Equivalent or lower qualification(ELQ)

All StudentCourseSessions at providers in England where Engagement.FEEELIG = 01 and Qualification.QUALCAT has a HESA level of E, M, H, I, J or C except where Engagement.INCOMINGEXCHANGE exists.

This field must not be returned outside of coverage.

For guidance from the Office for Students regarding Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (ELQs), please refer to the OfS HESES guidance.

Student on courses which are not assessed, as defined in HESES, can be coded as 09 Not required, namely:

• ITT students on courses leading to QTS
• INSET students who hold QTS
• NHS funded students who are non-fundable

Students who are exempt on the basis that they are claiming Disabled Students' Allowance should be coded 02 (Exempt ELQ)

Providers are required to make a reasonable assessment of the ELQ status for students covered by a current exemption. OfS recognise that providers may not routinely undertake a full assessment for students subject to an exemption and therefore this field may contain less accurate data for these students, however it is expected that it will provide a more robust assessment than a crude comparison of the student's qualification aim and highest qualification on entry (Qualification.QUALCAT and EntryProfile.HIGHESTQOE).