Written question WQ95241
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What impact assessment has the Welsh Government undertaken to evaluate the long-term impact of tuition fee increases on student enrollment and retention in Welsh universities?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Further and Higher Education
The Welsh Government sets a small number of tuition fee limits via legislation to ensure that higher education is affordable. We have taken the recent decision to increase these tuition fee limits for the 2025/26 academic year to the same level as in England. However, the charging of tuition fees is a matter for each provider of higher education.
A student will be able to apply for an increased maximum fee loan of up to £9,535. Importantly, this means no Welsh domiciled student has upfront costs to meet. In addition, we also continue to offer the most generous student living costs support package for full-time undergraduates in the UK, with the highest levels of non-repayable grant support provided to those most in need. Any increase in fee will not affect the amount of money available to students whilst they study, neither will this result in graduates repaying more each month.