Comparing the administrative and financial autonomy of higher education institutions in 7 eu countries

United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, universities enjoy extensive 
freedom regarding administration and management, 
which is paired with high levels of accountability.
9
Uni-
versities appoint their own staff and executives, and 
determine their own criteria for appointing and pro-
moting staff. They may set their own salaries, even 
though they usually offer compensation comparable 
to other institutions for similar positions. There are 
some constraints on the number of students in some 
subjects, notably in medicine, but institutions set their 
own admission criteria. There is no automatic right to 
entry. Universities determine their own profi le of aca-
8
OECD: Institutional Experiences of Quality Assessment in Higher 
Education - The Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg 2001; OECD: 
Institutional Experiences of Quality Assessment in Higher Education - 
The University of the Social Sciences, Toulouse I 2001.
9
OECD: Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Back-
ground Report – United Kingdom, 2006.

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UNIVERSITIES
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demic programmes, set research priorities, and plan 
their own capital programmes. Government funds are 
provided as block funds according to indexes such as 
the number of students that complete programmes. 
Research funding depends on the assessed qual-
ity and volume of research. There is also a borrowing 
constraint to protect public funds. Universities receive 
signifi cant income from private sources, and may 
charge fees. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher 
Education was established in 1997. It is a non-govern-
ment body owned by the organisations that represent 
the heads of UK universities, and has responsibility 
for managing academic standards and the quality of 
awards. It sets academic standards, outlines licensing 
responsibilities, advises the government and conducts 
external reviews of universities. Governing bodies usu-
ally include a large number of external members. The 
universities are accountable to the governing bodies 
and to the students, and they are subject to quality 
assessments. The governing bodies provide the fi rst 
line of accountability in terms of ensuring that the in-
stitutions meet the needs of students, local communi-
ties and society. There are term limits. Also, ultimately, 
the chief executive is responsible to the parliament for 
spending public money, and may be asked to appear 
before it. Financial matters are also subject to audits 
by the National Audit Offi ce. While institutions have 
broad autonomy, the government and the funding 
bodies can exercise power through the conditions of 
funding to ensure the implementation of their policies 
on higher education.