Recommendation 14

Between 2018/19 and 2021/22 the number of franchised providers increased 6%, but the number of students attending them more than doubled from 50,440 (2.5% of all students) to 108,600 (4.7% of all students). Some 63,680 (59%) of the 108,600 students enrolled on business and management-related courses. The increase in students was concentrated across a few providers - eight of the 114 lead providers increased their student numbers by more than 1,500, making them responsible for 91% of the four-year growth. As a result, in 2021/22, these eight providers were responsible for 58% of all students at franchised providers.32 28 Q49 29 Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (ISL0003) 30 Committee of Public Accounts, Financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England, Eighth Report of Session 2022–23, HC 257, 15 June 2022 31 Qq42–44 32 C&AG’s Report, para 1.6 and Figure 2 12 Student loans issued to those studying at franchised higher education providers 2 Preventing and detecting fraud and abuse Oversight of franchised providers