Source: Alamy
Taciturn: BIS 鈥榗annot provide the names of those that applied for designation and were refused鈥
Two of England鈥檚 fastest-growing private colleges have been granted permission by the government for their students to continue accessing public funding, but 53 private institutions had applications refused.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has disclosed that it has designated St Patrick鈥檚 and the London School of Business and Finance for 2014-15, so their students will be eligible for Student Loans Company funding.
BIS revealed that those designations had been granted last month, well after the academic year had begun.
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It is thought that the designation process is still not yet concluded and that more private providers are awaiting decisions for 2014-15.
Amid growing concerns about the lack of regulatory controls over private colleges, BIS told Times Higher Education that it had designated 100 private providers for 2014-15, compared with 146 in 2013-14. The department also said that it had rejected designation applications from 53 alternative providers.
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Since the coalition government came to power in 2010 and started a policy to encourage private provision, annual public funding for students at private providers has grown from 拢30 million to a projected 拢900 million this year.
A BIS spokesman said: 鈥淲e cannot provide the names of those that applied for designation and were refused.鈥 He added: 鈥淭his information isn鈥檛 available under FoI [the Freedom of Information Act] either.鈥
However, it should be possible to see a list of which private providers have been designated, and to determine overall student numbers in the sector, when BIS discloses the student number controls allocated to each institution.
Student number controls were introduced at private providers for the first time this year in the wake of concerns about the rapid growth in their recruitment of SLC-backed students, particularly those on sub-degree Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas.
鈥淭he number controls for each provider will be made public shortly,鈥 the BIS spokesman said.
Of all the private colleges, St Patrick鈥檚 and LSBF, both owned by Global University Systems, had the highest numbers enrolled on sub-degree qualifications and claiming SLC funding in 2012-13. The two had a combined 5,485 such students on higher national courses that year, .
LSBF is listed on the website of the Higher Education Funding Council for England as having 557 course designations for 2014-15.
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BIS confirmed that St Patrick鈥檚 has now been granted designation for the current year. Asked why the decision had been delayed, the department鈥檚 spokesman said: 鈥淭his year, the criteria for designation have been strengthened to protect the interests of students, the reputation of UK higher education and public investment. Following an assessment of St Patrick鈥檚 application, they have been designated for 2014-15 for the courses and locations that were in their application.鈥
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In 2012-13, St Patrick鈥檚 went from having no students on higher national courses with public-backed loans to having more than 4,000.
Sorry for the queues: St Patrick鈥檚 apologises for its growing pains
One of the largest private colleges in England, St Patrick鈥檚, apologised to students for congestion and 鈥渘ot sufficient resources鈥 after relocating some of its provision to a new building.
An email from the college鈥檚 principal, Daniel Khan, said that start times for groups at Billiter Street in the City of London would be staggered 鈥渟o the entrance/exits are not congested鈥.
The Billiter Street building is not designated for students to receive public-backed loans. But a spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that St Patrick鈥檚 had notified BIS of its 鈥渋ntention to teach designated courses from Billiter Street, and we are currently reviewing all the details they have provided鈥.
The email about Billiter Street, dated 8 October, was sent to all students on the health and social care Higher National Diploma course at the building.
Fees for St Patrick鈥檚 higher national courses are 拢6,000 for home students.
Professor Khan says in the email 鈥 seen by Times Higher Education 鈥 that the senior management team is 鈥渧ery aware and equally concerned about the current situation at Billiter Street Campus, namely to do with the late notification of the relocation, queues for the lifts, no access to staircases and not sufficient resources鈥.
He continues: 鈥淚n hindsight, it is obvious the planning of the relocation did not cover all aspects and we are truly very sorry for some of the experiences you, as St. Patrick鈥檚 students, have had to endure鈥︹
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Amol Gurung, head of academic administration and student experience at St Patrick鈥檚, said that 鈥渢he teething troubles which arose in the first week of occupation of the premises have long since been resolved and student feedback is very positive鈥. He added that the 鈥減remises and facilities compare favourably with those available at further education and other colleges offering HND courses in London鈥.
John Morgan
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