Who’s rushing towards UK Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs) and University Title (UT) application now it’s open?
- Charlotte Gorse
- Sep 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 26
After being closed for eight months, the OfS has recently reopened applications for DAPs, UT and OfS Registration in England. Some providers will be thinking that it’s now their moment to unlock ‘brand UK HE’, building prestige and autonomy for their institution. Others will need to urgently restart their strategic plan, and a few might pause for thought, given wider challenges within UK Higher Education. Whichever scenario, each institution must be clear about the unique benefits for them as they move forward.
Why Degree Awarding Powers Matter:
● Agility: having DAPs gives you the ability to move faster and innovate your portfolio at pace.
● Industry Leadership: being autonomous, you can drive freely specialist subject needs and deliver better graduate employability for your own institution.
● Internationalisation: UK degrees ultimately build credibility, support brand equity and give access to a global marketplace.
Potential Challenges:
● Fit: will DAPs and UT fit your institutional long-term vision, and will they help to set you further apart from competition in a crowded UK higher education sector?
● Complexity: misunderstanding OfS assessment criteria can cost time and money, prioritising the wrong investments. Use advice regularly from those who’ve mapped, lived and assessed the DAPs process previously.
● Up to Date Knowledge: regulatory priorities change fairly frequently. Invest in team training to be aware of OfS developments throughout the process.
Some Tips for the DAPs Journey:
● Trend Analysis: with only 20+ institutions having DAPs approval or underway on the journey, there are successes and risks to learn from. Watch closely, read reports, listen to experts and apply the findings to your own context.
● Thoroughly Self-Assess: combine rigorous internal review with impartial external feedback throughout. This will reveal hidden blind spots and strengthen your unique institutional positioning and relevance.
● Stamina and Resilience: foster your key intellectual resources whilst you keep your performance returns improving as projected. Whilst many focus upon physical, human and infrastructure budget needs, institutional stability and drive are just as vital.
Final Thought:
Successful DAPs journeys aren’t just about compliance; they’re about smart institutional actions every day. Know what you need, act decisively and always have a plan B.
Leaders: what could new DAP institutions bring to UK Higher Education?
