New thresholds will come into place next week which set minimum
expectations for the proportion of students on higher education
courses who continue on their course, graduate, and go on to
further study or find a professional job, the Office for Students
(OfS) has announced today.
Universities and colleges that perform below these thresholds
could face investigation to allow the OfS to understand the
reasons for their performance. If, following investigation,
performance is not adequately explained by a provider’s context,
the OfS has the power to intervene and impose sanctions for a
breach of its conditions of registration.
The thresholds have been set following an extensive consultation
process, with views from students and their representatives and
universities and colleges considered. Different thresholds have
been set for courses depending on their mode and level of study,
which take into account the differences in outcomes for students
who study full- and part-time, and those on undergraduate and
postgraduate courses. The OfS will also consider performance in
individual subjects, to ensure pockets of poor performance can be
identified and addressed.
For full-time students studying for a first degree, the
thresholds are for:
· 80 per cent of
students to continue their studies.
· 75 per cent of
students to complete their course.
· 60 per cent of
students to go on to further study, professional work, or other
positive outcomes, within 15 months of graduating.
Commenting Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS,
said:
“Many universities and colleges deliver successful outcomes for
their students and our new thresholds should not trouble them.
But too many students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, are
recruited onto courses with weak outcomes which do not improve
their life chances. We can now intervene where outcomes for
students are low, and where universities and colleges cannot
credibly explain why.
“We recognise that students choose higher education for a variety
of reasons. Many are focused on improving their career prospects
and it is right that we’re prepared to tackle courses with low
numbers of students going into professional work. Our new
approach also takes into account other positive outcomes, for
example, further study, or graduates building their own business
or a portfolio career.
“Most higher education students in England are on courses with
outcomes above our thresholds, often significantly so. These
courses put students in a good position to continue their
successes after graduation. But today’s decision provides a clear
incentive for universities and colleges to take credible action
to improve the outcomes of courses which may be cause for
concern.”
ENDS
Notes
1. The Office for Students is
the independent regulator for higher education in England. Our
aim is to ensure that every student, whatever their background,
has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches
their lives and careers.
2. Performance below a numerical
threshold does not mean that a provider is not meeting the OfS’s
minimum expectations. The OfS only makes a judgement that a
provider is not compliant after considering the context in which
it is operating. This means that we may find that a provider with
performance below a numerical threshold is delivering positive
outcomes for its students. We have not yet made any judgments
about any providers.
3. The OfS has published supporting documents which
set out how the thresholds have been set, and the factors
considered in reaching decisions. The OfS is also publishing a
range of official statistics relating
to student outcomes.
