RTC Education Ltd and University of Greater Manchester subject to additional regulatory requirements following quality assessment

In May 2022, the OfS opened an investigation into the quality of business and management courses provided by RTC Education Ltd (trading as Regent College London) as part of its general monitoring activity. These courses were delivered through a partnership arrangement and lead to qualifications awarded by the University of Greater Manchester and Buckinghamshire New University.

An expert assessment team identified six areas of concern in relation to the college’s business and management courses during the 2022-23 academic year, which were set out in a quality assessment report published in October 2024.

Based on the evidence gathered by the assessment team, the OfS found that RTC Education Ltd had breached the following conditions of registration: 

• Condition B1, which requires institutions to ensure that students ‘receive a high quality academic experience’. This includes ensuring that courses provide an appropriate level of educational challenge, are coherent and require students to develop relevant skills.
• Condition B2, which relates to student resources and support. At the time of assessment, the team found that academic staff levels were insufficient, students were unable to consistently access core reading materials, and classroom facilities were inadequate to meet students’ needs.
• Condition B4, which ensures degrees and other qualifications accurately reflect students’ knowledge and skills and hold their value over time. This includes a requirement for universities and colleges to ensure that students are assessed effectively and that awards are credible at the point of being granted and when compared to those granted previously.

Throughout and since the assessment process, the OfS has worked closely with RTC Education Ltd, which explained the changes it has made in relation to the concerns set out in the assessment report. The OfS’s view is that the actions described by the college were wide ranging, relevant to the concerns identified and may be appropriate to remedy its non-compliance with conditions B1, B2 and B4. However, due to the significance of the original concerns and the need for strong evidence that the college’s proposed actions will effectively remedy the breaches, the OfS has placed the college under enhanced monitoring, which will include a reassessment of quality.

Where courses are delivered through partnership arrangements, both the delivery provider and the awarding partner are responsible for compliance with the OfS’s conditions of registration relating to the quality of courses. Following consideration of the context of RTC Education Ltd’s partnerships, and the evidence base that related to each partner, the OfS has decided that the concerns raised by the assessment team also resulted in: 

• Breaches of conditions B1, B2 and B4 for the University of Greater Manchester. While the university has outlined a range of actions in response to the report, the OfS does not consider its response to provide the level of clarity and targeted focus needed to offer a high degree of assurance that all identified issues will be effectively resolved. The OfS has imposed a specific ongoing condition of registration that will require the university strengthen its oversight of the BSc Business Management courses and address all concerns that have led to the breaches.
• Breaches of conditions B2 and B4 for Buckinghamshire New University. The OfS considered that Buckinghamshire New University has responded to the concerns of the assessment team in a manner consistent with its responsibilities as the awarding partner and had decided to terminate its contract with RTC Education Ltd in May 2025. The OfS will not take any further regulatory action.

Jean Arnold, Deputy Director of Quality at the OfS, said:

‘Wherever and however they study, students must have confidence they’re getting the high quality academic experience they were promised and the credible qualifications they deserve. In this instance, both RTC Education Ltd and its awarding partners were responsible for making sure its business and management courses were meeting our requirements relating to quality.

'RTC Education Ltd has collaborated positively with us to address the concerns we identified in relation to these courses. However, due to the seriousness of the concerns, we will continue to monitor its provision and reassess its compliance to ensure the steps it takes to remedy these issues are successful.

‘As an awarding partner, the University of Greater Manchester plays a critical role in maintaining strong oversight, safeguarding quality and protecting the interests of those students taught through the partnership. Imposing specific ongoing conditions of registration means the university must demonstrate ongoing improvements to us, and to its students.

‘We welcome the improvements already made by Buckinghamshire New University, and the ongoing cooperation of RTC Education Ltd and the University of Greater Manchester as we work together to protect the interests of students.’

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are currently developing a new strategy for 2025-2030 that seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
2. Read the regulatory case report.
3. Enhanced monitoring means an institution is required to submit additional information to the OfS that extends beyond the information requirements placed on all providers as part of general monitoring. The purpose of gathering additional information is to provide the OfS with a fuller understanding of facts in relation to a provider’s risk of a breach of a particular condition and to provide assurance that the risk of a breach is not increasing.