Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, for the purposes of increases in undergraduate tuition fees in the 2025–26 academic year, which higher education providers in the Approved (fee cap) category of registration with the Office for Students are providers without a Teaching Excellence Framework award but with an Access and Participation Plan.

The government recognises that UK higher education (HE) creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in our economy and supports local communities. In recognition of the financial challenges the sector is facing, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits for the 2025/26 academic year in line with the forecast rate of inflation of 3.1%. This will provide additional financial help for HE providers in 2025/26 after seven years of no increases to maximum tuition fees, meaning that fee limits have not kept pace with inflation.

Maximum fees for approved (fee cap) providers without a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) award and with an access and participation plan will increase by £275 in the 2025/26 academic year from £9,000 to £9,275.

This 3.1% increase is in line with the same percentage uplift to maximum fees for approved (fee cap) providers with a TEF award and with an access and participation plan from £9,250 to £9,535.

There are 58 providers in the approved (fee cap) category of the Office for Students (OfS) Register that do not have a TEF award but do have an access and participation plan for 2024/25. The OfS Register, with these providers, can be viewed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/regulatory-resources/the-ofs-register.