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Campaigners have called for religious colleges¡¯ access to student loan funding to be reviewed, with their focus on spiritual beliefs and values said to be incompatible with the English sector regulator¡¯s approach to academic freedom.

Members of the National Secular Society (NSS), an organisation that promotes the separation of church and state, have said it is ¡°absurd¡± that the Office for Students (OfS) is fining universities for alleged free speech breaches while allowing higher education institutions aligned with religions on its register.

At least 10 of these colleges ¨C typically Christian and offering degrees mainly focused on theology ¨C are registered with the OfS, allowing their students to access government-backed loans.

Under the regulator¡¯s public interest governance principles, registered providers must uphold academic freedom and freedom of speech.?The regulator is also set to gain new powers in August that will allow people to lodge free speech complaints against institutions.?

However, the governing statements of the religious colleges, which are published by the Charity Commission as many also operate as charities, expressly state their aim to promote Christianity ¨C something the NSS sees as in contravention of academic freedom.

Moorlands College, for example, a Dorset-based institution that offers courses such as a BA in applied theology,??are to ¡°maintain, advance and promote the Christian religion by the conduct of a college or colleges for the study and teaching of the Bible, Christian doctrine and related subjects and by the training of ministers of religion¡±.?

In another case, Birmingham Christian College, a fully owned subsidiary of the Church of Pentecost,??as to ¡°promote the advancement of the Christian faith in the United Kingdom and elsewhere by spreading the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ¡±.?

¡°Many of these organisations call themselves colleges but are actually churches,¡± said Chris Higgins, a member of the NSS¡¯ secular education forum and former vice-chancellor of Durham University.?

¡°The public sector is giving money designed for education directly to churches, and those churches are governed by pastors¡­whose primary loyalty is to the church and its beliefs, not to education.¡±

In 2024, Moorlands College received ?1,022,484 in fee income for taught degree programmes, as well as ?27,631 in grant income from the OfS.?

These institutions appear to mandate that students and staff adhere to Christian beliefs and values ¨C a requirement the NSS believes prevents academic freedom and freedom of speech.?

A??on Moorlands College¡¯s website, which was active as recently as October 2024, said: ¡°Discipleship is at the centre of the College¡¯s vision. We long to see our students¡¯ commitment to Jesus and love for God and people deepen and strengthen through their time at the College. The Bible is the basis of our teaching and action.¡±

The NSS first reported these colleges to the OfS in 2021 but believes little action has been taken. The OfS¡¯ policy on third-party notifications states it will not update notifiers on any actions taken or investigations launched as a result of a report.?

However, in January 2025, Arif Ahmed, director for freedom of speech and academic freedom at the OfS, and David Behan, interim chair of the OfS, met with Higgins, NSS member Keith Sharpe, a retired professor of education, and another NSS representative.

Ahmed then sent a letter to the group requesting another meeting to ¡°understand in more detail¡± the concerns raised.?

This letter was sent weeks before the sector regulator?issued a record fine?to the University of Sussex for breaching its free speech duties in connection to its handling of the resignation of its professor, Kathleen Stock. The regulator rebuked the institution over an equality policy that required trans people to be ¡°positively represented¡±.

¡°It is patently absurd to fine the University of Sussex for restricting freedom of speech in an internal policy document which could readily have been amended, while ignoring Bible colleges, whose foundation governing documents explicitly place a blanket restriction on freedom of speech and academic freedom,¡± Higgins and Sharpe said in a statement.?

The OfS said it was unable to comment on individual institutions.?

¡°Individual cases will depend on the facts,¡± a regulator spokesperson said. ¡°However, we expect all universities and colleges registered with the OfS to ensure that they meet our conditions of registration and, from 1 August 2025, the duties to secure and promote free speech under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.¡±

Moorlands College and Birmingham Christian College were contacted for comment.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com