The status of a university or a course

This page provides information about how to check the status of a university or college and the courses it runs.

Check if a university or college is registered

The OfS Register lists all the universities and colleges that are registered with the Office for Students.

What does the Register show?

If a provider is listed on the Register, this means it can:

• recruit students who can access student loans through the Student Loans Company
• charge its students fees up to the statutory limits (these limits vary depending on the category in which the university or college is registered)
• receive different forms of direct funding to support its activities
• apply for – or maintain an existing – licence to recruit international students
• apply for the right to award its own degrees
• apply for the right to use the word 'university' in its name.

University title and powers to award degrees

To find out if a university or colleges has the power to use 'university' in its name or the power to award degrees, you can search for the university or college on the Register.

If it is not listed on the Register, this means it does not have university title or the power to award degrees.

If it has a page on the Register, this will show if it has degree awarding powers and at what level. It will also show if it has university title.

Checking qualifications are valid

If a university or college is listed on the OfS Register, this means it has met requirements that cover quality and standards, equality of opportunity, the financial sustainability of the university or college and how it is governed. 

But if you want to know whether a course has a professional accreditation, it is best to contact the relevant university or college directly. 

In some cases universities or colleges work with a professional, statutory or regulatory body that accredit its programme or specifies academic standards for a course of study.

There are many professional and employer bodies that work with universities in different ways.