Do education and profit provide a healthy mix? The sort of question to get policy-makers all hot under the collar is gradually being played out by one of our best known providers of legal education. When BPP agreed to a 620p-per-share offer from Apollo Global in June, the £303m takeover was the biggest buyout of a public company in the UK since the collapse of Lehman Brothers last year. It also signalled significant potential for change in UK higher education if some observers in The Independent are to be believed. The paper examined the implications for both legal and higher education in the UK last week.

Putting the takeover in context – Apollo owns the University of Phoenix, the largest for-profit university in the USA with more than 400,000 students and ambitious plans to expand globally. According to The Independent "Phoenix has been spooking American and British universities for years because it educates its students, who are working adults taking vocational courses, relatively cheaply. It packs them in and makes a great deal of money, which is why it is known as the McDonald’s of the university world." Sounds low rent; don’t be fooled.

Some think that disparagingly named ‘McDonalds’ of universities, with its little known brand and competition with subsidised UK universities only poses a minor threat to higher education in the UK. Nigel Savage, chief executive of the College of Law which, like BPP has its own degree-awarding powers, thinks otherwise. He says that the takeover of BPP will have implications that will be felt far beyond law schools. Need convinving, check out the view of someone who has first hand experience in the business of education on Charon QC’ s blog . Our tuppence – we’d be inclined to agree that a £1.9bn turnover company like Apollo isn’t going to buy a business just to see it sit on its laurels…
American owner of McDonald’s of higher education gets foothold in UK market [The Independent]
BPP…. The “McDonalds” of law schools? Surely not? [Charon QC]
BPP Set for £300m Takeover [SolicitR]