Introduction to how HEFCE funds universities and controls student numbers

9 Oct 2013 04:26 PM

A guide to the principles and methods behind HEFCE’s funding and student number control allocations to universities and colleges has been published. It covers academic year 2013-14 and can be downloaded from our web-site.

This year, HEFCE will distribute around £4.5 billion of government funding for higher education, to support teaching, research, knowledge exchange and related activities. The new publication, Guide to funding and student number controls 2013-14 (HEFCE 2013/25) explains:

• how we calculate how much each university or college gets
• the principles that underpin those calculations
• the components of an institution’s grant. 

It also explains how we set controls for the number of students that institutions may enrol, to reduce the risk that over-recruitment could create excess costs to Government in providing student support. (Student support includes loans to meet tuition fees, and ‘maintenance’ grants and loans to support students’ living costs.) 

This guide is intended for those working in higher education, and others who wish to understand our funding methods. While it provides information on those methods, it does not provide the full technical definitions and specifications used in our allocation and monitoring processes. Our web-site provides more information under:

• Funding and investment 
• Student numbers and high grades