Reflecting these commonalities and shared missions, a number of sector-led bodies operate on behalf of higher education institutions across the UK. These bodies include:

• Universities UK (UUK), whose members are the executive heads of UK institutions
• GuildHE, which, along with UUK, is a recognised representative body for higher education in the UK
• the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), which coordinates student applications services across the UK
• the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which collects data from higher education providers to support UK governments and higher education funding bodies in their regulatory and funding work
• Advance HE, a sector agency promoting equality and diversity, learning and teaching, and leadership and governance in higher education – since March 2018, it has included the Higher Education Academy (HEA), which offers professional development opportunities and accreditation for courses that support staff who teach and / or support learning
• the Committee of University Chairs (CUC), which represents the chairs of UK university governing bodies, and develops and promotes governance standards for higher education in the UK.

Within the context of institutional autonomy, some common approaches and frameworks are used. There is no system for the accreditation of institutions, but the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) makes judgements on UK institutions' capability to manage their own quality and standards, and the UK Quality code for Higher Education provides the definitive reference point for institutions. See the article on ‘Quality Assurance in Higher Education’ for further information on the Quality Code.

Assessment of research operates on a UK-wide basis through the Research Excellence Framework (REF), although there are differences in the way the funding bodies use the results to allocate funding for research infrastructure. See the article on ‘Higher Education Funding’.

Grants for specific research projects and programmes are administered on a UK-wide basis by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a body established in 2018 following the passing of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017.

In addition to the commonalities, there are also some differences in higher education provision in the UK. The most notable of these are differences in tuition fees and student support, the funding of institutions and governance arrangements. These divergences have developed, in particular, since the late 1990s when the devolved administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland took on responsibility for education. Teaching in higher education institutions in Wales is now supported to a much greater extent by student tuition fees than by direct grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), which is concentrated on certain subjects and levels of study. Note that the Welsh Government has been exploring the establishment of a Tertiary Education and Research Commission for Wales, which would take on the functions of the HEFCW. See the subheading ‘Proposed Tertiary Education and Research Commission’ below for further information.

Policy objectives for higher education 

Within the UK, higher education is a devolved policy area, which means that the Welsh Government takes most decisions about higher education in Wales. The Fifth Assembly Government, elected in 2016, and the Fourth Assembly Government, 2011-16, have undertaken several major higher education reviews and made consequent reforms, as indicated below.

For an overview of recent shifts and trends in higher education, see the Universities UK publication Patterns and Trends in UK Higher Education 2018, the latest in a series that provides a summary of annual statistical data about the UK higher education sector in the context of the trends of the previous decade.

Policy statement on higher education 

The Policy statement on Higher Education, published by the Welsh Government in 2013, contains policy priorities for higher education until 2020 and envisages higher education providers:

• interacting with businesses to stimulate innovation and economic growth
• working to enhance the employability of all graduates, whatever their age, background or course of study
• working in partnership with the Welsh Government to develop international links
• widening access to higher education
• collaborating with further education providers to ensure that opportunities to progress are available to learners
• making best use of opportunities to exploit new technologies
• striving to provide the highest quality learning experience to all those with the potential to benefit
• developing the sector's reputation for excellence in research
• continuing to support the development of Welsh-medium higher education
• developing more flexible models of provision to build a more successful and sustainable future.

The Policy Statement on Skills, published in 2014, outlines challenges and responses to support the employability of individuals, tackling poverty and strengthening the creation of jobs and growth. It primarily addresses the post-19 element of further education (FE), higher education (HE), work-based learning and adult community learning. The statement reiterates some of the issues addressed in the Policy Statement on Higher Education, highlighting the following:

• the continued strengthening of joint delivery arrangements in the FE and HE sectors
• the strengthening of Welsh-medium HE
• the 2013 review of higher education funding and student finance arrangements, which focused on the promotion of social mobility and widening access to HE, the funding of HE, full- and part-time tuition fees policy, and the role of the HEFCW (see ‘Diamond review of higher education funding in Wales’ below).

Annual remit letter to HEFCW 

The Welsh Government sets out its specific priorities for the higher education sector for each academic year in an annual remit letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), a regulatory and funding body that works to develop and sustain quality higher education in Wales. HEFCW is a Welsh Government sponsored body that was established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. 

HEFCW’s priorities for 2019/20, set out in the letter published in March 2019, include support for:

• providing additional payments in relation to expensive subjects, both full-time and part-time
• developing a methodology within the funding formula for higher education institutions (HEIs) which recognises the increased numbers of applications for undergraduate part-time and postgraduate courses in Wales
• providing additional grant support for Welsh domiciled students aged 60 and over who want to study postgraduate Master’s courses
• increasing openness and transparency around the use of student fee income by HEIs and monitoring fee levels in postgraduate and part-time provision to protect students from disproportionate and unwarranted fee increases
• considering whether greater clarity can be offered by HEIs to prospective students about the courses they offer, the outcomes and destinations of their students, and which of their courses lead to professional qualifications
• focusing on providing an excellent learning experience, ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary skills, and ensuring that students receive value for money from their studies.

Diamond review of higher education funding in Wales 

Commencing in spring 2014, Professor Sir Ian Diamond and an expert review panel conducted a wide-ranging review of higher education (HE) sector funding and student finance arrangements, with the remit of providing costed recommendations to the Welsh Government that would support the long-term financial sustainability of the HE sector. The final report, Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance Arrangements in Wales, was published in September 2016. It recommended the introduction of:

• an annual, non-means-tested universal maintenance grant of £1000 (€1129.81*)
• an additional means-tested grant for full- and part-time undergraduate students
• replacement of the tuition fee grant for full-time undergraduate students with a student loan, meaning that Welsh students would be liable for repayable tuition fees of up to £9000 (€10,168.34*).

The Welsh Government endorsed the principles contained in the report and, in particular, accepted the three main changes highlighted above. Following a consultation on the development and implementation of the changes, which ran from November 2016 to February 2017, these changes to student support and fees were introduced from the 2018/19 academic year.

 * Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.88, ECB 16 September 2019.

Hazelkorn review of post-compulsory education 

In 2015, the Welsh Government commissioned Professor Ellen Hazelkorn to review the oversight of post-compulsory education in Wales, with particular reference to the future role and function of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). The review concidered how to better align governance and funding arrangements to ensure a learner-focused system that enhances educational and career opportunities. The resulting report, Towards 2030: a Framework for Building a World-Class Post-Compulsory Education System for Wales, was published in March 2016. It emphasised the need for post-compulsory education and training to operate as a single sector, and recommended ways to regulate and monitor the sector to ensure sustainability, coherence and effectiveness, including the establishment of a single, regulatory oversight and coordinating authority for post-compulsory education.

Proposed Tertiary Education and Research Commission 

Part of the Welsh Government’s response to the Hazelkorn review was the launch of a consultation in June 2017 on proposals to create a new Tertiary Education and Research Commission for Wales, which would operate at arm’s length from the Welsh Government. The White Paper, Public Good and a Prosperous Wales: Building a Reformed PCET System, proposed that the Commission would be given responsibility for planning; funding; contracting; ensuring quality; financial monitoring; audit; performance; risk; and leading on research funding. The functions of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) would be transferred to the new authority.

A second consultation ran from April to July 2018, developing some of the ideas in the White Paper and explaining in more detail how the new Commission might operate. The Welsh Government has indicated that the responses to the consultation will be taken into account as the policy develops during the legislative process.

Reid review of government-funded research and innovation in Wales 

A further recommendation of the Hazelkorn report was for a review of research and innovation strategy and policy. In January 2017, the Welsh Government commissioned Professor Graeme Reid to undertake a review of the strengths, gaps and future potential to sustain and develop strong research and innovation activity in Wales. The resulting Review of Government Funded Research and Innovation in Wales was published in early 2018 and recommended that the Welsh Government:

• increase the visibility and influence of Welsh research by creating a new Welsh Research and Innovation London Office (WRILO)
• strengthen the Welsh research base and enable Welsh researchers to attract a greater share of UK-wide funding, by implementing the Diamond Review’s recommendation for maintaining the value in real terms of quality related (‘QR’) funding (which supports original and applied research), and by creating an additional ‘Future of Wales Fund’ to incentivise Welsh researchers to win funding from outside Wales
• increase the visibility, coherence and impact of research and innovation in Wales, by creating a single overarching brand for Wales’ innovation activities.

In a written statement, the Welsh Government accepted all the recommendations in principle, and announced that it would immediately take forward the recommendation of a dedicated London presence to promote Welsh research and innovation.

Draft higher education strategy to 2027 

In April 2016, the Welsh Government requested the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) to work in partnership with providers to develop a strategy for higher education in Wales for the next decade, which would update the Policy Statement on Higher Education made in 2013 (see above). In December 2016, HEFCW submitted its Draft Higher Education Strategy to 2027 to the Government, which included a range of strategic objectives relating to the Welsh research base and the global standing of Welsh higher education.

The Welsh Government subsequently decided that, given the proposals from the Hazelkorn review (see above) for a new post-compulsory education oversight body, and the review of government-funded research and innovation in Wales, it would be more appropriate to develop a tertiary education, training and research strategy. The draft higher education strategy developed by HEFCW will inform future policy development in this area.

Legislative framework 

Higher education is a devolved policy area, meaning that since devolution in 1999, the Welsh Government has taken most decisions in this area. However, many functions had already transferred to Wales in the decades prior to devolution. For an analysis of the impact of devolution on higher education in Wales, see the Universities UK (UUK) 2008 research report, Devolution and Higher Education.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Wales are autonomous self-governing bodies. Although  degree-awarding powers and access to a ‘university title’ are controlled by the UK Government on a UK-wide basis (see the article on ‘Types of Higher Education Institutions’), the structure of programmes is not regulated by law. Subject to the status of their degree-awarding powers, HEIs are free to design and offer such programmes and awards as they wish. However, all institutions structure their programmes along broadly similar lines (a three-cycle framework, incorporating undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral study), which conforms to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) qualifications framework.

The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) was set up under Section 62 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 as an arms-length body responsible for the distribution of public funds for teaching and research infrastructure in Wales.

Student finance (levels of tuition fees and student support) were devolved under the Higher Education Act 2004. The Act brought about substanial changes to what institutions could charge full-time undergraduate students from 2006, and further changes to the regulations prescribing the maximum annual amount for tuition fees have applied since 2012. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Wales have, like those in England, been able to charge students up to £9000 (€10,168.34*) a year for tuition, since autumn 2012. This is subject to them committing to measures to widen access for students from backgrounds under-represented in higher education and having their proposed approach agreed by HEFCW. Fees for postgraduate students are not regulated. Public funding for research, other than research infrastructure, is not devolved to Wales; it is allocated by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on a UK-wide basis. See the article on ‘Higher Education Funding’ for further information.

The legislative framework changed in 2015 with the passing of the Higher Education (Wales) Act 2015. The Act revises HEFCW's regulatory functions and makes provision for a new higher education regulatory system for Wales. It aims to:

• ensure robust and proportionate regulation of institutions in Wales whose courses are supported by Welsh Government-backed higher education grants and loans
• safeguard the contribution made to the public good arising from the Welsh Government’s significant financial subsidy of higher education
• maintain a strong focus on fair access to higher education
• preserve and protect the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of Wales’ universities.

* Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.88, ECB 16 September 2019.

Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) 

Although not required by law to do so, all institutions design their qualifications in accordance with the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (FHEQ). This is developed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and forms part of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. The FHEQ is intended to promote consistency across the sector, by facilitating a shared and common understanding of the expectations associated with typical qualifications, and ensuring that qualifications with the same titles are of an equivalent academic standard.  

The fundamental premise of the FHEQ is that qualifications should be awarded based on achievement of outcomes and attainment rather than years of study.

The five levels of the FHEQ are numbered 4–8 (Levels 1–3 cover levels of education that precede higher education).

Qualification descriptors illustrate the distinct level of intellectual achievement for each level of the framework. They indicate the threshold academic standard for those qualification types, in terms of the levels of knowledge and understanding and the types of abilities that holders of the relevant qualification are expected to have (FHEQ, pages 19-32).

Subject benchmark statements make explicit the nature and characteristics of awards in a specific subject area, and set out the attributes and capabilities of graduates in that subject. They exemplify what the generic outcomes set out in the qualification descriptors in the FHEQ might look like in practice.

The main types of qualifications are illustrated in the following table.

Adapted from QAA (2014). Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (FHEQ), page 17)

The FHEQ has been self-certified as compatible with the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area (FQ-EHEA).

Note: The FHEQ is not a credit framework. For a description of the use of credit in Welsh higher education, see the subsection 'Branches of study' in the article ‘Bachelor'.

Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW) 

The Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW) is an overarching structure designed to provide greater clarity on the qualifications system. The CQFW articulates with the FHEQ, which forms its higher education ‘pillar’, and all HEIs with their own degree awarding powers (DAPs) make use of it. For further information, see the subheading ‘Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW)’ in the article on the 'National Qualifications Framework’ in Wales.

Structure of the academic year 

The structure of the academic year is not regulated by law. However, for funding and reporting purposes, the academic year runs from 1 August to 31 July.

The teaching year typically starts in mid to late September / early October and ends in mid to late June. The year is traditionally divided by breaks into three teaching terms, although some institutions organise teaching along a two-semester system. A small number of institutions offer accelerated degrees, which require student attendance for longer periods during the year.

For postgraduate (second and third cycle) students, the organisation of time varies. Where a taught  master’s programme has a duration of one year, this normally means a full calendar year, e.g. October to October.

Teaching typically takes place between 9.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m., from Monday to Friday, but may take place at other times. Part-time courses may run during the day or in the evening.

Article last reviewed September 2019.