Franchising faces greater scrutiny as OfS lists new priorities

The English regulator’s next series of investigations into poor student outcomes is to prioritise franchised courses, which it views as a “pocket of concern”, among other areas.

The Office for Students (OfS) said it is prioritising the areas it considers to create the greatest risk to student outcomes, based on a review of the most recent data, for 2023-24.

Business and management degrees – which were among the courses singled out for investigation last year – will continue to be looked at, despite criticism of the OfS’ first three investigations in this area, which vice-chancellors have claimed lacked transparency.

The OfS will again examine thresholds for continuation, completion and progression rates, but this time around, partnership agreements – students who are subcontracted in and out to different providers – will come under greater scrutiny.

It marks a change in strategy for the OfS, because franchising was not on the list when the provisional criteria were first published a year ago.

“The most up-to-date data (2021-22) confirms that the subcontracted-out section of the HE sector is growing year-on-year, and that students who are taught elsewhere to where they are registered are more likely to be on courses that are under the threshold,” a spokesperson said.

“We are minded to take this trend seriously and view it as a potential pocket of concern.”

The scrutiny comes after an investigation by The New York Times found that Slough-based Oxford Business College, which offers degrees from Buckinghamshire New University, the University of West London and Ravensbourne University London, was operating “in an opaque corner of the British education system”.

In 2023-24, the OfS will also look at degree courses that include an integrated foundation year, after some criticism from politicians and the media that these are being used as “cash cows” by universities, with little benefit to students. 

Earlier this month the vice-chancellor of the University of East London, Amanda Broderick, spoke out after UEL became the third provider to have received a “boots-on-the-ground” investigation regarding its business and management courses, which yielded no areas of concern. In the regulator’s previous two investigations, it found “areas of concern” at the University of Bolton, and none at London South Bank University.

Professor Broderick called for a rethink of the process, given each of the institutions targeted had a high percentage of students from widening participation backgrounds, and social mobility or inclusion as an explicit institutional mission.

The assessments are made under condition B3 of the OfS’ regulatory framework, which requires universities and colleges registered by the OfS to deliver positive outcomes for students.

Additional criteria, such as the number of students affected, will be used to identify the final group of providers selected to be investigated – which will be contacted in the new year.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com