Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulatory measures the Office for Students is taking to encourage universities to focus as much on the completion, attainment and progression outcomes of international students, as those of domestic students.

The Office for Students (OfS) published consultations on improving the quality of higher education (HE) in England on 20 January and set out in detail the numerical thresholds which will underpin minimum acceptable student outcomes.

International students studying at English HE providers are included in the proposed student outcome measures on continuation and completion rates. If the proposals are adopted, the performance of international students studying at registered higher education providers in England will be considered as part of the OfS’ regulatory assessments. The OfS is not proposing at this stage to include international students in the measures on progression to graduate employment or further study owing to the continuing difficulty in securing a high response rate in surveys for this subset of graduates.

Our HE sector is world class but, in line with the government’s manifesto commitment, we are taking serious steps with the OfS to drive up the quality of HE across the sector and to tackle the unacceptable pockets of poor-quality provision which do not offer value for money for the taxpayer or students.

Universities and colleges not meeting these minimum expectations will face investigation and consideration of whether they are in breach of their registration conditions, which could lead to sanctions, including fines and reduced access to student finance. These minimum levels are just one factor the OfS will consider. As is currently the case, and as described in the consultation document, the OfS will continue to consider a provider’s wider context, including its student characteristics, before making any final decisions on compliance with registration conditions.

This government believes that every student, regardless of background, deserves quality and transparency from their university or provider about their course. These measures are about tackling low quality, and, through the revised Teaching and Excellence Framework, rewarding high quality, and ensuring transparency which, overall, will maintain confidence in our HE sector.