Amendments included in the Student Support Regulations for academic year 2024 to 2025

Amendments

The Education (Student Finance) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No 3) (Wales) Regulations 2023 (“the 2023 Regulations”) provide support for eligible students taking a designated course of higher education. 

The 2023 Regulations came into force in December 2023:

Family members of Ukraine nationals

An amendment has been made to enable family members of those granted leave under the Ukraine Schemes to be considered as eligible students for the purpose of student support in Wales, and for home fee status and capped tuition fees to apply.

Family members include:

• the spouse or civil partner of a person granted leave under one of the Ukraine Schemes who was the spouse or civil partner on the leave application date and
• the child of a person granted leave under one of the Ukraine Schemes or the child of the spouse or civil partner of a person granted leave under one of the Ukraine Schemes who was the child/step-child under the age of 18 on the leave application date.

The amendment will apply to an academic year of a course which begins on or after 1 August 2024 and will apply to both new and continuing students.

Persons granted leave to enter or leave to remain as relevant Afghan citizens

An amendment has been made to make minor corrections to the definition of a Person granted leave as a relevant Afghan citizen arising out of changes to the immigration rules in the Education (European University Institute) (Wales) Regulations 2014. 

The amendment will be effective from the date the Regulations come into force.

Family members of relevant Afghan citizens

An amendment has beenmade to make additional provision for family members (spouse, civil partner, dependent child or dependent child of spouse or civil partner) of persons granted indefinite leave to enter the United Kingdom under paragraph ARAP 6.1 of Appendix Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy to the immigration rules or indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom under paragraph ARAP 6.2 of that Appendix. 

The amendment will apply to an academic year of a course which begins on or after 1 August 2024 and will apply to both new and continuing students.

Termination of eligibility of certain postgraduate students

An amendment has been made to the Education (Postgraduate Doctoral Degree Loans) (Wales) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations) and the Education (Student Support) (Postgraduate Master's Degrees) (Wales) Regulations 2019 (“the 2019 Regulations) so that students in protection-based categories whose leave has expired may no longer qualify for support. Eligibility is not terminated for those who secure any other form of immigration leave to remain, even if this would not otherwise confer eligibility. This mirrors the policy implemented for undergraduate students.

An amendment has been made to the 2018 Regulations and the 2019 Regulations so that students with protected rights who have limited leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom granted by virtue of residence scheme immigration rules whose leave has expired may no longer qualify for support. Policy will match that for undergraduate students.

The amendments will apply to a course that begins on or after 1 August 2024 and will therefore apply to new students only.

Increased maintenance loan for full-time students eligible to apply for an NHS bursary

An amendment has been made which will enable full-time students who are eligible to apply for an NHS bursary to become eligible for a maximum rate of maintenance loan from Student Finance Wales. This represents a significant increase in student support for NHS-funded students from Wales who are undertaking medicine, dentistry and other healthcare courses. This aligns with the Minister for Health and Social Services’ announcement about the NHS Bursary in Wales.

The amendment will apply to an academic year beginning on or after 1 August 2024 and will apply to both new and continuing students.

Grants for dependants for students undertaking designated distance learning courses

An amendment has been made which will mean that students who are undertaking designated distance learning courses have to be in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of their course in order to be eligible for Grants for Dependants (GfDs). Exemptions will be made to ensure consistency with similar provisions elsewhere in student support regulations, including where the student or a close relative are members of the armed forces and are unable to be in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of their course. In these instances, they will remain eligible for GfDs, which has been our policy for some time.

The amendment will apply to a designated distance learning course that begins on or after 1 August 2024 and will apply to new students only.