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Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about HEFCE and higher education generally

Last updated 10 September 2010

FAQs about HEFCE

HEFCE Funding

HEFCE publications

HEFCE news

FAQs about higher education

Choosing a university or college

Choosing a course

Residency status of students

Comparison of qualifications

Complaints against universities and colleges

Higher education statistics

HEFCE funding

How do you fund universities and colleges?

Most of our funding is allocated by formula. Our funding method is described in ‘Guide to funding: How HEFCE allocates its funds’ (HEFCE 2010/24)

Do you fund further education colleges (FECs)?

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is the main funder of FECs. HEFCE funds most higher education courses at FECs. Contact the SFA on 0845 377 5000 or visit the SFA web-site.

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What are the current fee assumptions (2008-09)?

When we calculate how much funding to allocate to an institution for teaching, we make an assumption about the tuition fee income that the institution might be expected to receive, at sector average rates. This is known as the fee assumption.

Fee assumptions for 2007-08 (per full-time equivalent student)

Full-time undergraduates £1,255
Sandwich year-out undergraduates £1,250
Part-time undergraduates on courses with regulated fees £1,250
Other part-time undergraduates £1,255
Full-time taught postgraduates on courses with regulated fees (these are courses such as PGCEs and some architecture courses) £1,255
Part-time taught postgraduates and sandwich year-out postgraduates on courses with regulated fees £1,250
Other full-time, part-time and sandwich taught postgraduates £3,964

How long should higher education institutions keep student data?

Institutions should normally have their own records management policy covering this issue, which looks at the retention of student data for the institution's own business reasons. However, for HEFCE purposes, they should keep student data records for at least three years prior to the current year, except where HEFCE has open queries on any earlier year's data, in which case those years should be retained until the queries are fully resolved.

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What are the current price group weightings and resource rates (2008-09)?

Some subjects cost more to teach than others: some need laboratories and workshops while others are taught wholly in lecture theatres and seminar rooms. This is reflected in HEFCE's funding method for teaching, in which subjects are classified in four price groups, A-D, according to how much they cost to teach.

Price group Description Cost weight 2008-09 resource rate
A The clinical stages of medicine and dentistry courses and veterinary science 4 £15,856
B Laboratory-based subjects (science, preclinical stages of medicine and dentistry, engineering and technology) 1.7 £6,739
C Subjects with a studio, laboratory or fieldwork element 1.3 £5,153
D All other subjects 1 £3,964

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HEFCE publications

Can you send me your publications?

We send copies of all printed publications to the institutions we fund; however, most of our documents are only available on the web. All current HEFCE publications can be downloaded free of charge. Some guides are also available in print, and can be ordered from Publications on 0117 931 7431 or by e-mail to publications@hefce.ac.uk.

Direct links to some popular guides

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HEFCE news

How can I be kept up to date on HEFCE activities?

We offer the following ways to keep up with HEFCE's developments:

E-mail lists

  • 'admin-hefce' sends an e-mail whenever we publish a news item on our web-site or send out an important notification to the higher education sector
  • 'update-hefce' is a monthly e-newsletter that offers a roundup of news, publications, deadlines and events
  • 'governance-hefce' is a monthly bulletin aimed at governors of higher education institutions
  • we also have e-mail lists on the development of the Research Excellence Framework, and of charities legislation that affects the higher education sector.

Anyone can subscribe free to one of these e-mail lists.

Web-site

News feeds

To receive notification of information at the time it is published on our web-site, use one or more of our RSS news feeds.

Twitter

  • Our news feeds can also be accessed via Twitter

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Choosing a university or college

My daughter is going to university/college. I have heard that you publish league tables, can you give me the rating for University X?

University league tables are published by several newspapers but they are not produced by HEFCE. These league tables are not official and the newspapers use a variety of sources for their data. League tables have appeared in The Guardian, Sunday Times, The Times.

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How is the quality of teaching and learning in institutions assessed?

HEFCE is responsible for assuring the quality of the HE provision it funds. All quality assurance is carried out on the HEFCE's behalf by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

The quality of teaching and the standard of awards in HEIs are assured through the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). This consists of institutional audits and collaborative provision audits, which assess how the institution manages its own quality assurance processes. The QAF also includes the publication of information about quality and standards in HEIs through the National Student Survey web-site.

For HE that is delivered in FECs, quality assurance is still undertaken at subject level using the academic review method. 2006-07 is the last year in which this will take place. A new method of review, Integrated Quality and Enhancement Review (IQER), which will look at how the college manages the quality of its provision, is currently being piloted and is intended to begin in 2007-08.

We, in collaboration with the other three UK funding bodies, assess the quality of research through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). For details of RAE 2008 see www.rae.ac.uk.

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Can you provide guidance on private or bogus universities and degrees?

HEFCE cannot provide guidance on this. There is a list of institutions that offer accredited UK degrees on the web-site for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

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Choosing a course

Can you send me a list of undergraduate courses in the UK? I want a list of all the institutions that offer undergraduate courses in English.

You can find out about undergraduate courses from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) web-site or tel 01242 222444 for general enquiries, or e-mail enquiries@ucas.ac.uk

All applications for undergraduate courses are administered by UCAS.

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Can you send me a list of postgraduate courses in the UK?

You can find out about postgraduate courses on the Careers Service Unit's web-site. From their home page choose the 'postgrad study' section.

There is no central admissions service for postgraduate courses. You should apply directly to the university or college where the course is offered.

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I need a list of universities and colleges in the North West region. Can you send me one?

The following organisations provide lists of institutions by region:

We have an online guide 'Contacts in higher education' which lists all the institutions we fund in alphabetical order. Alternatively we can send you a printed copy which also groups institutions by English region.

Our ‘Regional Profiles’ publication, contains information about institutions in the nine English regions. It is available to download from the web-site.

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I am interested in becoming a teacher. Can you give me guidance on teacher training?

For general information on teacher training contact: The Training and Development Agency for Schools, 151 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9SZ, tel 020 7023 8000, e-mail: corporatecomms@tda.gov.uk.

For routes into teaching contact: Teaching Information Line 0845 6000 991.

For details of teacher training courses available see the Graduate Teacher Training Registry web-site.

For information about repayment of student loans for teachers of shortage subjects see the teachernet web-site.

LifelongLearning UK has details of the institutions which offer bursaries for certain courses. Contact LLUK information and advice service on tel 0870 757 7898.

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Residency status of students

I am unsure whether I will be classed as a home student, EU or international student. Can you advise me?

No. Advice of this sort can be found through The UK Council for International Student Affairs who operate an enquiry line open between 1300 and 1600 Monday to Friday. Their number is: 0207 107 9922.

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Comparison of qualifications

I am an overseas student with a qualification from my home country. I want to know how my qualification compares to its English equivalent. Can you help?

HEFCE cannot assist with this but The National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) can. Contact UK NARIC on 0871 330 7033, e-mail info@naric.org.uk.

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I am a UK student and I wish to study/work abroad. How can I compare my UK qualification with qualifications in the country I wish to study/work in?

UK students wanting to compare their UK qualifications with that of another country should contact the National Information Centre for Academic Recognition and Mobility in that country for more information. UNESCO has a World Directory of National Information Centres for Academic Recognition and Mobility. They can be e-mailed at bpiweb@unesco.org. The following web-sites also give contact details:

  • enic-naric.net
    For European and North American countries
  • UNESCO
    Four countries outside Europe and North America

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Complaints against universities and colleges

I have a complaint against my university/college. Can HEFCE help?

HEFCE's primary responsibility is to distribute government funds for teaching and research to universities and higher education colleges in England. We do not become involved in disputes between students or staff and their institutions. We may become involved in issues about whether the funds we allocate to universities and colleges are being properly used.

Each university and college should have its own official internal complaints procedure. Make sure you have been through this procedure before taking further action.

Make sure you have sought advice from internal sources within your institution (your tutor, student welfare office and your student union). Some institutions have a 'Visitor', who is an independent person who can hear appeals if internal procedures have been exhausted. Your local students' union is normally able to assist with complaints or appeals and will have access to legal support through the National Union of Students. To obtain the contact details of your students' union, the NUS can be contacted by e-mail at nusuk@nus.org.uk.

Further information about complaints

Office of the Independent Adjudicator

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) opened on 29 March 2004. It provides an independent scheme for the review of student complaints. Further information on who can bring a complaint, what complaints can be brought and higher education institutions participating in the scheme, can be found on the OIA web-site. The OIA can be contacted at: Fifth floor, Thames Tower, Station Road, READING, RG1 1LX, tel 0118 955 9813, fax 0118 955 9099.

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Statistics

I need some statistical information on higher education. Can you help me?

We do keep some statistical information in our Knowledge Centre and may be able to help you. However, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has some of its data on students, qualifications and staff in higher education on its web-site.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service also provide online statistical services - under Facts and Figures - Statistical Enquiry Service.

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