Getting HE Partnership Provision Right

By Dr Kate Wicklow, Director of Policy and Strategy, GuildHE

The UK higher education sector is built on academic collaboration and cooperation, which has led to the development of academic partnerships regardless of the political or regulatory systems that operate in HE. Typically, they include validated partnerships (where an education provider delivers their own qualification approved by a HE partner) and franchised courses (where an education provider delivers a course designed by the HE partner). Joint degrees and transnational educational partnerships (TNE) also exist. Due to their long history, academic partnerships can be complex. These types of partnerships provide mechanisms through which institutions reach new students, offer unique and specialised learning experiences, and contribute to national skills and regional growth objectives. They underpin diversity in approaches and offers and are, therefore, key to widening access.

Managing Risks

Recent statistics indicate a growth in partnerships, especially franchise provision. Significant concerns have been raised by the ONS and the Public Accounts Committee about potential fraud in the system, which the government recently responded to. Actions include DfE asking the OfS to publish more transparent data about partnerships. DfE are also consulting on the potential for the OfS to directly regulate larger franchise providers. The OfS recently shared risks associated with subcontracting and ways to mitigate these, while its latest strategy document describes the ramping up of regulations around TNE.

Universities, as autonomous academic institutions, must take responsibility for minimising risks associated with fraud and organised crime, alongside acknowledging the role of other parties in addressing these issues. To support this, QAA provides a dedicated section in the UK Quality Code on managing partnership quality. Additionally, QAA is collaborating with GuildHE, UUK, IHE, and the OIA on a new initiative to enhance sector leadership on the topic. Key lessons learned from our introductory roundtables are the importance of trust and that a clear understanding of each partner's roles and responsibilities are essential for successful partnerships. This shared understanding helps to bridge cultural gaps that may arise due to differences in institutional types or national contexts. Operational issues, such as data handling, partner support, and academic calendars, need to be addressed early in the partnership, as delivery partners often offer ‘non-standard programmes’ that may not align with the awarding partner's or regulatory annual cycle.

The Opportunities

Partnership provision plays an important role in widening participation and equality of opportunity. It also unlocks innovative and highly technical learning experiences for students. This is exemplified in examples from our members such as Bath Spa University who were the Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion 2024. Their partnership with New City College in the heart of Hackney, London, has created a brand new University Centre that offers a blend of degree courses alongside degree apprenticeships, short courses and professional development programmes. This broad, non-traditional offering aims to open access to higher education – and life changing opportunities – to learners from a wide range of backgrounds.

Professor Georgina Andrews, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University:

"We are very proud at BSU to be recognised for our efforts to drive inclusivity in higher education. This site is the culmination of these efforts over the past couple of years, resulting in a truly collaborative - and community-minded - university hub, offering access to high quality education to learners from all walks of life. This innovative new centre provides a blueprint for a more flexible and dynamic higher education offering that embraces and nurtures the different lived experiences of students.”

Bath Spa also provides extensive support and resources for their academic partners.

Another member of GuildHE, Buckinghamshire New University, has written for HEPI about the importance of partnership and getting academic oversight right. Inclusion and diversity are core values of the institution's mission to open the doors of higher education to all, especially those who may feel excluded. Partnership provision supports this objective and at BNU 78% of partner students have first in family status, compared to 51% of their on-campus cohort. 95% of partner students are also mature learners, compared to 62% of their taught students.

A Journey Towards Independence

Partnership plays a role in nurturing new higher education institutions towards independence, as demonstrated by UA92 and their collaborative partnership with Lancaster University which co-founded the centre. UA92’s mission is to provide both an industry-informed curriculum and personal development opportunities to its students, many of whom come from socioeconomically deprived areas. Similarly, The Northern School of Art was supported by their validator Arts University Bournemouth, to obtain its own degree-awarding powers. Having a supportive awarding institution prepares partners to take ownership of their responsibilities and become successful in their own right. At GuildHE, we support many HEIs with the OfS registering process and to obtain their own degree awarding powers (DAPs).

The Next Steps

The policy landscape continues to change rapidly, with further changes expected over the next year. The forthcoming policy on Lifelong Learning may bring with it new opportunities to collaborate with other institutions to develop joint programmes and utilise specialist resources. It is more important than ever for institutions to reflect on their quality assurance practices and ensure they are upholding standards as set by the sector to protect students and maintain the integrity of the system. This includes mitigating risks posed by students who may attempt to exploit the system for personal gain.

The DfE consultation on regulating franchise provision will close on 4 April 2025 and inform a new regulatory approach from April 2026. The joint work between GuildHE, UUK, IHE, QAA and the OIA on academic partnerships will be released in the summer of 2025.