The Office for Students has opened consultation on how a revised Teaching Excellence Framework would operate in practice, setting out proposals for assessing teaching quality at every registered university and college in England and linking the results to incentives, restrictions and student recruitment limits where standards fall short.
Key facts
- The consultation is about the second stage of the OfS’s future quality system.
- The revised TEF would rate institutions Gold, Silver, Bronze or Requires improvement for student experience, student outcomes, or both where sufficient data allows.
- Providers rated Requires improvement could face student recruitment limits, while institutions that do not take part would be judged against minimum requirements.
- The consultation is open until 28 January 2027.
- The OfS will not accept new degree awarding powers applications while it consults on the first stage of those reforms.
What this means for students and universities
For students, the revised framework is meant to make the quality of teaching and learning easier to see at individual institutions. The OfS says the system should give students a clearer view of quality, place more weight on students’ views and help protect them from poor provision.
For universities and colleges, the consultation matters because the ratings would affect what the OfS can do next. Institutions with stronger results could be recognised and incentivised, while lower-rated providers could face interventions, including recruitment limits if they are rated Requires improvement. Providers could also choose not to receive a TEF rating, but they would then be assessed against minimum requirements, with unsatisfactory provision also subject to recruitment limits.
The OfS says most universities and colleges are expected to apply for a rating because of the incentives attached to the system. It is also asking for views on what evidence should be used in assessments, how assessors and panels should judge ratings, and how outcomes should be communicated to students.
What is the OfS proposing?
The regulator’s proposals would use a revised TEF to assess quality at individual institutions. Ratings would be based on student experience, student outcomes, or both where sufficient data allows. The OfS says the aim is to create strong incentives for improvement, recognise excellent provision and protect students from poor quality.
The consultation also covers how the OfS would apply incentives for high and outstanding quality and interventions for lower ratings. Alongside this, the regulator is seeking views on the evidence base for the assessments, the role of assessors and panels, and how institutional and student submissions would be taken into account.
How would lower ratings affect providers?
Institutions rated Requires improvement could face student recruitment limits, according to the OfS proposals. If a provider chooses not to participate in the TEF, it would still be assessed against minimum requirements. In that case, quality would be found satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and unsatisfactory providers would also face recruitment limits.
The OfS says this approach is designed to ensure every registered institution has an incentive to improve. It also wants the framework to reflect students’ views more clearly in quality assessments.
What else is changing in the wider quality review?
As part of the wider review, the OfS has also proposed reforms to the process for institutions seeking to gain or retain degree awarding powers. It plans a two-stage consultation, with the first stage tightening the application process so only providers that meet eligibility and suitability requirements can apply.
While that first stage is under consultation, the OfS will not accept new applications for degree awarding powers and will not award indefinite degree awarding powers during the two-stage reform process. It says new applications and assessments for indefinite degree awarding powers will be considered against any agreed changes to its requirements.
Questions and answers
Who can respond to the consultation?
The consultation is open to students, staff, academics and higher education leaders, as well as schools, further education colleges and anyone with an interest in higher education.
When will supporting guidance be published?
The OfS says it will publish supporting guidance for the consultation proposals and updated data dashboards on Thursday 5 November.
