Guidance

Tolerance examples 2022 to 2023

Updated 13 February 2024

Applies to England

Under- and over-delivery

This guide shows examples of what your delivery may look like. You may find it useful to look at the relevant section in the T Level funding guidance for academic year 2022 to 2023.

Under-delivery

20% or lower – we will not recover any funding

Table 1 shows that the institution had 40 agreed students in band 6 and under-delivered by 5 (so 12.5%). Therefore, we have not reduced T Level student numbers for that band.

Table 1

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2022 to 2023 40 40 460 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 40 35    
no revision 40 40 460 1,000

Over 20% – we will recover funding

Where we reduce your student numbers, we will recover funding for:

  • industry placements
  • difference in funding between band 6 and band 5
  • additional funding paid for T Level students, the higher rate for disadvantage funding

Table 2 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 20 students in band 6, the tolerance of 20% is 8 students, so we remove the difference, which is 12 and we convert those 12 students to band 5.

Table 2

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2022 to 2023 40 40 460 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 40 20    
revision 40 28 472 1,000

Table 3 shows that the institution has under-delivered in both bands 6 and 7, by 20 students in each band. Therefore, we have reduced the numbers in both bands by 12 and moved these 24 students in total into band 5.

Table 3

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2021 to 2022 40 40 460 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 20 20    
revision 28 28 484 1,000

Over-delivery

Table 4 shows that the institution has over-delivered by 10 students in band 6. Therefore, we have increased the numbers in band 6 and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation. We will manage this through the usual exceptional in-year growth process.

Table 4

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation for all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2022 to 2023 30 40 450 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 30 50    
revision – increase in band 6 student numbers and reduction in band 5 (overall lagged student numbers remain constant) 30 50 440 1,000

Under-delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band

Table 5 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 15 students in T Level band 7 but over-delivered by 10 in band 6. We treat each band separately. We fund all additional T Level students and reduce the corresponding number from band 5. For under-delivery we apply the 20% tolerance. The under-delivery is 15, the tolerance is 8 students, so we reduce the planned numbers by the difference which is 7 students. These 7 are added to the band 5 student numbers.

Table 5

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2021 to 2022 40 40 460 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 25 50    
revision 33 50 457 1,000

Zero delivery overall

Table 6 shows that the institution had zero T Level delivery. In this case all students would be moved into band 5.

Table 6

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2021 to 2022 40 40 540 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022        
revision 0 0 620 1,000

Zero delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band

Table 7 shows that institution has zero T Level delivery at band 7 but over-delivered at band 6. The two bands are treated separated and as there was no delivery at band 7 all the students in that band would be moved to band 5.

For band 6 we have increased the numbers and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation.

Table 7

band 7 band 6 band 5 total students in allocation in all bands
agreed T Level student numbers for 2021 to 2022 40 40 460 1,000
T Level students in data return in autumn 2022 0 50    
revision 0 50 490 1,000