Richmond London Granted Degree-Awarding Powers to 2029

Sometimes the most important education stories arrive disguised as legal paperwork. In an order made on 14 May 2026 and brought into force on 15 May 2026, the Office for Students authorised Richmond, The American International University in London, Inc. - also known as Richmond, The American International University in London - to grant taught awards in England. Put plainly, Richmond can award its own taught degrees under this order from 15 May 2026 until the end of 15 May 2029. That is the central fact in the statutory instrument published on legislation.gov.uk, even if the original wording is written more for lawyers than for students.

If you are wondering what 'degree-awarding powers' actually are, you are not alone. In England, a higher education provider cannot simply teach courses and then decide to hand out recognised degrees in its own name. It needs legal authorisation to do that. When that authorisation exists, the provider can award qualifications itself rather than relying on another awarding body. The order says Richmond is authorised to grant taught awards under section 42(2)(a) of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. In everyday language, this is about qualifications linked to taught study rather than research degrees. So the order is important, but it is not a blanket permission covering every possible type of university award.

The other phrase worth slowing down for is 'fixed period'. Richmond has not been given an open-ended authorisation here. The permission begins on 15 May 2026 and expires at the end of 15 May 2029, giving it a clear three-year term. What this means is simple: fixed-term authorisation is one way higher education regulation works in England. It gives the regulator a set point at which the provider’s position can be looked at again. That does not automatically mean something is wrong. It means the permission comes with a deadline, and that deadline matters.

The source text also makes clear that this was not meant to be a rubber-stamp exercise. The Office for Students says it requested advice from the relevant body about the quality of, and standards applied to, the higher education provided by Richmond, and that it had regard to that advice before making the order. For students, that may sound distant and technical, but the idea is straightforward. England’s higher education regulator is meant to check quality and standards before degree-awarding powers are confirmed. The order was signed by Jean Arnold, Interim Director of Quality and Access at the Office for Students, on 14 May 2026, which gives the decision both a legal and a regulatory trail.

One line in the order is easy to miss, but it matters. Richmond may authorise other institutions to grant the same taught awards on its behalf. That does not mean every partner institution would suddenly become an independent degree-awarding body in its own right. It means the order allows Richmond to let another institution make those awards on Richmond’s behalf if it chooses to do so. If you are comparing courses, this is a useful reminder that the place where you study and the body that awards the degree are not always the same.

There is also a quiet line at the end saying no impact assessment was produced because, in the wording of the instrument, there is no impact on businesses, civil society organisations or the public sector. In official terms, this is presented as a technical regulatory decision rather than a sweeping policy change. For students and staff, though, it still has a human meaning. It tells you who is legally allowed to award Richmond’s taught degrees in England, when that permission began, and when it is due to end. What to watch next is the end date: 15 May 2029. If the position is to continue after that, fresh legal cover will need to be in place. That is the wider lesson in this small piece of law: higher education regulation is not just paperwork. It decides who can award degrees, under what conditions, and for how long.