Universities could be in private hands 'in six months'

A private equity firm or private higher education provider will buy a UK university in whole or part "within the next six months", according to a sector legal expert.

The prediction by Glynne Stanfield, a partner in the education group at Eversheds, comes as government documents reveal that a US private equity firm, Warburg Pincus, has twice met with David Willetts, the universities and science minister.
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More likely, Mr Stanfield said, a private equity firm or trade buyer could buy a stake in a university, providing the institution with working capital in return for using its degree-awarding powers overseas, for example.
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By buying a university in whole or part, a private firm could circumvent the established process for winning degree-awarding powers, which are granted by the Privy Council on the advice of the Quality Assurance Agency.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=417767&c=1