Degree courses are to be rated for quality, subject by subject, under a new pilot scheme which ministers say leaves universities “no place to hide”.
Individual subjects at different universities will be graded gold, silver or bronze by a new tool feeding in official data on teaching quality.
But students will not be able to use the rankings to choose their courses until 2020, when the tool goes live. Universities say the assessment of subjects must be effective.
The new system to rate teaching is part of the government’s attempt to get tough on universities, which charge students nearly £30,000 for a three-year degree, and have come under fire for paying their senior managers very high salaries.
Universities Minister Sam Gyimah said: “Prospective students deserve to know which courses deliver great teaching and great outcomes – and which ones are lagging behind.
“In the age of the student, universities will no longer be able to hide if their teaching quality is not up to the world-class standard that we expect.” Read more