The Higher Education (Higher Amount) (England) Regulations 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Section 24 of the Higher Education Act 2004 (c.8) enables the Secretary of State to impose a condition on grants to the Higher Education Funding Council for England requiring it to impose a condition on financial support given to the governing body of a relevant institution. This condition would require the governing body to secure that the fees payable for a qualifying course by a qualifying student do not exceed either the prescribed basic amount, or, where an institution has an approved plan in force, the amount specified in that plan which is not to exceed the prescribed higher amount.

These Regulations prescribe that the higher amounts in respect of a relevant course for an academic year of that course which starts on or after 1st August 2017 are those listed in regulations 6, 7 and 8. Regulation 6 sets out the higher amounts which will ordinarily apply. For fees payable in respect of an academic year of courses specified in regulation 7, the higher amounts set out in that regulation will apply. Regulation 8 sets out the higher amounts which will apply in respect of part-time courses. The Higher Education (Basic Amount) (England) Regulations 2016 will prescribe the higher amounts.

For each type of course two higher amounts are prescribed. An upper higher amount applies in the case of an “eligible institution”, which regulation 4 defines as an institution listed in the Schedule to the regulations. These are institutions which have achieved a “Meets Expectations” rating for the purposes of Year One of the Teaching Excellence Framework, a scheme operated by the Department for Education for rating the quality of teaching in higher education. A second higher amount, which reflects the amounts prescribed in the Higher Education (Higher Amount) (England) Regulations 2010, will apply to any other institution that is subject to a condition imposed under section 24.

Regulation 5(2) provides that the amounts described above do not apply where the first academic year of a relevant course begins before 1st September 2012, where a student is an end-on student, or the student has transferred from a course that began before 1st September 2012 to a course that began on or after that date. In each of these cases the amounts set out in the Student Fees (Amounts) (England) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/1932) will continue to apply.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the costs of business, charities or the voluntary sector.

The Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the Regulations on www.legislation.gov.uk.