OfS says concerns over fraud in partnerships ‘rising up worry list’

Boss of regulator raises alarm over partnerships and warns of increased scrutiny ahead

Partnership arrangements between higher education institutions and other organisations can facilitate fraudulent access to the student loan book and this is increasingly a concern for the Office for Students, its chief executive has said, as she promised to clamp down on risks to public money.

Speaking at the Independent Higher Education annual conference in London on 18 October, OfS boss Susan Lapworth (pictured, at the event) revealed that England’s regulator would increase its work on allegations of fraud in partnership arrangements between providers, saying the issue was “rising up our worry list”.