Invitation to tender2 September 2026
Open call for higher education providers
We are appointing higher education providers to evaluate the impact of their undergraduate financial support schemes. Working with an independent evaluator, providers will use quasi-experimental designs to test the causal relationship between an intervention and outcomes. The project will run between January and June 2027.
Introduction
TASO aims to improve lives through evidence-based practice in higher education. Our vision is to eliminate equality gaps for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, allowing all students to have the same chance to enter higher education, get a good degree and progress into further study or employment.
TASO is an affiliate ‘What Works Centre’ and is part of the UK government’s What Works Network. This means that TASO is committed to the generation, synthesis and dissemination of high-quality evidence about effective practice in widening participation and student success.
Financial support is a crucial lever in higher education policy, shaping providers’ strategic planning and day-to-day operations. This form of financial support influences the academic outcomes and experiences of students, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. However, while various financial aid models are currently used, further evidence is needed to determine how specific financial support structures, delivery mechanisms and level of support are related to student success.
Scope of the evaluation
We are seeking to appoint up to three providers to collaborate with an independent evaluator.
- Retrospective impact evaluation: The evaluation will draw on providers’ existing institutional data to assess the causal impact of financial support on student outcomes. Proposed methodologies will use retrospective quasi-experimental designs (QEDs), including statistical techniques such as difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, and interrupted time-series analysis.
- Implementation fidelity: While a full implementation and process evaluation (IPE) is not required, providers will need to provide monitoring data as part of the evaluation to assess the fidelity of the financial support schemes.
- Evaluation design: The specific QED methodologies will be finalised post-appointment in consultation with TASO, the independent evaluator, and participating providers.
Example interventions
The aim of this commission is to evaluate the causal impact of financial support schemes on student outcomes. Within English higher education, financial support primarily encompasses bursary schemes but also may extend to other means-tested assistance. This may include tuition discounts, targeted grants, hardship funds and fee waivers. We are interested in how different types of financial support structures, delivery mechanisms and level of support (for example, bursary amounts and how the support is provided) are related to student success.
Please note: Schemes where eligibility is purely merit-based are out of scope for this evaluation.
Given the retrospective nature of the evaluation, the outcome measures will depend on the institutional data that is already available. Therefore, relevant outcome measures could include but are not limited to:
- attainment (for example: module marks, end-of-year marks, degree classifications)
- continuation to next stage of study
- withdrawal from studies
- completion
- progression to further study or employment
- student engagement in their studies (for example, such as whether students are attending lectures, or accessing online material).
- engagement with support services.
Requirements for providers
The successful providers will work directly with the independent evaluator and TASO to deliver all elements of the project outlined in this brief (see Table 1 for an overview of the partner roles and responsibilities).
- Workshops: As part of the initial scoping phase, the evaluator will run individual in-person workshops with each provider to develop a theory of change for each intervention that will inform the evaluation.
- Ethical approval: Providers will be responsible for securing ethical approval if required (for example, from their institution’s research ethics committee) for the impact evaluation. The independent evaluator and TASO will support this process as appropriate.
- Data protection: TASO will manage data protection and the development of a data-sharing agreement between the provider, evaluator and TASO.
- Institutional and outcome data: The providers will be responsible for compiling existing institutional data, including historic records on financial support uptake, student eligibility criteria, student engagement, and academic outcomes, linking with demographic data, and then anonymising the data before securely transferring them to the evaluator.
TASO will organise fortnightly meetings with the provider and evaluator to monitor progress.
Table 1. Project responsibilities.
Project Timeline
The project will take place between January and June 2027 with data analysis anticipated in April 2027 and reporting in June 2027. The project timeline is in Table 2.
Table 2. Project timeline.
Quality assurance
Throughout all stages of this evaluation, TASO will seek assurance from providers and the independent evaluator that the highest quality standards have been met. We expect to see draft copies of all the key deliverables including analytical strategies, data specifications, regression tables, and final reports.
Funding for selected providers
Providers will be eligible to receive funding of up to £10,000 (excluding VAT) to cover resourcing for the project, including staff time in workshops, meetings, and to collate and share data.
Shortlisted providers will be expected to provide a budget prior to contracting.
Provider eligibility
- The lead applicant must be a registered English higher education provider in the approved (fee cap) category.
How to apply
The financial support schemes to be evaluated will be decided via an open commissioning process. A timeline is presented in Table 3.
Applications will be made through an online application form. Full details of the required information are in the Appendix, but in brief applicants will be required to submit the following information as part of their application:
- Institutional information on financial support schemes: Detail on historic or existing financial support schemes to assess data availability, quality, and the overall feasibility of deploying QED methodologies. We anticipate that at least four years of data and a record of the eligibility criteria will be required to evaluate the financial support schemes using retrospective QEDs but this will be agreed in collaboration with the providers and evaluator post the commission.
- Team capacity: Details of the core project team, including relevant expertise and capacity to deliver the project.
We welcome submissions for multiple financial support schemes from a single provider. If providers wish to submit information about more than one scheme then they should make separate applications. Providing details on different financial support schemes that are available will help us to determine the most effective methodology for the impact evaluation and provide opportunities to test different support structures and delivery mechanisms.TASO will then select partner providers based on the following factors:
- The feasibility of evaluation based on a combination of sample size, eligibility criteria of the financial support scheme(s), and the availability of data for quantitative impact evaluation,
- That the team provides suitable resourcing to enable the evaluation.
Table 3. Application timeline.
In the first instance please collate the required information about your financial support scheme see Appendix) and enter it into the online application form (deadline for submission is 13:00 on 12 October 2026).
- There will be an information webinar on 17 September 2026 with a Q&A session.
- Clarification questions can be emailed to research@taso.org.uk until 5 October 2026. TASO will endeavour to circulate a response to these queries within 3-4 working days.
- Providers who have multiple financial support schemes that they wish to be considered for evaluation should submit separate applications for each scheme. We will then connect these applications.
- For a support scheme where the eligibility criteria change, a single application will suffice as the application form contains sufficient options to provide details of up to two changes in eligibility criteria.
- The application deadline is 13:00, Monday 12 October. TASO will use the applications to create a shortlist of those that we believe are most suitable for evaluation using QEDs.
- We will make and communicate our decision by week commencing 2 November 2026.
Information session
Join us for a webinar on 17 September to learn more about the aims of the project, what participation will involve, and how to apply. You’ll also have an opportunity to put your questions directly to the project team.
Appendix: Application form required information – Retrospective evaluations of financial support in higher education (TASO/41)
We have provided this appendix to help you gather the information required for the application. Once you have this information, please complete the online application form by 13.00 on Monday 12 October 2026. Note that hyperlinks to web-based information will not be accepted, and, if included, will not be evaluated. Please do not email us a copy of this document.
Please submit separate application forms for different financial support schemes.
Section A: Contact details
- Email address
- Lead organisation
- Contact name
Section B: Financial support scheme details
Scheme 1: Eligibility and availability
We would like to test student outcomes up to and including completion. Therefore, we are likely to need at least four years of outcome data including the first year the financial support was available to the student (assuming the support is available from a student’s first year).
You will have an opportunity to enter details for a single scheme with up to two further changes in eligibility criteria.
- Scheme 1: Type
- What kind of financial support scheme are you describing?
- Answers: Bursary, Fee Waiver, Hardship fund, Other
- Scheme 1: Eligibility criteria
- Please list the eligibility criteria for the scheme in the academic year 2016-17 or when the scheme was first introduced (whichever is later). (max 1500 characters)
- Scheme 1: Availability
- Please indicate which years this support scheme ran using these eligibility criteria.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Scheme 1: Minimum value
- What was the minimum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Scheme 1: Maximum value
- What was the maximum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Scheme 1: Distribution
- How was the support provided by this scheme distributed to students? Please include details about frequency and distribution method. For example, was it distributed annually or termly and direct to a bank account or as a prepaid card? (max 150 characters)
- Scheme 1: Eligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were eligible for this scheme each year during the academic years selected above? If you don’t know enter -1
- Scheme 1: Claimants
- On average how many undergraduate students received support from this scheme each year during the academic years selected above?
- Scheme 1: Number of ineligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were not eligible for the scheme each year during the academic years selected above? For example, if only a subset of first-year students are eligible then report the number of first-year students who would be ineligible. For hardship funds, enter the average annual number of undergraduate students who did not claim from the fund.
- Eligibility change 1: Change in eligibility
- Did the eligibility criteria for this scheme change after the last academic year selected above?
- Answers: Yes, No
Eligibility change 1: Eligibility and availability
Respondents will only need to provide answers in this section if they indicate there was a change in eligibility criteria.
- Eligibility change 1: Criteria
- Please list the changed eligibility criteria for the scheme? (max 1500 characters)
- Eligibility change 1: Availability
- Please indicate which years this support scheme ran using these changed eligibility criteria.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Eligibility change 1: Minimum value
- What was the minimum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Eligibility change 1: Maximum value
- What was the maximum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Eligibility change 1: Distribution
- How was the support provided by this scheme distributed to students? Please include details about frequency and distribution method. For example, was it distributed annually or termly and direct to a bank account or as a prepaid card? (max 150 characters)
- Eligibility change 1: Eligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were eligible for this scheme each year during the academic years selected above? If you don’t know, enter -1.
- Eligibility change 1: Claimants
- On average how many undergraduate students received support from this scheme each year during the academic years selected above?
- Eligibility change 1: Number of ineligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were not eligible for the scheme each year during the academic years selected above? For example, if only a subset of first-year students are eligible then report the number of first-year students who would be ineligible. For hardship funds, enter the average annual number of undergraduate students who did not claim from the fund.
- Eligibility change 2: Change in eligibility
- Did the eligibility criteria for this scheme change after the last academic year selected above?
- Answers: Yes, No
Eligibility change 2: Eligibility and availability
Respondents will only need to provide answers in this section if they indicate there was another change in eligibility criteria
- Eligibility change 2: Eligibility criteria
- Please list the changed eligibility criteria for the scheme (max 1500 characters)
- Eligibility change 2: Availability
- Please indicate which years this support scheme ran using these changed eligibility criteria.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Eligibility change 2: Minimum value
- What was the minimum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Eligibility change 2: Maximum value
- What was the maximum annual value (£) of the scheme to each individual student?
- Eligibility change 2: Distribution
- How was the support provided by this scheme distributed to students? Please include details about frequency and distribution method. For example, was it distributed annually or termly and direct to a bank account or as a prepaid card? (max 150 characters)
- Eligibility change 2: Eligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were eligible for this scheme each year during the academic years selected above? If you don’t know enter -1.
- Eligibility change 2: Claimants
- On average how many undergraduate students received support from this scheme each year during the academic years selected above?
- Eligibility change 2: Number of ineligible students
- On average how many undergraduate students were not eligible for the scheme each year during the academic years selected above? For example, if only a subset of first-year students are eligible then report the number of first-year students who would be ineligible. For hardship funds, enter the average annual number of undergraduate students who did not claim from the fund.
- Additional eligibility changes
- Were there any further changes made to the eligibility criteria? If so please list them here and when they occurred. Please list any other changes to the delivery of the scheme or the amounts involved, (max 1000 characters)
Section C: Other Information
- Additional support
- Were students eligible for your institution’s financial support scheme offered any mandatory or additional support alongside that provided by the scheme? For example, budgeting support, priority accommodation, etc. Please provide details. (max 1000 characters)
- Theory of change
- Do you have a theory of change for the scheme? Will you be able to share this with us if you are shortlisted?
- Answers: Yes – we can share, Yes – we cannot share, No
- OfS Toolkit
- Has your institution used the OfS Financial Support Evaluation Toolkit to design or evaluate your scheme? Select all that apply.
- Answers: Design, Evaluate, Not used, Don’t know
Section D: Outcomes
For each of the following outcome data, which academic years do you have access to that data for your student population. We will need to link this data to student demographic data to carry out the evaluation.
Please tick all years for which you have data available regardless of whether or not this coincided with when you offered a financial support scheme.
- Attainment: Years available
- Number of academic years for which you hold complete or nearly complete attainment data. Select all that apply.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Attainment: Other information
- Please list any other relevant information. For example, type of attainment data such as module grades or end-of-year marks. (max 500 characters)
- Continuation: Years available
- Number of academic years for which you hold complete or nearly complete continuation data. That is, whether a student continues into the next year of study or completes their studies. Select all that apply.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Continuation: Other information
- Please list any other relevant information. (max 500 characters)
- Withdrawal: Years available
- Number of academic years for which you hold complete or nearly complete data about whether or not a student withdraws from their studies. Select all that apply.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Withdrawal: Other information
- Please list any other relevant information. For example, if you record the reasons for student withdrawal or the withdrawal date? (max 500 characters)
- Academic engagement: Years available
- Number of academic years for which you hold complete or nearly complete academic engagement data. This data could include, but is not limited to, lecture attendance, virtual learning environment logins, library book use, and so on. Select all that apply.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Academic engagement: Other information
- If applicable, what engagement data is available? For example, attendance, virtual learning environment logins etc. (max 500 characters)
- Support services engagement: Years Available
- Data about student engagement with support services. Select all that apply.
- Answers: 2016-17,2017-18,2018-19,2019-20,2020-21,2021-22,2022-23,2023-24,2024-25,2025-26
- Support services engagement: Other information
- If applicable, what support services engagement data is available? (max 500 characters)
- Other outcomes
- Other outcomes. If applicable, please list other available outcomes and the academic years for which you have data for the student population. (max 1000 characters)
Section E: Team
- Team
- Please list the staff involved in the project (name and job title) and how they will contribute to the project. This might include senior management who provide the necessary backing for the project, those accessing and providing the data, staff liaising with TASO and the evaluator. (max 1000 characters)
Section F: Declarations
- Sharing
- If your application is successful we will commission an organisation to evaluate the project. In that case we would share anonymous information about your financial support scheme with prospective evaluators.
- Answers: I understand
- Budget
- If your application is successful we will offer a contract to provide up to £10,000 (ex VAT) to cover resourcing for the project subject to the provision of an acceptable budget, and the satisfactory completion of a financial stability assessment of your institution and a data protection due diligence check by TASO.
- Answers: I understand
- Data-sharing agreement
- I understand that our institution will need to enter into a data-sharing agreement with TASO and an independent evaluator to share student outcomes and demographic data
- Answers: I understand