Recommendations: 62, 65

Recommendation 62: We recommend to the Government that it takes action as soon as possible to end the scope for a confusion between the title and the name used by institutions, either through clarifying the legal position or by ensuring that conditions can be placed on the flow of public funds so that these go only to those institutions which agree to restrict their use of a name and title to that to which they are legally entitled.

9.9 The Government agrees that the confusion between the official titles of institutions and the names they use to present themselves to the public should be ended. It is misleading to students and damaging to the reputation of the higher education sector. Higher education institutions are urged not to use names to which they are not entitled. If confusion continues, the Government will seek to clarify the law either through the courts or by bringing forward legislative proposals.

Recommendation 65: We recommend to the Government that it takes action, either by clarifying the legal position or by ensuring that conditions can be placed on the flow of public funds, to restrict the use of the title ‘University College’ to those institutions which are in every sense a college which is part of a university under the control of the university’s governing body; and to those higher education institutions which have been granted taught degree awarding powers.

9.10 The Government accepts that there is a convincing case for creating a new category of institution to which the title ‘university college’ can be given. It agrees with the Committee that this title should be available in future not only to those institutions which are in every sense a college which is part of a university under the control of the university’s governing body or otherwise full members of a federal university; but also to those higher education institutions which have been granted taught degree awarding powers. Like the Committee, the Government has carefully considered the argument that the university college title should also be available to institutions having a particular relationship with one university, but it is not persuaded that such an extension of the title would be in the interest of public understanding.

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