University courses in the UK that fail to deliver good outcomes, with high drop-out rates and poor employment prospects will be subject to strict controls, according to an announcement from the prime minister and education secretary.

Under the plans, the Office for Students (OfS) will be asked to limit the number of students universities can recruit onto courses that are failing to deliver good outcomes for students.

“The UK has some of the world’s leading universities, but a minority of the courses on offer leave students saddled with debt, low earnings and faced with poor job prospects,” the Department of Education stated. “The government wants to make the system fairer for them, but also for taxpayers, who make a huge investment in higher education and are liable for billions of pounds in unrecovered tuition fees if graduate earnings are low.”

Figures from the Office for Students show that nearly three in ten graduates do not progress into highly skilled jobs or further study 15 months after graduating. The Institute for Fiscal Studies also estimates that one in five graduates would be better off financially if they had not gone to university.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said, “The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world and studying for a degree can be immensely rewarding. But too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor-quality course at the taxpayers’ expense that doesn’t offer the prospect of a decent job at the end of it.”

“That is why we are taking action to crack down on rip-off university courses, while boosting skills training and apprenticeships provision,” Sunak added. “This will help more young people to choose the path that is right to help them reach their potential and grow our economy.”

However, the announcement was criticised by the opposition Labour party whose shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, described it as "an attack on the aspirations of young people".

The advocacy group Universities UK said university was a great investment for the vast majority of students and a spokeswoman for the organisation warned any measures must be "targeted and proportionate, and not a sledgehammer to crack a nut".

As part of today’s announcements, the government will also reduce the maximum fee that universities can charge for classroom-based foundation year courses to £5,760, down from £9,250 currently.

The Office for Students will also continue work to make it easier for students to assess the quality of each university course, including its earnings potential, so that they can make the most informed decision about where and what to study.

Alongside the measures announced today to boost the quality of higher education, the government is going further still to support people and employers to take advantage of the wide range of free training options available to them, helping to fill skills gaps, get people into work and support the prime minister’s priority of growing the economy.

This includes launching a new digital platform from the autumn where people and employers can search for everything from apprenticeships and T Levels to Skills Bootcamps and essential skills courses - all in one place.

The government is also making it easier for employers to take on apprentices. This includes by cutting the steps needed to register to take on an apprentice by a third and updating 100 apprenticeships in sectors such as construction and healthcare so they reflect the latest technological advancements and so they work better for employers and apprentices.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, “Students and taxpayers rightly expect value for money and a good return on the significant financial investment they make in higher education.”

“These new measures will crack down on higher education providers that continue to offer poor quality courses and send a clear signal that we will not allow students to be sold a false promise,” Keegain said. “Wherever they choose to study, it is vital students can gain the skills needed to get great jobs and succeed – supporting the Prime Minister’s priority to grow our economy.”