The publicly funded higher education sector is very diverse,
encompassing institutions varying in terms of size, history, mission
and subject mix.
The majority of publicly funded higher education institutions now have the title 'university'. All universities
have their own degree-awarding powers and determine which degrees and
other qualifications they will offer and the conditions which apply.
They all offer research opportunities, as well as a wide range of
taught courses, although the balance between these activities varies
between institutions.
Universities range in size from a few thousand students
to around 40,000 students. The Open University has around 180,000
students in total, most of them part-time distance learners. The
combined colleges, schools and institutes of the University of London,
which has a federal structure, have around 90,000 students, with a
further 41,000 students studying by distance learning.
Many
‘new’ or ‘post-1992’ universities (those which gained university title
since the Further and Higher Education Act was passed in 1992) retain
differences of mission and subject mix in comparison with older or
‘pre-1992’ universities. Many of the ‘new’ or ‘post-1992’ universities
were previously polytechnics or higher education colleges.
In general, the ‘post-1992’ universities place greater emphasis on the
practical application of knowledge than do the older universities.
Consequently, they offer a wider range of courses leading to the
professional qualifications recognised by professional institutions.
They may also offer some qualifications below degree level. ‘Pre-1992’
universities provide academic courses rather than professional
training, although many provide a range of professionally accredited
degree courses, including engineering, accountancy, teacher training,
librarianship and information science, and medical studies.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) that award only
taught degrees but which do not meet the numerical criteria for
university title (having at least 4,000 full time equivalent higher
education students, of whom at least 3,000 are registered on degree
level courses) may apply to use the title ‘university college’,
although not all choose to do so.
Other higher education
institutions without university title also carry out teaching, research
and a wide range of other activities. Such institutions include small,
specialist institutions of art and design, drama, music and agriculture.
Degrees
offered by higher education institutions without their own
degree-awarding powers are validated by an external body such as a
university.
Higher education (HE) courses are also provided in some
further education institutions. The Dearing Report (Dearing, 1997)
recommended that participation in higher education should be widened,
and that this expansion should mainly focus on sub-degree level
courses, provided in further education colleges.
The vast majority of higher education courses delivered in further
education colleges comprise two-year, work-focused programmes such as
the new foundation degree.
Higher
education provision in further education institutions may be funded
directly by the relevant HE funding body, or the funding may be
provided via a franchise arrangement, where a student is registered at
an HEI, which receives the funding and is responsible for quality
assurance. A proportion of the funding is passed on to the further
education college providing the teaching. The arrangement can cover the
whole or part of the course.
The Further and Higher Education
Act 1992 allows for the transfer of further education institutions into
the higher education sector, if ‘the full-time enrolment number of the
institution concerned ... for courses of higher education exceeds 55
per cent of its total full-time equivalent enrolment number’.
There
are also some privately funded universities and colleges that are not
included in the higher education sector as described here.
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