Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how a university is defined in current English legislation.

The term “university” is not defined in legislation. The criteria and processes for obtaining University Title are set out in published guidance, ‘Guidance for higher education providers for applying for university title and university college title’, which the department maintains and updates as necessary.

There are some references in legislation. Section 77(4) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 provides that any educational institution that includes the word “university” in its name and is permitted to do so in accordance with section 77(1) is to be treated as a university for all purposes, unless in that name ”university” is immediately followed by the word “college” or “collegiate”. Section 39 of the Education Reform Act 1988 prohibits an institution from unauthorised use of the word “university” in its name in relation to any educational services it offers.

There is also a partial definition of “university” in Section 90(3) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and in Section 235 of the Education Reform Act 1988.