Higher education bill announced in Queen’s speech

Legislation will be introduced to link tuition fees to teaching quality.

A higher education and research bill will be laid before parliament this year, it was announced on 18 May in the Queen’s speech.

The bill, which will apply in England only, will "link funding for universities to the quality of teaching rather than student numbers, with graduate employment prospects tracked so students can be sure they are getting value for money", according to a briefing document that accompanied the speech. The document cites statistics suggesting that giving students more choice could help plug skills shortages: 34 per cent of graduates said they would have made a different course decision if they had known more about the post-university jobs market. Equally, at least 20 per cent of employed graduates are in non-professional roles.