Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Investigation into student loans issued to those studying at franchised higher education providers

Status: Closed Opened: 10 Jan 2024 Closed: 29 May 2024 9 recommendations 18 conclusions 1 report

Higher education providers can create partnerships, or ‘franchises’, with other institutions to provide courses on their behalf. These franchised providers are not required to register with the Office for Students (OfS), which regulates higher education. Lead providers keep responsibility for teaching quality and protecting students’ interests. In 2022 and 2023, the Student Loans Company (SLC) …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-Eighth Report - Student loans issued to those studyi… HC 455 24 Apr 2024 27 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
2 Recommendation Twenty-Eighth Report - Student loans is… Rejected

Publish overview of higher education delivery models and define reasonable tuition fee retention for lead providers.

To remain financially viable, some providers may be incentivised to increase student numbers through franchising, which creates risks for students and taxpayers. In 2022, the Committee highlighted the risk of providers being financially vulnerable. OfS analysis, published in May 2023, suggests some rely on increases in student numbers to remain …

Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation but states the OfS does not consider it possible to set a standard proportion of tuition fees for lead providers to retain due to the diversity of arrangements, though it will continue to investigate …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
26 Feb 2024 Chris Larmer · Student Loans Company, Julia Kinniburgh · Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education, Susan Lapworth · Office for Students View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
18 Mar 2024 Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Educ…