In the media

The UK government has proposed reforms to tighten rules on franchising arrangements and combat fraud in the student finance system to safeguard public funds better. In 2022/23, fraud in student finance cost taxpayers £2 million. Franchising allows universities to subcontract courses to external providers, improving access to higher education. However, currently, more than half of the 341 franchised institutions are unregistered with the Office for Students, meaning they operate without regulation. The government aims to ensure these courses meet quality standards to remain eligible for student finance.

The Office for Students (OfS) has published a circular detailing minimum acceptable student outcomes which set thresholds for drop-out rates, course completion and graduate employment that universities and colleges will need to meet to avoid further investigation. According to Ofs, over 60,000 students on full-time undergraduate courses are currently enrolled at institutions in England that could be sanctioned for low quality and poor value for money.

An ITV documentary has investigated whether some schools are taking duplicitous measures to achieve top marks. The problem is said to have developed after league tables based on exam results were introduced in 1992, putting more pressure on schools to perform well. Schools can obtain more financial rewards if they feature highly in league tables, while the jobs of heads and teachers are at risk if a bad Ofsted inspection means the school goes into special measures.

Universities determined to rise up international rankings are increasingly "playing" the methodology, Shaun Curtis of the University of Exeter in the UK told the "Worldviews 2013" conference last week. One way is to seek support from colleagues in other institutions who are answering rankings questionnaires, and another is to game the data.