Degree awarding powers

When a registered provider applies for degree awarding powers for the first time, it must apply through one of two routes: 'new degree awarding powers' or 'full degree awarding powers'.

New degree awarding powers

If a provider has been offering higher education for less than three years, it will not have a sufficient track record to apply for full degree awarding powers.

Instead, it can apply for new degree awarding powers, which grants it powers on a probationary basis. This is usually for three or four years.

During this time, we will complete an assessment to monitor the provider (a ‘New DAPs monitoring assessment’). We will also assess the provider at the end of the period (a ‘New DAPs end assessment’).

For new degree awarding powers, the provider can normally only make awards to students for specific courses and it cannot validate or subcontract these courses to other providers.

A provider applying for new degree awarding powers can apply to award degrees for:

• foundation degrees
• awards up to, and including, bachelors’ degrees
• all taught awards.

Full degree awarding powers

A provider which has offered higher education for more than three years can apply for full degree awarding powers.

If the OfS authorises these powers, it usually grants them for three or four years, after which the provider will be able to apply for an authorisation to grant awards without a time limit. We refer to this as ‘indefinite degree awarding powers’.

For full degree awarding powers, the provider can apply for powers that cover specific subjects or all subjects.  

A provider can also apply for full degree awarding powers for the following awards:

• foundation degrees only
• awards up to, and including, bachelors’ degrees
• all taught awards
• research awards (if it already holds or is applying for full degree awarding powers for taught awards).

A provider that has offered higher education for more than three years can apply for new degree awarding powers, if it prefers. It may, for example, not yet meet all the criteria and evidence requirements for full degree awarding powers.

If a provider already has full degree awarding powers, they may wish to apply to change the level or subject for which it can award degrees, or apply for indefinite powers. We refer to this as a ‘variation’.  

Research degree awarding powers

Our criteria for authorising degree awarding powers [LINK TO page 2] includes specific criteria for research degrees. But, if a provider applies for the power to award research degrees, we will assess them against all criteria.   

We do this so that we can be sure that the wider arrangements a provider has in place mean that it can offer research awards securely.

For example, even if the provider is working effectively in these areas, this means that an assessment for research degree awarding powers would test:

• a provider’s academic governance arrangements (criterion A)
• regulatory frameworks (criterion B1)
• academic standards in relation to research provision (criterion B2 and G)

In the same way, a provider applying to award research degrees would need to show how it meets the criterion for ‘scholarship and pedagogical effectiveness of staff’ (criterion C). It must also show that its teaching staff have the training and resources to maintain and develop research supervision for dissertations.