My hon Friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science (Jo Johnson) is publishing today the Government’s response to our consultation on improving quality and value for money at alternative providers of higher education.
The Government has considered the responses to the consultation and will now implement the policies that were consulted on. These measures will strengthen the English language requirements at alternative providers, give better information to prospective students and link student number controls to the performance of the provider.
From the 2016/17 academic year alternative providers of higher education will:
1. Have to ensure their students have a proficiency of English Language skills assessed at minimum international level B2 (equivalent to 5.5-6.5 on the IELTS scale) or equivalent upon starting the course
2. Be required to provide prospective students with better information through the Key Information Set
3. Have their student number controls linked to their performance, with the best performers eligible for higher allocations
These changes will help build confidence, transparency and accountability in the alternative provider sector. They will incentivise high quality provision and allow the best providers to grow while further tackling poor provision and poor practice.
The response document will be made available on the gov.uk website. Copies of the response have been made available in the libraries of both Houses.
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