Financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England
Public Accounts Committee
Closed
Inquiry
Higher education providers can have a fundamental influence on the future lives of graduates, with consequences for the national economy. Providers are independent bodies, and the sector’s financial sustainability is heavily dependent on student fee income, top-up grant funding, and government research funding. Providers face a range of financial pressures, …
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9
Recommendations
17
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
2
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 6 events
8 Sep
2022
2022
2 Sep
2022
2022
15 Jun
2022
2022
21 Apr
2022
2022
21 Mar
2022
2022
21 Mar
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
21 Mar 2022
View on parliament.uk
Financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England
Anne Spinali · Department for Education
Nicola Dandridge · Office for Students
Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth Report - Financial sustainability of the higher education… | HC 257 | 15 Jun 2022 | 26 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
2
Recommendation
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
Despite a background of deteriorating financial health of an increasing number of providers, the Department...
Despite a background of deteriorating financial health of an increasing number of providers, the Department is not effectively holding the OfS to account. The Department is responsible for the overall regulatory framework of the sector and for holding the OfS …
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Government Response
The response does not address the recommendation of establishing robust performance measures and targets, and instead discusses internal performance measures and consultations with the sector.
HM Treasury
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7
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
The OfS carries out the annual National Student Survey to collect students’ views on, for...
The OfS carries out the annual National Student Survey to collect students’ views on, for example, the quality of teaching and learning they are getting. The 2021 survey ran from January to April and was open only to final-year undergraduates.13 …
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HM Treasury
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9
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
To create and maintain its regulatory independence, and seeking to minimise regulatory burden, the OfS...
To create and maintain its regulatory independence, and seeking to minimise regulatory burden, the OfS does not maintain close ongoing contact with individual providers it considers at low risk. The OfS explained that it collected “a basic core from every …
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HM Treasury
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15
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
We received written evidence from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), which told us...
We received written evidence from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), which told us that it also projected growth in recruitment of both domestic 18-year-olds and international students between now and 2026. UCAS projected that the 2026 admissions cycle …
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Government Response
This response is a duplicate of the response to ID 15155 and does not address the specific observation about UCAS projections for growth in student recruitment and the need for providers to remain financially viable if projections don't materialize.
HM Treasury
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16
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
In 2019–20, more than 340,000 overseas students came from 204 countries worldwide (excluding the EU...
In 2019–20, more than 340,000 overseas students came from 204 countries worldwide (excluding the EU and UK): 35% of those came from China and 14% from India.30 We received written evidence from Universities UK that this income stream may be …
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Government Response
This response is a duplicate of the response to ID 15155 and does not address the specific point about diversification of international student recruitment and over-reliance on certain countries.
HM Treasury
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17
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
The Department described the responsibility for maximising international student participation as being a shared one...
The Department described the responsibility for maximising international student participation as being a shared one between government as a whole and individual institutions. We expressed concern about potential tensions between the aims of the Department, along with the Department for …
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Government Response
This response is a duplicate of the response to ID 15155 and does not address the specific concern about tensions between the aims of different departments regarding international students and migration control.
HM Treasury
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23
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
We asked the OfS how it made sure that providers had the relevant preparations in...
We asked the OfS how it made sure that providers had the relevant preparations in place to access support in the event that their financial sustainability was under threat, since some risks could materialise quite quickly. It described a process …
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Government Response
This response is a duplicate of the response to ID 15144 and does not address the specific question about how the OfS ensures that providers have the relevant preparations in place to access support if their financial sustainability is threatened.
HM Treasury
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25
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Eighth Report - Financial sustaina…
The OfS told us that it did not have a definition of value for money...
The OfS told us that it did not have a definition of value for money because it believed that it could mean different things to different people at different times. In 2018 it had commissioned a consortium of student unions …
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Government Response
This response is a duplicate of the response to ID 15150 and does not address the specific finding that the OfS lacks a definition of value for money.
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 2 letters
8 Sep 2022
Correspondence from Susan Lapworth, Interim Chief Executive, Office for Students, re Financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England, dated 27 July 2022
Parliament page
21 Apr 2022
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re PAC hearing on the financial sustainability of higher education providers 21 March 2022, dated 4 April 2022
Parliament page