Degree awarding powers
Application and assessment
To apply for degree awarding powers, providers need to complete the OfS application form.
The assessment is scheduled within our existing pipeline of DAPs cases and we will complete our eligibility and suitability assessment to determine whether we can progress the DAPs application.
If successful, we will hold a provider briefing where we will confirm the arrangements for the submission of your self-assessment, New DAPs Plan (if relevant) and supporting evidence.
For New DAPs, providers must submit a detailed plan showing how they will meet the criteria by the end of the probationary period.
For Full DAPs, providers must meet all criteria at the point they apply.
Tips on how to prepare your submission
Our guidance on how to apply explains in detail what providers will need to do. But we have also listed some top tips on how to prepare:
- Structure your self-assessment by each criteria and underpinning evidence requirement. Use narrative and evidence to clearly set out how you meet (or intend to meet) the criteria and all evidence requirements.
- Clearly map out which evidence relates to which criteria and evidence requirement, ideally in both your self-assessment and evidence index.
- Use a unique reference number for each piece of evidence you upload.
- Be clear if you are still working on evidence or developing it.
- Apply the PEE Model: provide the ‘Policy’, ‘Explain’ how it works in your context, and ‘Evidence’ it in practice.
- Ensure evidence ‘shows’, rather than ‘implies’ – for example, committee minutes which reference a student survey (implies) versus also providing the survey and subsequent action plans (shows).
- End-to-end examples and case studies can be very useful – for example, programme development, approval and implementation.
- Ensure New DAPs plans set out the detail of how you will implement plans, as well as by when (for all criteria).
- Clearly set out current versus plans and evidence – especially if you are moving away from the current policies or procedures in place at your validating partners.
- Think about the best way to arrange access for assessors to your virtual learning environment or systems (including access to assessments and feedback).
Assessment
Once we start our assessment we follow various stages. We have outlined these stages below:
We will check that you have submitted a correct application with all the relevant documents we require.
We will review whether the application is eligible and suitable against our guidance on applying for degree awarding powers or a variation to these powers, and the regulatory framework.
This will check that you:
- meet the eligibility requirements
- are suitable for degree awarding powers, as set out in paragraphs 228 and 229 of the regulatory framework, which states that:
- We will consider our existing risk assessment for the provider to determine the provider’s suitability for DAPs. This includes considering its financial viability and sustainability, and its management and governance arrangements to ensure that the provider has the necessary resources to set and maintain academic standards.
- For New DAPs, if a provider is subject to one or more specific ongoing conditions of registration, for example because they have been imposed to mitigate increased risk of a breach of an ongoing condition relating to quality, standards, financial viability and sustainability, and management or governance, an application for New DAPs may be less likely to succeed.
- have a suitable student protection plan in place, which has been agreed by the OfS (this only applies if you are applying for New DAPs).
Once we have completed these checks, we will decide whether to proceed with your application. We will write to you, explaining next steps and to arrange a briefing.
This briefing will cover the assessment process in more detail, and gives the provider a chance to ask questions. During this stage we will also formally schedule and appoint an assessment team and train them.
The assessment formally begins when you submit your self-assessment and evidence. The assessment team will meet for the first time, at the same time as this submission.
This stage will also include:
- desk-based assessment
- provider visit(s) and/or observations (if required)
- further evidence requests (if required)
- report drafting begins.
Towards the end of the assessment, the assessment team drafts an assessment report. This goes through rounds of internal review before we share it with the provider and prepare it for the Quality Assessment Committee (QAC).
The report goes to QAC which provides advice on the quality and standards of the higher education being provided.
We decide whether to grant degree awarding powers based on the assessment report, QAC advice and wider regulatory intelligence we hold about the provider. We will inform the provider about the decision.
We will normally publish the report on our website, and the formal DAPs order will be published on the UK legislation website as a statutory instrument.
How long does it take?
We currently estimate that we will start work on new applications approximately nine to 12 months after we receive the application.
We paused our assessment of applications until August 2025. This was to refocus our resources to support our work in response to the financial challenges affecting higher education providers in England. We are now assessing applications that were previously paused.
The overall length varies by the type of assessment:
|
Type of assessment |
Overall length |
Length of DAPs assessment |
|
Variation |
52 weeks (1 year) |
26 weeks (6 months) |
|
Full DAPs |
78 weeks (18 months) |
52 weeks (1 year) |
|
New DAPs |
52 weeks (1 year) |
26 weeks (6 months) |
|
New DAPs monitoring |
32 weeks |
14 weeks* |
|
New DAPs End Assessment |
52 weeks (1 year) |
26 weeks (6 months) |
*Stages 1, and 6 and 8 do not apply for New DAPs monitoring.
These timelines are indicative and will vary depending on the circumstances of the application. Some complex applications are likely to take longer, which means that we cannot give a precise timescale for the assessment of a provider’s eligibility and against the DAPs criteria.
The process may take longer if assessors:
- uncover issues with evidence
- need to request further evidence at multiple points or seek further clarification
- reach negative judgements.
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