Office for Students scraps HE access spending rule

Colleges and universities no longer required to spend set amount of tuition fee income to support disadvantaged students. Major changes to rules around what colleges and universities have to spend on widening participation are on the way. Previously, higher education institutions charging more than £6,000 for courses had to establish an access agreement with the former Office for Fair Access (Offa). Following a recent consultation, the Office for Students (OfS), the new higher education regulator, has said it will from 2019-20 no longer require colleges and universities to set aside a specific amount of money from their tuition fee income – currently between 15 and 30 per cent of income from tuition fees above £6,000 – to support students from under-represented or disadvantaged groups, such as those from low-income or BAME backgrounds, or care leavers. Read More.