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Written question asked by Mark Pritchard (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Universities: Standards

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that universities provide students with sufficient teaching time to deliver value for money for the cost of tuition.

Answer

Higher education (HE) providers in England have the autonomy to design and deliver their courses. Providers should be transparent about the amount of contact hours, and balance of face-to-face and online teaching, that students can expect so they can make informed choices about what and where to study.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of HE in England. It does not mandate specific levels of face‑to‑face teaching, but its conditions of registration set minimum quality standards for student experience. These require effective student engagement, up‑to‑date resources, and adequate support. The OfS can investigate providers that do not meet these standards.

The department expects the HE sector to demonstrate that it delivers the very best outcomes for both students and the country, in return for the investment students are asked to make. To support this, we intend to link future inflationary fee uplifts to judgements on HE providers’ quality.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
81
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Costs Standards Universities
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk