Learning & Teaching

Business and management courses are the most popular subjects in UK universities. Business schools teach the largest number of students and have the largest number of academic staff of all the subjects taught in the UK.

Due to the large population of students and staff our business schools make significant contributions to the regions and cities in which they are situated. As a consequence of student recruitment and teaching activities business schools support local job creation, provide employers with high-level skills, and enhance regional levelling-up and prosperity.

Our international students create diversity in our classrooms and, when they graduate, enhance the UK's soft power abroad through enduring relationships, future collaboration and trade with the UK.

The business school student population 

• 1 in 6 of all students studying at UK university are studying business & management. That’s 441,700 students.

• 1 in 3 of all international students studying in the UK are on a business course.

• 1 in 5 of all postgraduate students are on a business or management course.

• Business students are responsible for 23% of all graduate start-ups from UK universities.

Student satisfaction 

Student satisfaction is one of the highest priorities for UK business schools and is consistently rated highly by members of the Chartered ABS when they are asked about strategic priorities in our Annual Membership Survey. In the 2023 Chartered ABS Annual Membership Survey, student satisfaction received the highest rating in terms of importance relative to other strategic priorities.

The Chartered ABS produces an annual analysis of the National Student Survey (NSS) results for Business & Management and Law, with the analysis for the former split into constituent subjects such as Accounting, Finance, and Marketing. For the 2023 NSS, Business & Management had higher average positivity measures than the all-subject average for 6 out of 7 of the themes.

The reduction in fees for Foundation Years threatens access to higher education and does not meet the cost of delivery 

The government's decision in 2023 to reduce the fees chargeable for a classroom-based foundation year to £5,670 places further pressure on the sector to balance the needs of learners with the cost of provision. This decision may force providers to either drop this much-valued form of provision or cross-subsidise it from elsewhere. Foundation Years are often taken up by students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for some people, represents their first opportunity to access higher education or to re-train.

Regulation of learning and teaching in UK universities 

Condition B3 and the 2023 OfS quality assessments need to use appropriate metrics and consider local context 

• Our members question the fairness and appropriateness of the metrics used for condition B3. They do not measure the value added by higher education in terms of a student’s learning gain nor account for the fact that what could be considered a ‘good’ outcome varies according to a student’s ability and background.

• The ‘Graduate Outcomes’ survey is an inadequate measure of outcomes and should be replaced by a longitudinal measure covering at least 10 years of data. 

• The OfS quality assessments would benefit from considering the local environment of institutions such as the number of students from widening participation neighbourhoods.