External Requirements
The Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) is the regulator for higher education in England, and the University of Cambridge has been registered with the OfS since July 2018. Under its regulatory framework, the OfS requires providers to meet a series of conditions, and monitors ongoing compliance through lead data indicators, reports of significant changes or events submitted by the University, and information from student or whistleblower complaints.
Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)
Some faculties and departments have links with the professional, regulatory, and/or statutory body for their subject area, for example: the General Medical Council (GMC) or Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). These bodies accredit and/or regulate programmes for professional certification and in some cases, for entry into the profession.
Reports from PSRBs provide valuable feedback about teaching, learning and assessment Faculties and departments should ensure that they have effective mechanisms for responding to reviews and keeping abreast of any new requirements of the PSRB introduced between visits.
The Education Quality and Policy Officers are happy to provide support to faculties and departments at any stage of the accreditation process; please contact us if you would like to discuss this further. Our framework for accreditation management can be found here.
Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)
While the QAA no longer reviews higher education in England, it continues to provide resources for the development, management and review of higher education.