The Office for Students (OfS) has today launched a call for
evidence for views on how it uses its powers to distribute
funding to universities and colleges in England.
Each year, the OfS distributes around £1.4 billion through the
Strategic Priorities Grant, which supports teaching and related
activities at universities and colleges. The OfS also distributes
capital funding to support the building and renovation of
facilities, including laboratories, specialist teaching suites
and lecture halls, to support students’ education. Recently, the
OfS allocated £450 million of capital funding for the 2022-23 to
2024-25 financial years.
The OfS’s existing method of distributing funding recognises the
additional costs to universities and colleges that may be
associated with teaching particular courses or supporting
students, such as those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to access
and succeed in higher education. The approach also accounts for
strategic priorities in higher education, including supporting
priority subjects and helping students to continue and complete
their studies, and go onto successful outcomes after
graduation.
Through the call for evidence, the OfS is keen to hear how its
approach to distributing funding can support universities and
colleges to deliver a high-quality academic experience for
students. The call asks:
· What should the OfS be
seeking to achieve with the funding it allocates, and how might
its approach to funding adapt in the future?
· What factors should the OfS
consider when making judgements about the strategic priority of a
course or subject area?
· Are there areas of
important provision that are not currently supported by OfS
funding that could be considered in future?
The OfS also wants to hear how its funding could support capital
investment, national facilities and specialist higher education
providers, with respondents being asked about the impact of this
type of funding.
Commenting on the call for evidence, John Blake, Director for
Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, said:
‘The OfS is responsible for distributing millions to universities
and colleges each year to support students’ learning,
strategically important courses and specialist higher education
providers. We recognise that the higher education landscape has
changed a lot in since our current approach was established.
‘Could our funding be better targeted to support equality of
opportunity for students? What specific types of activity are
best supported by the OfS’s funding? And importantly, what’s the
impact of our funding on students’ experiences? We want to hear
from staff at universities, colleges and students’ unions, as
well as others who are interested or affected by our funding
decisions. These responses will provide important insight as we
ensure our approach to funding can deliver our priorities, and
those of the higher education providers to deliver high-quality
courses for all students.
‘We will carefully consider all the responses and evidence we
receive as we develop our future approach.’
The call for evidence closes on 23 May 2024.
