Part 1The Office for Students
Powers to grant degrees etc
I151Validation by the OfS
1
If (having regard to advice from the OfS) the Secretary of State considers it necessary or expedient, the Secretary of State may by regulations—
a
authorise the OfS to enter into validation arrangements, and
b
require the OfS to offer to do so with—
i
registered higher education providers generally, or
ii
such registered higher education providers as are specified in the regulations or are of a description so specified.
2
Regulations under subsection (1) may authorise the OfS to enter into validation arrangements in respect of—
a
all taught awards, or
b
such taught awards as are specified in the regulations or are of a description so specified.
3
Regulations under subsection (1) may require the OfS to offer to enter into validation arrangements subject to conditions specified in the regulations.
4
Regulations under subsection (1) may include power for the OfS to authorise authorised registered higher education providers to enter on its behalf into—
a
all the validation arrangements that the OfS is authorised to enter into by the regulations, or
b
such of those validation arrangements as are specified in the regulations or are of a description so specified.
5
But regulations under subsection (1) may not include power for the OfS to authorise a provider to enter on its behalf into validation arrangements which are—
a
arrangements in respect of taught awards that the provider is not authorised to grant, or
b
arrangements that the provider is not authorised to enter into.
6
Regulations under subsection (1) may include power for the OfS to deprive a person of a taught award granted by or on behalf of the OfS under validation arrangements.
7
In this section, “validation arrangements” means arrangements between the OfS and a registered higher education provider under which the OfS—
a
grants a taught award to a person who is a student at the provider, or
b
authorises the provider to grant a taught award on behalf of the OfS.
8
In this section, “authorised”, in relation to a registered higher education provider, means authorised to grant taught awards, and to enter into validation arrangements, by—
a
an authorisation given—
i
under section 42(1),
ii
by or under any other provision of an Act of Parliament, or
iii
by Royal Charter, or
b
an authorisation varied under section 45(1).
9
Validation arrangements may provide for—
a
the grant of a taught award by the OfS, or
b
the authorisation to grant a taught award on behalf of the OfS,
to be subject to such conditions as the OfS considers appropriate.