Private sector to fight universities for high-grade students

By David Matthews. Student numbers at private higher education institutions will be capped from 2014-15, the government has confirmed, while private providers will also be granted unlimited recruitment of high-grade students.
At present there is a limit on the total number of students publicly-funded institutions can recruit, but this does not apply to private institutions. As a result, the number of students at private providers has “risen rapidly” in recent years, says draft guidance on the planned cap published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
The number of students at private providers making use of taxpayer funded loans has risen from 4,300 in 2009-10 and 5,860 in 2010-11 to 9,360 in the first six months of 2011-12. More...