UNIVERSITY College Worcester has taken a giant stride to winning full university status after being invited to lodge a bid by the Government.

Higher Education Minister Margaret Hodge has published criteria for "quality" higher education institutions to become fully-fledged universities.

Confirming plans revealed by the Evening News earlier this year, she said colleges which awarded their own degrees would be allowed to bid.

Mrs Hodge pointed out University College Worcester met the criteria.

UCW has made it clear it wants to win university status and has lobbied Ministers to be upgraded as early as 2004.

But Mrs Hodge's comments are the first public recognition that UCW is a front-runner in the race to benefit from the new rules.

City MP Mike Foster, a ministerial aide to Mrs Hodge, said today: "This is a clear hint the Government is looking as a matter of urgency at giving Worcester full university status.

"That is what we lobbied Ministers for earlier this year and what we told Education Secretary Charles Clarke when he visited in April.

"I'm delighted that speedy progress seems to have been made.

"Coupled with planned expansion to a second campus, this promises to be a real boost to the regeneration of that part of the city.

"But it will also boost businesses and services within the two counties that will benefit from university status."

Mrs Hodge said: "The most important requirement for the university title should be the quality of an institution's teaching and the number of students enrolled.

"Quality and standards will remain the overriding factor for granting degree awarding powers."