Source: Andi Sapey Photography

In the bag? Norwich UCA is among institutions aiming for the title ¡®university¡¯

The historic decision to recommend university title for 10 specialist colleges poses ¡°no threat¡± to existing universities, according to a senior sector figure who lobbied for the change.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced on November that the 10 institutions had met the criteria for the title, leading to ¡°the single biggest creation of universities since 1992¡±.

The institutions that will be put forward to the Privy Council for formal approval are: Arts 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College at Bournemouth; Bishop Grosseteste 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College Lincoln; Harper Adams 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College; Leeds Trinity 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College; Newman 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College, Birmingham; Norwich 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College of the Arts; Royal Agricultural College; 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College Birmingham; 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College Falmouth; and 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College Plymouth St Mark & St John.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

The move follows the coalition¡¯s decision to lower the threshold for university title from 4,000 full-time higher education students to 1,000, a plan outlined in last year¡¯s White Paper. However, some universities opposed the change. In its response to the White Paper technical consultation last year, the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Birmingham said the plans would ¡°risk diluting and damaging the reputation of UK HE¡±.

Birmingham¡¯s response, obtained by Times Higher Education under the Freedom of Information Act, added that 1,000 full-time students was ¡°just too low for an institution to be credibly called a university¡±.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

But Andy Westwood, chief executive of GuildHE, the representative body of which all 10 new universities are members, said understanding the nature and aims of the institutions could ¡°calm people¡¯s fears¡±.

The institutions ¡°are not looking to triple in size and take on new provision¡±, he said.

And he added: ¡°There is no threat on (student) numbers¡­They are a part of the sector in the way they always have been - just with a little more recognition.¡±

He noted that ¡°a lot of people just don¡¯t know what a university college is¡±, so university title would improve the institutions¡¯ standing among students, employers and parents. It would also help their work overseas, where understanding of the term ¡°university college¡± is even ¡°muddier¡±, Mr Westwood said.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

The creation of the universities represents a lobbying success for GuildHE, which pushed hard for the change. And David Willetts, the universities and science minister, will see it as a personal achievement after much of his agenda was held up by the abandonment in January of the planned higher education bill.

He said: ¡°It is right to remove the barriers preventing high-quality higher education providers like these calling themselves universities simply because of their size.¡±

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.