First Degree Level Higher Education

Details for First Degree Level Higher Education

The wider SIC framework has been part of UK business statistics since the 1940s, and Companies House previously used the older 4-digit SIC 2003 codes before moving during 2008–2009 to the present 5-digit SIC 2007 structure, which is aligned with European NACE Rev. 2 standards. This classification covers companies whose practical work is best described by the official label first-degree level higher education.

In plain English, it is likely to include training providers, tutors, colleges, learning centres, education support businesses and skills development organisations, with day-to-day activity often involving courses, tuition, assessments, learning materials, student support and professional development. As of June 2026, 85421 ranks 301st out of 731 five-digit SIC codes, with 2,929 UK companies registered under it, making it a mid-range classification rather than a mass-market filing choice. Where this is only part of a wider business model, the ability to file up to four SIC codes lets UK companies describe several genuine activities rather than forcing everything into one broad category.

The short official label is deliberately compact, so the real-world businesses behind it may describe themselves using broader phrases such as first-degree level higher education services, specialist first-degree level higher education providers, operators in related supply chains, or companies supporting customers who need this form of commercial activity. Taken together with location, age, filing history and other SIC selections, this code can help build a more rounded view of the market in which the company appears to operate. In practical terms, the code helps separate this kind of work from neighbouring sectors that may look similar in search results but involve different trading models, assets, customers or regulatory expectations.

It is also useful for analysts, lenders, marketers and public bodies because it gives a consistent way to group companies by declared activity, even though the description is not a licence, approval or guarantee of what a company actually does day to day. A company using this code might be newly incorporated, dormant, small and owner-managed, or part of a larger group, so the SIC entry should normally be read alongside accounts, confirmation statements, websites and other commercial signals.

Our Recently Formed marketing database is updated daily on the previous days company activity at Companies House to allow you to find new companies quickly and easily (whereas this categorised page of data counts is updated monthly). We provide the widest choice of filters available for Recently Formed Companies. And its not just Newly Formed companies - We have over 4 million companies - from new starters to companies over 100 years old, able to be filtered geographically or by category, but if you are looking to get in touch with companies within this category, the below table shows how many companies were added to the category, month by month over the last couple of years.