Office for Students' Condition B3, how it Concerns your Choice of University in the UK

In the UK higher education system, the Office for Students (OfS) is one of the regulators ensuring that students receive the best and most consistent training across all universities in England. Higher education providers register and are evaluated against specific conditions to facilitate such outcomes. As students decide on universities to join in September, this article will help them choose their future institutions carefully. The revised requirements are:

• B1 – high-quality academic experience for all students;
• B2 – resource and support for all students needed to succeed on their course and after graduation;
• B3 – student outcomes;
• B4 – clamps down on grade inflation;
• B5 – consistency of qualification standard with sector-recognised standard.

OfS has also agreed to new conditions (B7 and B8) related to quality and standards besides the B1 – B5 conditions. It should be helpful to explain these conditions as they can be useful for students, universities, teachers, guardians and other concerned individuals or groups.

While B1, B2 and B5 may not be self-explanatory, this article will discuss Condition B3 and then B4 in the future. Condition B3 regulatory framework states, 'The provider must deliver successful outcomes for all of its students, which are recognised and valued by employers, and/or enable further study.' OfS assesses the B3 condition in two stages: a) absolute outcomes delivered by universities and b) context in which the outcomes were achieved. This discussion will concentrate on the first indicator – absolute outcomes.

According to OfS, the new B3 is designed to tackle poor student outcomes. In other words, the OfS is concerned about continuity, progression, and successful completion of studies by students admitted and registered into higher education in the UK. These concerns emerge when Higher Education Providers risk breaching the benchmarks of the OfS. For example, by looking at the "Continuation" column in the data published annually by the Guardian Complete University Guide on the UK University Rankings (https://bit.ly/3osB45Y), you can understand how OfS measures high or low students outcome. OfS evaluates those outcomes data as of:

• no concern;
• concern or;
• significant concern.

The 'Continuation' data is measured at 100%. For example, looking at full-time undergraduate studies with postgraduate elements, if a university scores below 75%, the students' outcome for that University becomes a 'Significant Concern' to the OfS. In other words, some students failed, dropped out, were frustrated or dissatisfied and thus could not continue. In addition, a university that scores 75% - 85% is of concern to the OfS. There are no concerns for universities that score more than 85%. Other modes and levels of studies have their respective metrics.

At the University of Bolton, we are very serious-minded people and keep our students at the heart of what we do. Looking at the Guardian League Table for 2022, the University of Bolton scores 88% showing that our students achieve a high-quality outcome and that our student's outcomes are of 'no concern' to OfS. The indicator under which this baseline was assessed is a continuation indicator.

The other two indicators are a) differential degree outcomes – the difference in degree outcomes between the best and worst performing groups of students in a university, and b) professional employment or postgraduate study (that is, the ability of a student to secure a professional job or progress to a higher degree after 15 months).

So, if the difference in degree outcome is less than 30%, OfS is not concerned, but between 30% - 40% is a concern, while above 40% is a significant concern.

On the other hand, the OfS is 'not concerned' if more than 75% of a university's full-time undergraduate students (with postgraduate elements) are into professional jobs or postgraduate education 15 months after graduation. If 65% - 75% is affected, it is a concern, while it becomes a significant concern if less than 65% were engaged 15 months after graduation. From the Guardian League Table for 2022, over 75% of students graduating from about 63% of the UK universities either secured professional jobs or progressed to postgraduate studies in 15 months. Thus, OfS is not concerned about them. In other words, about 37% of UK universities are either in the concern or significant concern category. Note that this data may vary every year. Unlike other league tables, Guardian rankings focus more on teaching quality and job prospects, not research.