OfS pitches ‘more challenging’ quality standards for universities

Regulator wants to set higher baseline requirements on course progression and post-graduation job success

The Office for Students is planning to “raise the bar” on the quality of higher education and bring in stricter expectations on success for students in life after university.

In a consultation published on 17 November, the OfS revealed it wanted to set minimum expectations on quality and standards that would be the same for all institutions, regardless of the make-up of a university’s student body. This would include altering current minimum rates for course continuation and completion, and for students’ progression into managerial and professional jobs or further study, although exact numbers have not yet been set.