ENGLAND — Government ministers in England are considering a policy requiring students to pass GCSE English to access government-backed tuition and maintenance loans. More than 30,000 domestic students enroll in full-time university courses in England each year without formal qualifications such as GCSEs.

Last year, over 33,000 domestic students beginning full-time first degree studies lacked formal qualifications, including GCSEs or A-levels. Universities including Bath Spa and Leeds Trinity admitted more than half of their domestic students without recorded formal qualifications in the previous academic year. Many students without formal qualifications attend university courses taught through franchise arrangements with external colleges.

Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of the MillionPlus group, commented on the proposal. "Universities are autonomous institutions, and if a student can meet their requirements, is willing to take on that investment and is assessed to be capable, MillionPlus questions why the government thinks placing additional barriers in their way is the correct way forward." Hewitt said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education stated that the department would not comment on speculation regarding the minimum grade requirement proposals. The spokesperson also said, "We are restoring our world-class universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth. That is why we are cracking down on poor-quality courses so that students can be confident they’re getting value for money from university degrees."

The government plans to reduce its strategic priorities teaching grant for university courses in England by 100 million pounds for the 2026-27 academic year, bringing the total to approximately 1.25 billion pounds. Funding for creative higher education institutions in Britain has decreased by approximately 50 percent.