English universities that are increasingly franchising their courses must help shape improvements to this type of provision or risk the “franchise baby being thrown out with the bathwater” amid intense scrutiny from regulators and politicians, according to a new report.
Senior leaders at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) – which THE analysis showed as topping a list of universities with the highest number of subcontracted students – have authored a debate paper for the Higher Education Policy Institute, which argues that the sector should develop a code of practice to be adopted by franchisors.
It also says “rapid, light-touch and low-cost regulation” from the Office for Students is needed, with the authors – BNU’s vice-chancellor Nick Braisby, commercial and business development director Ian Harper and deputy vice-chancellor Damien Page – calling for the regulator to incorporate franchisees into a new section of its register of providers.
Franchising – whereby a university subcontracts out the delivery of a course to another provider – has become increasingly popular in recent years, with the number of students enrolled doubling from 50,440 in 2018-19 to 108,600 in 2021-22, according to a recent National Audit Office report.
