Higher education in the United Kingdom

Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by Royal Charter, Papal Bull, Act of Parliament or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. For new public universities, approval is required from the Privy Council, while private universities may be granted the right to use the title by Companies House. The exact criteria for University title vary between the four countries of the United Kingdom. Degree awarding powers, which are three-tiered and allow the granting of foundation degrees, taught degrees, and research degree, are granted by the Privy Council on the advice of the Quality Assurance Agency.

Institutions that hold degree awarding powers are termed Recognised Bodies, this list includes all universities, university colleges and colleges of the University of London, some higher education colleges, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Degree courses may also be provided at Listed Bodies, leading to degrees validated by a Recognised Body. Undergraduate applications to almost all UK universities are managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

While legally, University refers to an institution that has been granted the right to use the title, in common usage it now normally includes colleges of the University of London, including in official documents such as the Dearing Report. These include a number of institutions that feature regularly in the league tables of the world's top universities, such as UCL, the LSE and King's College London.

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