In this paper, the author explores the answers to the following questions: (1) What does the "marketisation" of higher education mean? (2) What are the potential implications for United Kingdom higher education? and (3) How should everyone handle those implications? He also cites the three main reasons why higher education cannot simply be left to the market, and has to have a "non-market" character: (1) Higher education confers both private and public goods; (2) Market entry must be regulated because of the role that universities play in producing, allocating and regulating knowledge, including particularly the knowledge required for professional work; and (3) It is, information that is the most crucial weakness, the Achilles heel for those who favor full marketization. He also discusses how some competition in the provision of undergraduate programmes and awards is beneficial in terms of overall responsiveness, innovation, and efficiency.