In two separate hearings revealed on December 19, the OfS granted approval for the College of Bolton to be renamed the College of Better Manchester, and for the College of Central Lancaster (UCLan) to change into the College of Lancashire.
The regulator permitted Bolton turning into the College of Better Manchester regardless of objections from the College of Manchester that the change can be “very complicated and deceptive”. Manchester Metropolitan College and the College of Salford additionally objected to the identify change.
In a session on UCLan’s rebranding to the College of Lancashire, 90% of the 1,812 respondents stated that the brand new identify might be “complicated or deceptive”, provided that the present Lancaster College carries the identical official title.
Throughout the ruling, the regulator thought-about the identify change might be significantly complicated for worldwide college students “much less acquainted with contextual info” however concluded that it was “unlikely to result in any materials hurt or detriment”.
The consultations in Bolton additionally garnered widespread opposition to the rebrand, with 64% of respondents saying the identify change might trigger confusion.
The OfS recognised that each cases might be complicated “for explicit teams of stakeholders, together with for instance these for whom English shouldn’t be their first language or who’ve difficulties in distinguishing or processing info”.
Nevertheless, it concluded that “the vary of contextual info that college students use when making use of to review” would assist to forestall materials hurt arising from such confusion.
The identify change is superb information for our college students, excellent information for the establishment, excellent information for the city and superb information for jobs
Professor George Holmes, College of Better Manchester
In each circumstances, the OfS dominated that its duties to guard the “institutional autonomy” of suppliers and “encourage competitors” between universities weighted in favour of consenting to each new names.
In Bolton, the proposals to alter the college’s identify sparked backlash from native politicians and members of the general public, with a movement put to Bolton Council in 2023 calling on the college to rethink the identify change.
Asserting the information on December 19, vice chancellor Professor George Holmes instructed a bunch of workers members that he was “delighted” to announce the change.
“The identify change is superb information for our college students, excellent information for the establishment, excellent information for the city and superb information for jobs,” stated Holmes, including that it was “an essential accolade to have the College of Better Manchester primarily based in Bolton”.
Professor Graham Baldwin, UCLan vice chancellor, additionally welcomed his establishment’s new title, saying that it might “higher replicate our regional financial significance and assist persevering with efforts to boost model consciousness additional afield.
“Domestically the acronym UCLan was broadly used however for a lot of exterior the area they didn’t realize it was the title of a college nor the place it was positioned,” stated Baldwin.
On December 2, 2024 the OfS introduced it was quickly pausing the registration of recent establishments, in addition to suspending functions for an establishment to alter its identify “the place it already holds college title”. Functions already submitted can be accomplished, it stated.