New voice for private 'challenger' universities

The United Kingdom’s growing for-profit higher education sector – set to expand as the government encourages so-called 'challenger' institutions to compete with established state universities – has a new voice.

Study UK, which has represented independent higher and further education providers, was relaunched last week as Independent Higher Education and will scale back its support for non-higher education members.

It will stand alongside the two other bodies representing higher education – Universities UK which speaks for almost all state universities and GuildHE, with members drawn from the university and specialist higher education sectors.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has encouraged private providers to find a collective voice for some time, against the background of increased recognition of the private sector foreshadowed in the higher education White Paper published last May, which promised easier access to degree-awarding powers.

According to the authoritative website Wonkhe, the idea is to make sure that private providers have “a formal seat at the table in sector governance through board places and 'ownership' of sector agencies”.

In a letter addressed to members, Independent Higher Education’s Chief Executive Alex Proudfoot said the group’s work is now “predominantly on two fronts: domestic higher education policy and the great new opportunities for independent providers within the higher education sector; and international education policy and the rules surrounding international students”.

Private sector data

The Higher Education Statistics Agency has released the first compulsorily collected data on 63 of the largest higher education providers outside of publicly funded universities and colleges.

It said there were 50,245 undergraduate higher education enrolments on designated courses at alternative providers in the 2014-15 record. About 40% of all students were undertaking courses below degree level.

Private universities such as BPP, Regent's University London and the University of Law are included, their students representing 16% of the entire sample. The Greenwich School of Management is the largest institution with 14% of the entire student population included.

Observers point out that the 63 are only a sample of an approximately 700 alternative providers currently operating across the sector in the UK.