Britain to have new private university

Britain is to have its first new private university for more than 30 years, it was announced today.

BPP, which offers business and law degrees at 14 sites across the country, will become a university college with immediate effect.

The title is awarded to smaller higher education institutions that deliver a limited range of degrees and qualifications.

The move – approved by the universities minister, David Willetts – signals the government’s desire to expand the number of profit-making private sector institutions in higher education.

Willetts said it was “healthy to have a vibrant private sector working alongside our more traditional universities”. This would create a “dynamic and flexible” degree system and could encourage online degrees, he said.

BPP which intends to offer healthcare and teaching degrees in future, will not receive public funding and will be allowed to set its own fees.

An increase in private universities could reduce the pressure on university places. Figures published this month by the university admissions service, Ucas, revealed that about 170,000 people will miss out on a place at university in England this autumn, as applications surged by 11.6% – a record high.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/26/first-private-university-30-years