All valid UK degrees are awarded by a university or other legally approved degree-awarding body that has overall responsibility for the academic standards and quality of the qualification. Precise arrangements for how degree awarding powers are granted depend on where in the UK the applicant institution is based.
Our guide provides an overview of the types of degree awarding powers, what they mean, who is suitable to apply for them, and how their suitability is checked. It also includes information about the right to be called a university ('university title')..
Publication date: 22 Aug 2018
Applicants must fulfill the relevant guidance and criteria, and applications must be submitted to the relevant government body or in England to the Office for Students, depending on where the UK applicant institution is based. Information about what is expected and how to apply is provided in our published handbooks.
An application fee is required at the point of submission followed by a separate scrutiny fee should the application progress to a full scrutiny. Fees cover the costs of a typical scrutiny incurred up to and including a scrutiny team final report. Should any substantial additional expenditure be incurred as part of a detailed scrutiny, a further charge may be made to ensure costs are recovered. Further details on fees are available in the relevant DAP handbook in our guidance and criteria’ section.
Applications that meet the requirements are passed to us. Where there is a case to proceed, the application will be tested in detail by a specially appointed team who will visit the institution and review evidence over an extended period of time. On the basis of ACDAP's consideration of the team’s report we provide advice on whether the relevant criteria have been met.
See the guidance and criteria section for details.
This committee considers applications for degree awarding powers (DAP) and/or university title (UT). It also oversees the criteria and scrutiny processes used to assess applications. ACDAP is made up of both Board and external members and meets quarterly.
