Office for Students

The Office for Students (OfS) is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education of the United Kingdom Government. It acts as the regulator and competition authority for the higher education sector in England.

History
The regulator was established by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, coming into existence on 1 January 2018. It merged the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access, and formally inherited their responsibilities, while 'working in the interests of students and prospective students' and having 'a wider remit ... taking charge of the granting of degree awarding powers and university title.' The OfS inherited HEFCE's funding responsibilities (aside from those for research which passed to United Kingdom Research and Innovation), and OFFA's responsibility for promoting fair access to higher education.

Responsibilities
The OfS website lists its main areas of work as: It notes that it is not responsible for tuition fees, students loans or other aspects of individual student funding, and that it cannot usually get involved in individual complaints about universities and colleges.
 * 1) Helping students to get into and succeed in higher education.
 * 2) Helping students stay informed.
 * 3) Making sure that students get a high-quality education that prepares them for the future.
 * 4) Protecting students’ interests.

The OfS's other functions include the administration of the Teaching Excellence Framework and the Register of higher education providers. It is responsible both for administering the prevent duty and for ensuring that universities allow freedom of speech for controversial guest speakers.

Accountable officer
Registered higher education providers must nominate an accountable officer to the OfS. This is normally the chief executive of the provider, but may be the senior officer responsible for higher education in a provider that also carries out other activities not related to higher education. The accountable officer reports on the provider's behalf to the OfS, the designated data body and the designated quality body. They are personally responsible for funding received from the OfS and Research England and for the loans received from the Student Loans Company on behalf of the provider's students for payment of tuition fees. They can be required to appear before the Public Accounts Committee alongside the head of the OfS to answer questions about the registration and funding of the provider.

Leadership
The OfS is governed by a board consisting of the chair, the Chief Executive, the Director for Fair Access and Participation, and at least seven and not more than twelve other members. All members of the board are appointed by the Secretary of State for Education. The OfS chair from 2021 to 2024 was Conservative peer James Wharton, who resigned following the 2024 General Election, and the chief executive is Susan Lapworth.

The board is advised by a Student Panel, which exists to help the OfS to understand students' views and perspectives.

Controversies
The appointment of Toby Young to the board, announced on 1 January 2018, generated controversy over his suitability for the post. As at 8 January 2018, over 200,000 people had signed an online petition protesting his appointment. In response to questioning the Prime Minister declared herself comfortable with his appointment, while the Universities minister defended him in the House of Commons. After criticism from leading Tory MPs, Young resigned on that day, claiming he had been turned into a caricature.

In February 2021, James Wharton, Baron Wharton of Yarm, a Conservative peer, was made the chair and his appointment was endorsed by the Education Select Committee. Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green questioned his experience and suitability for the role, calling his appointment "cronyism". Although it is customary for chairs of independent bodies to resign political affiliations during their period of office, Wharton chose not to resign from the Conservative whip.

2023 House of Lords Committee Inquiry
In March 2023, the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee opened an inquiry into the work of the OfS. The purpose of the inquiry is to scrutinise its performance, its independence from and relationship with the Government, and whether it has the necessary expertise and resources to carry out its functions. The inquiry is also examining the OfS’ work in relation to the financial sustainability of the higher education sector, and how the associated risks are managed.

When giving oral evidence to the inquiry, former Student Panel members told the Committee that they felt they were threatened with a reassessment of the future of the panel if they were to continue to express views on inclusive curricula that did not conform to those of OfS staff. They also reported a lack of impact on OfS policy, unpublished minutes of meetings, and that the student voice as expressed by panel members was "actively suppressed" when trying to counter aims and policies that appeared to be political in nature. In their role as a member of the OfS board, the former chair of the student panel reported that they experienced "small amounts of hostility" when expressing student views.