Degree-level Education (Hansard, 20 January 1993)

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he will take to ensure that, under the proposed arrangements after April, the validation and quality of degree-level education provided will be assessed in precisely the same way for all institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council.

§ Mr. Boswell
The Higher Education Quality Council is undertaking a programme of academic audits of all degree awarding institutions. These audits will scrutinise the quality assurance systems of institutions, including any validation arrangements for non-degree awarding institutions, and report on their operation. The council will also advise the Secretary of State on applications from non-degree awarding institutions for degree awarding powers. The Higher Education Funding Council for England will be undertaking a programme of quality assessments. All these activities will be undertaken in a way which ensures comparability.

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest year available and for every institution funded by the Universities Funding Council or the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, the proportion of students admitted to degree-level courses who have successfully completed that course.

§ Mr. Boswell
Details of leavers from the old universities are given in table 10 of "University Management Statistics and Performance indicators", 1992 edition, published by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the278W University Funding Council, a copy of which is in the Library. Aggregate data for the former polytechnics and colleges are shown in the Department for Education statistical bulletin 9/92, which is also in the Library. The next Department for Education departmental report will contain a table showing that approximately 15 per cent. of all full-time and sandwich first degree students did not successfully complete their course.

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will list the authorities authorised to award degrees for the taught courses which commenced in September 1992 at each of the institutions funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council;
(2) if he will list the authorities authorised to award degrees for the research courses which commenced in September 1992 at each of the institutions funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council.

§ Mr. Boswell
The following institutions, funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council, are authorised to award both taught course and research degrees:

University of Aberdeen

Anglia Polytechnic University

Aston University

University of Bath

University of Birmingham

Bournemouth University

University of Bradford

University of Brighton

University of Bristol

Brunel University

University of Cambridge

University of Central England in Birmingham

University of Central Lancashire

City University

Coventry University

De Montfort University

University of Derby

University of Dundee

University of Durham

University of East Anglia

University of East London

University of Edinburgh

University of Essex

University of Exeter

University of Glasgow

University of Greenwich

Heriot-Watt University

University of Hertfordshire

University of Huddersfield

University of Hull

University of Humberside

University of Keele

University of Kent at Canterbury

Kingston University

University of Lancaster

University of Leeds

Lees Metropolitan University

University of Leicester

University of Liverpool

Liverpool John Moore University

University of London

London Business School

London Guildhall University

Loughborough University of Technology

University of Manchester

The Manchester Metropolitan University

Middlesex University

University of Newcastle upon Tyne

University of North London

University of Northumbria at Newcastle

University of Nottingham

279W

The Nottingham Trent University

University of Oxford

Oxford Brookes University

University of Plymouth

University of Portsmouth

University of Reading

Royal College of Music

University of St. Andrews

University of Salford

University of Sheffield

Sheffield Hallam University

University of Southampton

South Bank University

Staffordshire University

University of Stirling

University of Strathclyde

University of Sunderland

University of Surrey

University of Sussex

University of Teeside

Thames Valley University

University of Wales

University of Warwick

University of the West of England, Bristol

University of Westminster

University of Wolverhampton

University of York

The following institutions, funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, are authorised to award taught course degrees only:

Bath College of Higher Education

Bolton Institute of Higher Education

Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education

Luton College of Higher Education

West Surrey College of Art and Design

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list those official publications in which potential undergraduate and research students may inform themselves of the list of colleges in receipt of funding from the Higher Education Funding Council, together with associated relevant information about degree-level courses.

§ Mr. Boswell
The Department published last year a leaflet, "Higher Education: A New Framework", which lists all higher education colleges which are to be funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Information on courses is available in the "Guide for Applicants" available from the polytechnics central admission system and a number of commercially published compendia. Copies of both named publications are available in the Library.

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest year available and for every institution funded by the Universities Funding Council or the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, the proportion of mature students admitted to degree-level courses funded by those institutions.

§ Mr. Boswell
The numbers of mature students in United Kingdom universities and in other higher education institutions in England are shown in volume 1—students and staff—of "University Statistics 1990–91" published by the Universities Statistical Record, and statistical bulletin 19/92, "Students in Higher Education, England 1990", published by the Department. Copies of both publications are in the Library.

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he intends to take this year to ensure that prospective students entering degree-level courses in September 1993 are fully aware that the quality of degree280W courses offered by institutions which are not permitted to designate themselves as universities is comparable to that provided by institutions which are.

§ Mr. Boswell
All institutions that offer degrees have appropriate quality assurance mechanisms in place irrespective of whether they have "university" in their title. The Department's leaflet, "Higher Education: A New Framework", sets this out.