Proposals for reforms to OfS registration requirements

About this consultation

The Office for Students (OfS) is reviewing its approach to assessing providers seeking registration. This consultation sets out the background to our proposals, the reasons we are proposing to make changes and what we expect those changes to achieve.

Who should respond?

Anyone with an interest in consumer and student protection, or governance in English higher education. Anyone with an interest in the OfS’s registration process.

We are particularly (but not only) interested in hearing from students, staff, academics and leaders at higher education providers that are interested in applying to register with the OfS. We welcome the views of all types and sizes of provider but are particularly interested in hearing from:

• any provider that may want to offer courses funded by the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)
• any provider currently teaching higher education courses on behalf of another provider through a subcontractual (franchise) arrangement
• registered providers that have, or are thinking about, subcontracting any of their higher education courses to another provider through a subcontractual (franchise) arrangement
• registered providers that may wish to change their category of registration in the future.

We are interested in the views of further education colleges, employers, third sector organisations, policy bodies, and others with an interest in the areas on which we are consulting.

We would also welcome views from students or prospective students, particularly those studying at (or considering study at) providers that are not currently registered with the OfS.

How to respond

Please respond by 23 April 2025.

Please use the online response form for the relevant part of the consultation:

• Introduction: how we would implement the proposals in this consultation
• Part 1: Proposals for new initial condition C5: Treating students fairly
• Part 2: Proposals for new initial condition E7: Effective governance
• Part 3: Proposals for changes to registration application requirements

How we will treat your response

We will summarise and/or publish the responses to this consultation on the OfS website (and in alternative formats on request). This may include a list of the providers and organisations that respond, but not personal data such as individuals’ names, addresses or other contact details.

If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please tell us but be aware that we cannot guarantee confidentiality in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not be regarded by us as a confidentiality request.

The OfS will process any personal data received in accordance with all applicable data protection laws (see our privacy policy).¹

We may need to disclose or publish information that you provide in the performance of our functions, or disclose it to other organisations for the purposes of their functions. Information (including personal data) may also need to be disclosed in accordance with UK legislation (such as the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection Act 2018 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

Next steps

We will publish a summary of responses to this consultation in summer 2025. Subject to the responses to this consultation, we will decide whether and how to implement the proposals in this consultation. We will explain how and why we have arrived at our decisions, and how we have addressed any points made by respondents.

Enquiries

Email [email protected]

Alternatively, call our public enquiry line on 0117 931 7317.

We are holding a consultation briefing event in February and a feedback event in March. These events will provide an opportunity for you to hear about our proposals and the thinking behind them, to ask questions and then to give us your feedback. The dates and details on how to join these are on our website.

If you require this document in an alternative format, or you need assistance with the online form, contact [email protected]. (Please note: this email address should not be used for submitting your consultation response.)

[1] Available at the OfS privacy webpage.