Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing the cap on student recruitment in higher education on the sustainability of the sector, and whether they plan to review or restore the cap.

The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, publishes an annual report on the financial health of the HE sector.

The OfS’ most recent report, published in May 2024, does not cite the removal of the cap on student recruitment as a key risk to the financial sustainability of the sector. There are no plans to reintroduce student number controls. The report is attached and can also be read here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/ly1buqlj/financial-sustainability-report2024.pdf.

The UK’s universities are autonomous, vibrant and independent. The government values this, as does the HE sector. This means that, ultimately, it is for providers, as part of an autonomous and independent sector, to decide on effective business models.