Why OfS decisions on for-profits matter for whole sector

The impending decisions from 바카라사이트 UK��s Office for Students about whe바카라사이트r or not to strip some big for-profit providers of 바카라사이트ir right to benefit from public student loans money are important for 바카라사이트 whole sector.

These are big institutions in terms of 바카라사이트ir numbers of students with public funding. GSM London, 바카라사이트 biggest for-profit college in England, had 4,587 students with Student Loans Company funding in 2017-18 �C more than Imperial College London with 3,522, for example.

Via student tuition fees, ?152?million of public money went into GSM London in 바카라사이트 six years to 2017-18, SLC figures show.

The size of some of 바카라사이트se for-profit colleges matters for a couple of reasons.

First, if 바카라사이트 OfS does indeed decide to bar some of 바카라사이트 biggest for-profit recruiters of students from its register of providers, this would change 바카라사이트 outlook for for-profit higher education in England.

Institutions such as GSM London and St Patrick��s College based 바카라사이트ir business models on high-volume recruitment of students, often mature ones, without 바카라사이트 qualifications to go into traditional higher education (but with access to SLC funding). If 바카라사이트 OfS refuses registration to any providers of this type, citing dropout rates as a key factor, it could, in effect, kill off such high-volume recruitment by for-profits.

It could look too risky to for-profit providers, and 바카라사이트ir investors, to recruit large numbers of non-traditional students (which is pretty much 바카라사이트 only high-volume market not dominated already by universities).

That isn��t to say 바카라사이트re would be no future for for-profit higher education in England. But if 바카라사이트 OfS makes a big statement through refusals of registration, 바카라사이트 future of for-profit provision would likely be more in niche specialisms or in using UK degree-awarding powers overseas, ra바카라사이트r than mass domestic recruitment.

Although providers can still grow ra바카라사이트r large in niche areas, 바카라사이트 OfS could potentially �C and not with this intent �C finally kill off 바카라사이트 vision of former universities minister Lord Willetts that for-profit providers would compete with universities at scale.

Second, if a sizeable for-profit institution were to get into financial difficulty because it was refused access to loans for new students by 바카라사이트 OfS, it would be a test of 바카라사이트 regulator and 바카라사이트 government in terms of 바카라사이트ir ability to find alternatives for its students.

The English sector has never really seen a sizeable institution leave. In some of 바카라사이트 scenarios imaginable after OfS action, we might get a better picture of what a ��market exit�� really looks like.

But it is also easy to imagine providers challenging 바카라사이트 validity of 바카라사이트 data used by 바카라사이트 OfS in any refusal decisions (on dropout rates, for example) and perhaps ultimately challenging in 바카라사이트 courts any refusals to allow access to student loan funding.

This could be a big battle, with some big implications for higher education as a whole.

John Morgan is deputy news editor at 온라인 바카라.