New guidance on university title applications

The Office for Students has published guidance setting out the process for English higher education providers that wish to use either ‘university college’ or ‘university’ title as part of their name.

Having ‘university’ in a provider’s name is prestigious, desirable and valuable. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA) amended relevant legislation to give the Office for Students (OfS) the power to authorise the use of university college and university title in a higher education provider’s name.

Our new guidance:

  • helps higher education providers to check if they are eligible
  • sets out the evidence needed to support an application
  • gives information on how applications are assessed.
See the guidance, 'How to apply for university college and university title'

The guidance should be read in conjunction with our regulatory framework.

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