How we regulate student outcomes

We want to ensure that students from all backgrounds can achieve positive outcomes from their time in higher education whatever, wherever and however they study.

Our approach to regulating student outcomes seeks to ensure that students are protected from performance that is below our minimum expectations.

We consulted on our approach to regulating student outcomes in 2022.

‘Regulatory advice 20: Regulating student outcomes’ contains full guidance for higher education providers.

‘Positive student outcomes’

We consider ‘positive student outcomes’ to include three areas:

• Continuation: students continuing their course from year to year
• Completion: students completing their course
• Progression: students progressing into managerial or professional employment, further study or other positive outcomes.

We have the following measures in place to ensure that students receive positive outcomes:

• an initial and ongoing condition of registration relating to student outcomes, condition B3, which providers must meet to register – and stay registered – with the OfS
• minimum numerical thresholds that we set and refer to when we make judgements about whether a provider meets condition B3.

What does our guidance cover?

Regulatory advice 20 helps providers to understand how we will:

• decide whether a provider satisfies initial condition B3 when it is applying for registration (or changing registration category)
• decide whether a registered provider is compliant with ongoing condition B3
• decide what values to set for the minimum numerical thresholds that we use when we make judgements about whether a provider is delivering positive outcomes for its students
• decide what information to publish relating to the regulation of student outcomes.

Assessments relating to condition B3

Assessments relating to condition B3 consider:

• areas of the provider's performance below the numerical thresholds set for condition B3
• contextual information submitted by the provider which may justify performance below a numerical threshold, for example factors that may explain a provider's historical performance or actions a provider has taken, or will take, to improve its performance.

Assessment outcomes are published on our regulatory case reports webpage.

Student outcomes data

We publish dashboards and individual provider workbooks that allow users to access student outcomes data about each registered provider.