Every university course to get Ofsted-style rating
STUDENTS may soon be able to compare university degree courses using Ofsted- style ratings on an official website.
Colleges would be given government ratings for every course – allowing prospective undergraduates to see which institution is best.
Much like commercial price comparison websites, young people will be able to type in their course and then rank the results from best to worst.
Ministers say the subject ratings, which will take into account teaching, student feedback and dropout rates, will leave failing institutions with ‘nowhere to hide’.
The ratings are aimed at helping students get better value from courses as they now pay £9,250 a year in tuition fees. Although unofficial league tables compiled by newspapers already exist, this will be the first time university courses are ranked officially and publicly by government regulators.
Sam Gyimah, universities minister, said: ‘Prospective students deserve to know which courses deliver great teaching and great outcomes – and which ones are lagging behind.
‘Universities will no longer be able to hide if their teaching qual- ity is not up to the world- class standard that we expect.’
Following reform last year, each university is ranked gold, silver or bronze based on the quality of its teaching.
Known as the Teaching Excellence Framework, it gave bronze to some of our most prestigious universities, including the London School of Economics. The proposals to rank universities on individual subjects as well would pile more pressure on institutions to deliver in every area.
A government source said: ‘Young people are able to compare deals on insurance and holidays, but so far it has been difficult for them to do the same with one of the biggest investments of their lives – their university degree.’ It is hoped the first subject-level information will be available online in the 2019-20 academic year.
Today a pilot of the scheme is launching involving 50 universities. Courses will be assessed on teaching, learning environment, student feedback, dropout rates and access to high-skilled employment. Mr Gyimah hopes the move will ‘shine a light’ on course quality, revealing which universities are ‘coasting or relying on their research reputation’.
The proposals come after concerns that students are being ripped off by poor quality courses. Some degrees allow contact time with tutors of only several hours a week, leaving students questioning what they are paying for.