Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what oversight is provided to private higher education providers enrolling students onto degree courses to ensure minimum criteria are met for entry onto undergraduate degrees.

It is for individual higher education providers to determine the minimum criteria for entry onto their courses.

However, private providers must meet a number of conditions to gain designation for student support. These include having a successful Quality Assurance Agency Higher Education Review (Alternative Providers), which tests providers’ recruitment, selection and admission policies and procedures, as well as ensuring that all students recruited onto courses designated for student support meet a minimum English Language requirement.

The Department monitors whether providers comply with the conditions of designation to ensure providers are held accountable and to protect the student and public interest. If at any point the Department determines that the conditions have not been met, it could put in place a range of sanctions, including the removal of course designation.