It has been reported by the BBC News that degree courses offered by universities and college providers will be awarded an ‘Olympic’ rating of gold, silver and bronze.
The degree courses will be given this rank based on three different factors. This will be a big undertaking for the government, as it is planned that this information will be available in just two years’ time.
Why are these courses being ranked?
According to the government, universities need to be more accountable for their performance.
The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) have already rated 295 universities on the ranking system. There are 59 universities and college providers that were given a gold rating, 116 were given a silver rating and 56 a bronze rating. 64 providers were given a provisional rating, which is lower than a bronze rating. A provisional rating is only given when there is not enough information to have a ranking.
How are the courses ranked?
The rating system has three factors to help give a professional rating which are:
- the number of drop-out rates and rate of employment after graduating
- a student’s view on the teaching of the course
- the assessment and support from the National Student Survey
Once the course has been assessed by these factors, it is noted whether the course is better or worse than the benchmark set by the TEF.
Is this rating going to be useful to prospective undergraduates?
Hopefully, this will be a vital tool for students who are looking for the course which suits their aims and aspirations the best. The tool will also provide prospective students with useful information regarding the jobs that they can apply for after graduating, how many people drop out of the course and the salary range they can expect in their future employment.
If you would like to see more of the universities and college providers ranking across the UK, click here for more details.
