History of HEFCE

The Act unified the higher education sector by ending the division between universities and polytechnics. Four funding bodies were set up - for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. From 1 April 1993, these bodies have funded all higher education institutions in the UK.

Before 1992, in England:

• universities were funded by the Universities Funding Council (UFC)
• polytechnics and colleges were funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC)
• three institutions were funded directly by the Department of Education and Employment.

Another significant development under the 1992 Act was to require HEFCE to assess the quality of education in the institutions it funds. This was initially carried out by the Quality Assurance Division of HEFCE. In April 1997, this responsibility passed to a new body, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. More information on quality assurance

In June 2011 the Government published a higher education White Paper that signalled major changes to HEFCE’s role and responsibilities from academic year 2012-13. For details see our information on higher education funding reform.

Page last updated 2 December 2011