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The OFT has today launched a call for information on the provision of undergraduate higher education in England by universities and other institutions.

Universities play a crucial role in the UK economy. They contribute directly to economic growth, employment and local economic activity, delivering skilled workers into the wider economy, and contributing to export earnings. In many respects, UK universities are world leaders in research and teaching.

Recent reforms in England have aimed to give students greater choice and to drive greater competition between universities, within policies designed to achieve Government objectives such as ensuring fair access to higher education.
   
In launching this project, the OFT wants to understand whether universities are able to compete effectively and respond to students' expectations. It also wants to understand whether students are able to make well-informed choices, which help to drive competition, to support them in acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for themselves and the wider economy.

The OFT is particularly interested in receiving information about how universities compete, the impact regulation has on universities, and students' experience of the current system, including in relation to:

• how universities compete between themselves for students, in order to deliver value for money, including how they go about setting fees, deciding what courses to offer and how they should be delivered
  
• whether the regulatory system is contributing to effective competition or undermining it - for example by creating any barriers to universities expanding or innovating
  
• whether students can access the right information to enable them to make properly informed choices about universities and courses, and whether there is sufficient clarity about what students can expect
  
• whether universities meet students' expectations and whether there are appropriate channels for complaints and access to redress if things go wrong.

Clive Maxwell, OFT Chief Executive, said:

'Universities in England enjoy an enviable reputation across the world. We want to ensure that choice and competition between universities play a positive role in underpinning their success in future, and encourage students, universities, employers and others to respond to our call for information.'

Anyone wishing to submit views should email highereducation@oft.gsi.gov.uk by 31 December or write to Higher Education, Call for information, Eighth floor, OFT, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8JX.

NOTES

1. For further information on the call for information see the case page.
   
2. The call for information focuses on England and does not include Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Higher education policy is a devolved matter, with choice and competition being a more integral part of English higher education policies than in other parts of the UK. However, we expect that some of our findings may be of interest across the UK.
   
3. For the purposes of the call for information, the OFT uses 'universities' to refer to any provider of undergraduate higher education courses.
   
4. Recent reforms of the higher education sector in England include the relaxation of restrictions on student numbers admitted by each provider, allowing providers to set higher tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year, and improving students' access to information about degrees and courses.
   
5. All English universities and colleges that want to charge higher fees must have an 'access agreement' with the Office for Fair Access.
   
6. The OFT is also currently conducting an investigation under its consumer protection powers into universities' contract terms and conditions. This investigation will also contribute to the OFT's understanding of how this market is functioning. For further detail about this investigation, see the universities' terms and conditions case page.
   
7. Calls for information are carried out under section five of the Enterprise Act 2002 which allows the OFT to obtain information and conduct research.
   
8. In April 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) will become the UK's lead competition and consumer body. The CMA will bring together the existing competition and certain consumer protection functions of the Office of Fair Trading and the responsibilities of the Competition Commission, as amended by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.  The CMA, which is a non-Ministerial government department, was established on 1 October 2013 but will not be taking on responsibility for cases or other work until 1 April 2014. Click on the CMA's homepage for more information.