Register of providers

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION & SKILLS - REGISTER OF PROVIDERS

Please click a question to display the answer.

Q1. What is the purpose of the Register of Education and Training Providers?

The Register of Education and Training Providers (usually called the Register) is a list of colleges including universities and private education providers in the UK. The purpose of the Register is to help the Home Office tackle immigration abuse in the education sector. The Home Office will not grant anyone leave to enter or remain in the UK as a student, or leave to study to an overseas student national, unless he or she is intending to study at a college on the Register. However, just because a college is on the Register does not mean that there is any guarantee of the quality of education available at that college. There is no automatic quality assurance or accreditation of colleges on the Register.

Q2. Who needs to be on the Register?

All colleges that want to recruit overseas students need to appear on the Register. The Home Office will only grant student visas to people intending to study at an institution on the Register. However, there is no need for colleges which do not recruit students from outside the EU to appear on the Register, nor is there any benefit to them in doing so.

Learning providers in the UK who do not wish to recruit overseas students can register on the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP), which can be accessed at www.ukrlp.co.uk. The UKRLP is a voluntary register which links information sources on education and training organisations in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Learners, employers, providers, awarding bodies, inspectorates, government agencies and government departments will all have access to this information.

DfES also operates a register known as EduBase, which is a further separate database of state and compulsory-aged educational establishments in England, and which can be accessed at www.edubase.gov.uk. This is the Department’s register of state schools, further education colleges, universities and independent schools. Education establishments which are neither state maintained nor catering for children of compulsory school age do not appear on EduBase.

The Register of Education and Training Providers is only relevant to overseas students requiring student visas, and the institutions at which they are studying. Any correspondence you have with the Department for Education and Skills should make it clear which register or database you are referring to.

Q3. If a college is on the Register, does this guarantee that it provides good quality education and training?

No. The Register does not quality assure or accredit in any way the learning provision of any registered colleges. Some colleges are accredited separately; you can ask the college you want to study at whether it has any accreditation.

If your college is not accredited and you are still concerned, you may wish to consider contacting the body which awards the qualification you are hoping to attain, to see if the provider is approved to offer the qualifications they claim to offer. Your college should be able to tell you whether they are offering qualifications regulated by an external awarding body.

If you are proposing to take a qualification to enhance your career prospects, you might also wish to confirm with your prospective employers that they recognise the qualification you are intending to take. If you are in any doubt about the college at which you are intending to study, you should conduct as many checks as possible to ensure that your hard work will lead to a qualification that is of value to you. For example, some colleges may be able to provide testimonials from previous students.

If you are seeking a UK degree-level qualification, you should also look at www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees, which provides a list of all institutions recognised as awarding UK degrees. Other institutions may award degree-level qualifications from other countries; you should be clear about whether you are studying for a UK degree or one accredited from abroad, as it may affect the status of your qualification. It is illegal for institutions to offer degree-level qualifications purporting to be UK degrees where they do not have permission to do so, so all the information from the college at which you intend to study should be clear about the status of their degree-level qualifications.

Q4. How do I check if a college is on the Register?

You may look for a college on the Register using the search facility on the website at www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister/search.cfm. You can search for an entry using the name, address, postcode or telephone number of the college. If you do not find the college under the name you expect, it can be worth searching by another criterion; occasionally spellings of names can vary (eg. a listing you are expecting under “1st” may appear as “First”), and in order to be confident, we recommend searching under at least two or three categories.

Q5. What do colleges have to do to register?

There are two routes by which colleges are accepted on to the Register. Those colleges who receive public funding, have been inspected by government inspection bodies or are accredited through the British Council, British Accreditation Council or Association of British Language Schools are automatically added to the Register.

Any college which falls outside these categories will need to make an application to be considered against the criteria as defined by Department for Education and Skills (DfES) as part of the registration process. A copy of the guidance and application form that colleges must use can be viewed by following this link www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister. The guidance notes and application form can be downloaded in PDF Format. However, no assessment is made of the quality of education on offer from a college before it is accepted on to the Register.

Q6. Can a college advertise the fact that it is on the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Register?

No. Registration on the Register of Education and Training Providers should not be seen by anyone as an endorsement by the Department of the college, or the quality of its courses. Therefore if a college wishes to include a notice about registration on its website or stationery it should use the following statement:

“Registered with the Department for Education and Skills on its Register of Education and Training Providers www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister. The Register is a list of education and training providers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Register does not quality assure or accredit in any way the learning provision of any registered provider.”

Colleges in breach of this condition of registration will be removed from the Register.

Q7. What does the Department do about reports that a college on the Register is bogus?

We take very seriously any allegations we receive about a possible bogus college on the Register, including reports in the media. In every case, the Home Office is asked to investigate the allegations. If the investigation upholds the allegations, then that college is removed from the Register; a number of colleges have been removed from the Register following complaints. However, we can only remove colleges after thorough investigation; the Home Office investigates all allegations as quickly as possible.If you want to report a college that you think is bogus, you should email details of the organisation, together with your reasons for believing it to be bogus, including as much information as possible, to info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk.

Q8. How do I get a refund if I pay fees but decide not to take up a place at a college on the Register?

You should always be absolutely clear before you pay any money to any college whether or not you can get it refunded, and if so in what circumstances. It may be that initial fees cannot be refunded, so you should not make any payment to a college unless you are sure you intend to study there. If you do need to ask for a refund, you should talk to the college directly.

The DfES has no jurisdiction over private colleges as these are independent businesses. If the college is accredited (and not all colleges on the Register are) you could ask for advice from the accreditation body. Ultimately, you could seek legal advice.

Q9. What should I do if I am not happy with the quality of a course or college on the Register?

If you have complaints about any aspect of your course, you should take them up directly with the college. The DfES has no jurisdiction over private colleges as these are independent businesses. If the college is accredited (and not all colleges on the Register are) you could ask for advice from the accreditation body. If the college is not providing the service advertised, you may be able to get help from the Trading Standards Office of the college’s local council but only if you are still in the UK; please refer to the Trading Standards website for information www.tradingstandards.gov.uk. Your local Trading Standards Office may be found at direct.gov.uk/mycouncil However, you should be aware that there is no guarantee that this would secure a refund. Ultimately, you may also wish to consider taking legal advice.

Q10. If I apply to a college on the Register, will I get a visa?

Applying to a college on the Register does not automatically mean you will be granted a student visa. This is just one of the criteria the Home Office considers in assessing visa applications. However, you are very unlikely to be granted a student visa unless you are intending to study at an institution on the Register. If you want further guidance on how to apply for a student visa, look at the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Q11. Can I work while I am studying?

Under current immigration rules, if you are given a student visa, you can take part-time or holiday work while you are studying in the UK, but you must not work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless either your placement is part of your studies, or the work you are doing has been agreed with your educational institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body. Your college will be able to advise you on this.

If you have any questions about your visa or your entitlements under your visa, you should ask the Home Office for advice. The Home Office website is www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Q12. What should I do if I want to change courses after I arrive in the UK?

At present you can change course without having to re-apply for a new visa. If, however, your new course is at a college that is not on the Register your visa would be void and you would have to re-apply for a new student visa.

Q13. How do I apply for Registration?

The application form and guidance on how to complete it can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister. If you wish to establish yourself as a new business providing training you can find more information on the DTI website at www.businesslink.gov.uk.

Q14. My address details have changed. What information do I need to provide in order to update my records on the register?

We need to be confident that your new accommodation will provide adequate classroom provision for the numbers of students you are intending to recruit, and available for a reasonable duration. In order to register a change of address, we will therefore need to have a letter from the Principal detailing on headed notepaper making clear the required changes and providing the contact details of the new premises. It is very important to list all the premises from which you intend to offer tuition; student visas may be refused for a discrepancy in address details. You will also need to reassure us that the classroom provision is appropriate for your students. We will therefore normally need to see e.g. a copy of the lease agreement or planning permission, and either an original or a certified copy of the architects’ drawings of the new floor plans, including contact details for the architects, to demonstrate suitable classroom provision.

Similar arrangements apply for changing names and adding additional campuses. In all cases, you should ensure that your details are updated if appropriate at Companies House or the Charities Commission before you contact us.

Q15. As an Education Provider do I need to comply with immigration rules if I am recruiting overseas students who require student visas?

Yes. Most students coming to study here from outside the EU will require student visas, and that imposes requirements both on the students themselves and on the institutions at which they study. The following extract has been taken from the IND website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk:

"Policies and procedures for student registration, non-arrival of student or non-attendance of student: your organisation’s prospectus must include a description of your internal policies and procedures relating directly to the Immigration Rules.

You should aim to set out your institution’s procedures for Student Registration, Student Non-Arrival and Student Non-Attendance in detail, with particular mention of the processes involved when dealing with student non-compliance of Immigration Rules e.g. the circumstances under which you would pass a student’s details to the Home Office / Immigration Nationality Directorate.

The Immigration Nationality Directorate is keen to receive information about all cases of overseas students (not those from EU countries) who have either accepted a place at your establishment but have never attended, or who have dropped out of a course of study for no apparent reason. You need not notify the Immigration Nationality Directorate in cases where you know the person concerned has transferred to a course at another UK institution. Please refer to the following section of the Immigration website for more information go here."

Q16. My registration period expires soon. What should I do to renew it?

The purpose of the existing Register for Education and Training Providers is to assist the immigration authorities to take decisions about applications for student visas. The new points based system for managed migration, launched by Home Secretary on the 11 March 2006, will change the existing process for granting entry into the UK for all categories of overseas nationals, and will enable the UK to control migration more effectively, tackle abuse and identify the most talented workers. More information about the new points based system can be found using the following link www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Some of these new proposals will affect how applications for student visas are assessed. In particular, the Home Office intends to establish a new Sponsors' Register, which will in due course replace the existing Register of Education and Training Providers, but which will continue to list all recognised education providers (as well as other groups such as those wishing to employ overseas nationals). It is this Sponsors' Register which the Home Office will ultimately use in determining visa applications.

Home Office colleagues will be writing to education providers on the Register of Education and Training Providers later this year informing them of the new Sponsors’ Register. The Home Office letter will include the procedures for registration on the Sponsors' Register which you will have to follow if you intend to continue to recruit international students, and will set out a timetable. In the meantime your organisation will remain on the Register of Education and Training Providers without the need to re-register; you therefore need take no further action at this stage.

Contact us

If you would like to write to the DfES Register of Education and Training Providers, please send your letter to:

PO Box 54876
London
SW1P 9EZ

Alternatively, you can email us at info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk. We do not offer a telephone helpline; we can only respond to queries by email or by post. Please allow 15 working days for a reply to your correspondence.

Download the documents:

Help with downloading files

Share this information?

Register of providers

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION & SKILLS - REGISTER OF PROVIDERS

Frequently Asked Questions

Student Queries

Queries from new & existing providers on the Register

Download the documents: