Is this a good school or a British equivalent of for-profit? Or something else in between? I can't figure it out.. http://www.lsbf.org.uk/
LSBF is a private school; it was recently described as "a non-profit institution that is part of a group with for-profit interests". Like most private universities in the UK, they don't have the authority to grant degrees; however, they are trying to get such authority. Their degrees are currently granted through partnerships with other universities (formerly the University of Wales). They got a lot of attention a few years ago when they introduced “the world’s first internationally recognized M.B.A. to be delivered through a Facebook application.” The London School of Business and Finance (est. 2003) should not be confused with the older and more prestigious London School of Economics (est. 1895), which is a public research university.
I would be cautious. There have been a lot of concerns about UK schools that don't issue their own degrees, but which get "validation" from other universities. The University of Wales used to be heavily involved in this business -- including a relationship with LSBF -- but was recently forced to discontinue such operations. Now LSBF works with London Metropolitan University, and there have been some concerns there too. In theory, what LSBF is doing is "legitimate and okay". In practice, it hasn't always worked out successfully.
Also consider that London Met comes in always in the last spots of any UK-ranking. I believe it even was one of the universities that refused to participate at one point due to their bad ranking.
Good info thanks. This seems like an odd way to get a school started, but maybe it is the only way for a new school to get going in EU?
I don't know - I think it is the cheapest way. If it is good for the quality of the education... I don't know. I always think: What will an employer see when he puts the schools name on Google? And the Wikipedia article is also not very promising...