There are increasing demands for higher levels of data assurance in higher education. This paper explores some of the drivers for this trend, and then explains what stakeholders mean by the concept of data assurance, since this has not been well defined previously. The paper captures insights from existing literature, stakeholders, auditors, and the university case experience of the authors to produce a logical model of data assurance. The model seeks to make the best use of scarce resources to deliver the stakeholders' assurance expectations, reducing redundancy and minimising the risks of omission. A logical and layered approach to the problem best delivers these outcomes. The paper concludes with a consideration of implementation issues, and demonstrates how traditional differences between academics and administrators in this difficult area may be addressed. While the paper is located in the English context, the principles will have wider applicability under other regulatory regimes. (Contains 5 figures.)