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Can I get higher education funding in Wales?
If you normally live in Wales, regardless of where you’re studying in the UK, you may be eligible for funding from Student Finance Wales – a partnership between the Welsh Government, local authorities and the Student Loans Company. To get the funding, you and your course must be eligible for it. For more details, see Can I get higher education funding in the UK?
Where can I study?
Most of the funding from Student Finance Wales is available if you’re undertaking a course at a university or college in the UK. If you study in England, Northern Ireland or Scotland, you can get the same funding as if you were studying in Wales. For students starting on or after 1 September 2012 who get their funding in Wales, all UK universities and colleges (including Scotland) charge tuition fees up to £9,000 a year.
If you’re taking a course at a UK institution that includes a placement year during which you study outside the UK, you still get funding from Student Finance Wales for the year abroad.
However, if you want to take your entire course at a university or college outside the UK, you can’t get the funding outlined here. See I want to study outside the UK – what higher education funding can I get?
I started my course on or after 1 September 2012 – what government support can I get?
If you started your course on or after 1 September 2012 you can get the following support from Student Finance Wales (these figures are for 2013/2014):
- Tuition fee loan: each year you can borrow up to £3,575 to pay for your tuition fees. The money is paid directly to your university or college, and you must pay back the loan when you’ve finished your course and you’re earning enough.
- Tuition fee grant: if the tuition fees you need to pay are more than £3,575, you can get a grant each year to cover the difference between the maximum tuition fee loan you can borrow and the actual fee you’re charged. For example, if your university charges £9,000 a year, you can borrow £3,575 and your grant covers the remaining £5,425. The grant is paid directly to your university or college, and you don’t need to pay it back.
- Maintenance loan: each year you can get a loan to cover living costs (eg accommodation, food, books). The amount you can borrow depends on your household income (your parents’ or partner’s income plus yours). You can borrow up to £5,150 a year if you live away from home and more if you live in London. If you live at home with your parents while you study you can’t borrow as much. You can borrow up to £6,140 if you spend a year of your UK course studying abroad. The money is paid directly into your bank account, and you must pay it back when you’ve finished your course and you’re earning enough.
- Assembly Learning Grant: you can get a grant each year to help with your living costs, which you don’t have to pay back. The amount you can get depends on your household income – if that’s over £50,020 a year you don’t get anything. The maximum grant is £5,161, and the higher your grant, the less maintenance loan you can borrow. The money is paid directly into your bank account.
- Special support grant: depending on your circumstances, you may get a special support grant instead of an Assembly Learning Grant (eg if you’re a single parent, disabled, eligible to receive income support or housing benefit). You don’t need to pay it back. The amount you get is the same as the Assembly Learning Grant and depends on your household income, but it doesn’t reduce the amount of maintenance loan you can borrow, and it isn’t taken into account when calculating the means-tested benefits you’re entitled to.
- Long courses loan: if you have to attend your course for longer than 30 term-time weeks (plus short holidays) a year, you’re entitled to an additional loan to cover your living costs. The amount you get depends on your household income – up to £90 for each extra week if you live away from home, and more if you live and study in London or study abroad for a year. If you live at home with your parents while you study you can’t borrow as much.
Here’s the government’s information on student finance for new students. There’s also a calculator to help you get an idea of what you’re entitled to. Also, have a look at How and when do I repay my student loan?
I started my course before 1 September 2012 – what government support can I get?
If you started your course before 1 September 2012, you can get the same package of support that was available the year you started your course. For example, you pay the same amount of tuition fees as you always have, and therefore you can get the same tuition fee support as before.
This still applies if you’ve taken time out from your studies or changed your course. For more information, see:
The funding you can get from the government is different to what more recent students can get, and depends on the year you started your course (the following figures are for 2013/2014):
- Tuition fee loan: each year you can borrow up to £3,465 to pay for your tuition fees (slightly more if you’re studying in Northern Ireland). The money is paid directly to your university or college, and you must pay back the loan when you’ve finished your course and you’re earning enough.
- Tuition fee grant: if the tuition fees you need to pay are more than £1,380, you may be able to get a grant each year to help pay for fees over that amount. You can get a grant of up to £2,085 if you live and study in Wales and started your course between 2006/2007 and 2009/2010 (or you were a gap-year student in 2010/11). You must pay the first £1,380 of fees yourself, for which you can borrow a tuition fee loan. The grant is paid directly to your university or college, and you don’t need to pay it back.
- Maintenance loan: each year you can get a loan to cover living costs (eg accommodation, food, books). The amount you can borrow depends on your household income (your parents’ or partner’s income plus yours). You can borrow up to £5,150 a year if you live away from home and more if you live in London. If you live at home with your parents while you study you can’t borrow as much. You can borrow up to £5,658 if you spend a year of your UK course studying abroad. You can’t borrow as much for the last year of your course. The money is paid directly into your bank account, and you must pay it back when you’ve finished your course and you’re earning enough. If you took out a maintenance loan in the academic years 2010/2011 or 2011/2012, the Welsh Government may cancel part of your loan when you start repaying – up to £1,500. For more information, see Partial cancellation of student loan debt.
- Assembly Learning Grant: you can get a grant each year to help with your living costs, which you don’t have to pay back. The amount you can get depends on your household income and the year you started your course. The maximum grant is £5,780 if you started your course in 2011/2012 (£5,161 if you started in 2010/2011 and £3,000 if you started in 2009/2010 or earlier). The higher your grant, the less maintenance loan you can borrow. The money is paid directly into your bank account.
- Special support grant: depending on your circumstances, you may get a special support grant instead of an Assembly Learning Grant (eg if you’re a single parent, disabled, eligible to receive income support or housing benefit). You don’t need to pay it back. The amount you get is the same as the Assembly Learning Grant and depends on your household income and when you started your course – but it doesn’t reduce the amount of maintenance loan you can borrow, and it isn’t taken into account when calculating the means-tested benefits you’re entitled to.
- Long courses loan: if you have to attend your course for longer than 30 term-time weeks (plus short holidays) a year, you’re entitled to an additional loan to cover your living costs. The amount you get depends on your household – up to £83 for each extra week if you live away from home, and more if you live and study in London or study abroad for a year. If you live at home with your parents while you study you can’t borrow as much.
- Welsh bursary: if you’re paying the full tuition fee amount of £3,465 a year, receiving a full Assembly Learning Grant or special support grant, and studying in Wales, you may be able to get a bursary as part of the Welsh Bursary Scheme. The minimum available is £347 but you may get more (this figure is for 2012/2013). If you started your course in the 2011/2012 academic year you can’t get the bursary, unless you were a gap-year student during that time, because it’s combined with the Assembly Learning Grant or special support grant (see above).
If you started your course before 1 September 2006, the funding you’re entitled to may be different to this. Speak to an adviser at your students’ union for more information.
Here’s the government’s information on student finance for continuing students. There’s also a calculator to help you get an idea of what you’re entitled to. Also, have a look at How and when do I repay my student loan?
What other government support is available?
As well as the standard packages of support from Student Finance Wales outlined above, lots of other funding options are available, depending on your circumstances and the kind of course you’re taking. Find out more here:
How do I apply for government funding?
You apply for funding through Student Finance Wales. For more information, see How do I apply for higher education funding in Wales?
Where else can I get funding?
As well as government funding, you may be able to get funding from your academic institution, charities or other sources. To find out more, see Can I get higher education funding from my university or college? and other sources of funding.
Related topics
What higher education funding is available in Wales?
I’ve already got a UK honours degree – can I get funding for more higher education?
I’ve undertaken a higher education course before – can I get funding again?
This information was updated in March 2013. NUS provides this information in good faith and has taken care to make sure it’s accurate. However, student finance issues can be complicated, and rules change frequently. You should contact the advice centre in your students' union, college or university for support if you’re uncertain or need more help.