies’ accounted for the highest number of potential radicalisation cases that were escalated internally within an institution (90), followed by ‘other’ (70) and ‘Islamist’ (70), and ‘extreme right-wing’ (30). Of all the cases, 65 were subject to formal referral to external Prevent agencies.
Commenting on the data, Deputy Director of Enabling Regulation, David Smy, said:
‘It’s important that universities and colleges promote the advancement of new ideas and robust, productive debate, so it’s encouraging to see most events going ahead. However, we note that there has been a rise in the number of events on which universities and colleges imposed mitigations or conditions from 1,285 in 2022-23 to 1,410 in 2023-24.
‘It’s important to recognise that there are limitations to this data. It doesn’t include, for example, where someone has felt unable to invite a controversial speaker, or has voluntarily withdrawn a request for approval. Universities and colleges need to ensure that they foster a culture that values vigorous debate, which might include lawful speech that others find offensive.
‘From 1 August 2025, universities and colleges registered with the OfS will need to comply with new duties to secure and promote freedom of speech under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This includes freedom of speech for visiting speakers. We would expect all relevant institutions to ensure that their policies and practices are compliant with these requirements. We expect to issue further guidance to universities and colleges on free speech and academic freedom later this week.’
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We have been consulting on a new strategy for 2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
- The OfS monitors what higher education providers do to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. Read about the OfS’s role in monitoring the Prevent duty.
- Figures are rounded to the nearest five. As a result, subtotals and totals may not sum exactly.