Higher Education and Research Act 2017

Higher Education and Research Act 2017

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision about higher education and research; and to make provision about alternative payments to students in higher or further education.
Citation	2017 c. 29
Introduced by	Jo Johnson, Universities Minister (Commons) James Younger, 5th Viscount Younger of Leckie (Lords)
Territorial extent	England and Wales (whole Act), Scotland and Northern Ireland (ss. 25, 79–80, 83, parts 3–4)
Dates
Royal assent	27 April 2017
Commencement	Varies by section
Other legislation
Amends	Science and Technology Act 1965 Education Reform Act 1988 Further and Higher Education Act 1992 Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 Higher Education Act 2004
Status: Current legislation
History of passage through Parliament
Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (c. 29) was enacted into law in the United Kingdom by the Houses of Parliament on 27 April 2017.^[1] It is intended to create a new regulatory framework for higher education, increase competition and student choice, ensure students receive value for money, and strengthen the research sector.^[2]

The Act is a replacement for the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and is intended to accommodate subsequent changes in the higher education sector.^[3] Viscount Younger, the sponsor of the Bill in the House of Lords, called it "the most important legislation for the sector in 25 years",^[1] a claim supported by Universities UK, who said that it is "the first major regulatory reform" to higher education in that period.^[3]

The Act is split into four parts: Part 1 establishes the Office for Students and gives it responsibilities for regulating the Higher Education sector; Part 2 amends prior legislation on student financial support and student complaints procedures; Part 3 establishes a body called United Kingdom Research and Innovation and gives it responsibilities for regulating and funding research; and Part 4 addresses miscellaneous issues such as transitional arrangements and data sharing.^[4]