Policy cheatsheet

Conference of Colleges is the equivalent of University Council, for the collegiate system.

Yet, Conference of Colleges has less governing power due to the independent nature of the colleges. 

Whilst University Council can set out a policy that needs to be adopted by the whole university, Conference of Colleges can issue guidance to colleges, but not enforce rules.

As with the University, there are many subcommittees and forums that feed into Conference of Colleges.

Often described as The sovereign body of the university.

There are nearly 5,500 members of Congregation which is made up of all Oxford academic staff, and more senior academic-related staff.

Congregation votes on key changes for the University.

The operational department of the university responsible for overseeing higher education policy.

EPS both respond to national higher education policy, and create & implement university policies themselves.

They are also responsible for quality assurance, which means the standard of education and awards given within the collegiate university.

A group of university services that offer support and information to students & their learning experience.

They oversee student recruitment, student services, student administration, and educational policy. EPS sit within AAD.

national student collective who campaign on behalf of issues for students on a national scale.

Much like a students’ union they are led by elected student officers who run on manifestos and campaign on issues.

Students are not members of NUS, but their students’ unions are.

Some students’ unions have passed policies to disaffiliate from NUS, however the majority remain members.

A national collective of universities

UUK often run taskforces and produce guidance for universities on key issues within the higher education sector.

They also will issue statements and stances on issues that arise.

The Russell Group is a collection of twenty-four universities, that are often considered the most prestigious in the UK.

It is estimated that the majority of research funding in the UK goes to members of the Russell Group.

Post-92's are universities that were formerly polytechnic colleges.

These were given university status in the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Often post-92's are discussed in opposition to Russell Group universities. 

Each institution's plan for improving access to higher education.

Every higher education institution registered with the Office for Students must create an Access & Participation Plan which lays out the principles for improving equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed and progress in higher education.

an annual survey open to all final year undergraduate students.

The NSS attempts to measure how final-year undergraduates feel about the education and student experience they have received.

Many students’ unions have partaken in a boycott of the NSS previously, including Oxford SU, due to its links to TEF and the marketisation of education.

a government exercise to assess the quality of teaching in Higher Education Institutions.

Providers receive either a gold, silver or bronze award on the basis of their teaching.

The TEF has been considered controversial in the past for the way it was previously used to inform raising tuition fees, its contribution to the marketisation of Higher Education and its link to the NSS as a data gathering metric.

The TEF is currently undergoing a review through the OfS.

Like The TEF, but for research quality and outcomes.

It is much less controversial than TEF, as its focus is less on students, and more on universities research output.

Occasionally PGR students can contribute to REF.

a 2019 report setting out a proposal for the future of higher education in england.

Officially titled ‘Independent panel report to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding’, but colloquially named after the Chair of the panel, Dr Philip Augar.

This review laid out a series of recommendations, including the reintroduction of maintenance grants, more funding and vision for Further Education Colleges and most notably, the reduction of undergraduate fees to £7,500.

This report was published in May 2019, and there has yet to be a considerable response from the government to its proposals.

Experts in higher education data and insights.

HESA was an agency that collected, verified and disseminated data about the UK's higher education sector. 

Their official statistics were published as open data, covering areas such as widening participation and graduate destinations.

HESA became part of JISC in 2022.

Maintaining quality in higher education across the UK.

The QAA ensures that universities are upholding the higher education standards that students expect.

They are an independent body who monitor academic quality and standards, and developed the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

The independent body that reviews student complaints in england & wales.

If a student is unsatisfied with the outcome of a complaint they made to their institution, they can appeal this outcome through the OIA.

If a provider is found to have done something wrong, the OIA will make recommendations to the provider to put this right.

The OIA also publishes anonymised data on the cases they deal with, which is helpful for students to see what complaints are being upheld.

An independent think tank devoted to higher education in the UK.

HEPI contributes towards HE policy debate in the UK, and contribute research and discussion on key issues in HE.

Wonkhe is a blog that dissects and explores issues within the Higher education sector.

WonkHE is run by contributors from across the sector who offer insights and opinions on key issues within HE.