Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Lack of transparency regarding tuition fee retention by lead providers in franchise arrangements.
Recommendation
The C&AG’s report indicated that some lead providers retained between 12.5% and 30% of tuition fees received for courses at their franchised providers.25 DfE confirmed that the information is not in the public domain and that students are not always made aware of these arrangements. DfE told us that it is for the lead provider to agree the arrangement they want with their franchisee, but added that it is questionable for that not to be transparent and open. DfE assured us that it is currently considering what new transparency requirements could be introduced. DfE added that it is also considering the role of the OfS within this context.26
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 11 July 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗