Acronyms in the UK

 

‘Acronym' - a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words.  (Random House Unabridged Dictionary).  For example, HEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

There are a whole host of acronyms used in UK higher education and many can be confusing and unnecessary.  Martin Poulter, Economics Network at the University of Bristol has devised a useful 'acronym buster' that lists a number of common (and not so common) acronyms used in institutions in the UK.