The government will impose student number limits on universities offering poor quality courses as it moves to give the Office for Students (OfS) greater powers.

With Labour¡¯s post-16 education and skills white paper set to be published on 20 October, the Department for Education is on what it deems low-quality teaching.

Under the proposals, the government may look to measure students¡¯ progress more closely and restrict the number of students institutions can recruit in cases of poor performance.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, also plans to legislate to give the OfS, which regulates English universities, more powers to take ¡°decisive action¡± against some providers.

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Phillipson told The Times: ¡°Students deserve high-quality education that sets them up for success, not courses that leave them with poor prospects.

¡°Our ambitious white paper will set out how we will work closely with the OfS to develop new powers, allowing them to take decisive action.¡±

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The regulator already announced proposals earlier this year to impose student number limits on universities that perform poorly in a revised version of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).?

New data from the regulator shows the proportion of business and management students who complete their course has fallen to a record low.

It follows investigations into several universities and franchise providers related to poor-quality courses in this subject area.

Proposals to force franchise providers with more than 300 students to register with the OfS in order to be eligible for student loan funding are also set to move ahead, taking effect from the academic year 2028-29.

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The paper is also expected to address the funding of the higher education sector as universities face significant financial pressures.

Phillipson is due to set out full details of the paper in parliament on Monday afternoon.

The government has already announced plans to introduce new qualifications, known as V levels, as part of an overhaul of the post-16 education system.

¡°Our reforms are?building a post-16 education system that truly matches young people¡¯s aspirations and abilities, delivering the opportunity and growth our economy needs,¡± Phillipson said.

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helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com