Office for Students consumer and student protection consultation

The Office for Students (OfS) has proposed a new approach to consumer and student protection in English higher education.

The consultation set out the background to its proposals, the reasons they proposed to make changes and what OfS expected those changes to achieve.

MillionPlus supports the aim of ensuring students are treated fairly, however the new Condition C6 requires greater clarity, stronger justification and a more proportionate approach to implementation

The proposed duty to “treat students fairly” is too broad and open to interpretation, creating uncertainty for providers about compliance and student expectations. It also raises concerns about extending the proposals to prospective and former students, as well as the complexities created by partnerships, apprenticeships and transnational education arrangements.

MillionPlus supports improving transparency for students but the proposed publication requirements will be a significant undertaking, particularly for providers with diverse courses and partnership models. Information requirements should remain focused on what students genuinely need and be flexible enough to reflect institutional differences.

There are also questions as to whether removing Student Protection Plans will simplify the regulatory framework in practice and concerns about some ancillary service proposals. Crucially, there must be substantially longer implementation timescales to allow providers to understand, prepare for and fully comply with the new requirements.