Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Priority Subject Incentive: guidance for students 2026 to 2027

The Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Priority Subject Incentive Scheme provides a £15,000 grant to students who:

• study on a postgraduate ITE programme for specific secondary school subjects (priority subjects)
• meet the eligibility criteria

This guidance relates to the 2026 to 2027 academic year. You can apply for this grant if you’re on an ITE programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2027. 

You should read this guidance in conjunction with the scheme terms and conditions.

This ITE incentive grant reflects current recruitment priorities within the teaching workforce in Wales.

You must:

• hold a degree qualification of 2.2 or higher
• be on a postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• meet the eligibility criteria for the payment instalments

You must also study on of these priority subjects as your main subject: 

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Design and Technology
• Digital Technology and/or Computer Science
• Mathematics
• International languages
• Physics
• Welsh

The grant is available to both full-time and part-time students. Your degree qualification does not have to be in the same subject as the postgraduate ITE programme.

Students not eligible for this grant

• Students with Honorary degrees. These are not recognised as academic qualifications for the purposes of this grant.
• Students undertaking any employment-based teacher training scheme. This includes the ‘Salaried PGCE scheme’.
• Students undertaking training programmes which enable them to teach in the Post Compulsory Education and Training Sector (PGCE PCET).

In-programme instalment

To get the in-programme instalment, you must meet all of the following criteria. You must:

• be undertaking an eligible postgraduate ITE programme in Wales. This must start on or after 1 September of one academic year and before 1 September of the following academic year
• be an eligible student who qualifies for financial support under regulations currently in force made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 as they apply to that course
• not already be a qualified teacher
• not be employed to teach at a school or other institution as a teacher on entry to their eligible postgraduate ITE programme
• not be a participant in training organised under an employment-based teacher training scheme, including the Salaried PGCE
• not be undertaking a further education course of any kind
• intend to continue and complete your eligible programme

QTS instalment

To get the QTS instalment you must meet all of the following criteria. You must:

• have completed an eligible ITE programme
• have obtained Qualified Teacher Status in accordance with the School Teachers' Qualifications (Wales) Regulations 2012
• have received the in-programme instalment, or 2 instalments if you are part-time

Induction instalment

To get the induction instalment you must meet all the following criteria. You must:

• have received all in-programme instalments
• have received the QTS instalment
• have successfully completed induction within 3 years of award of QTS in a maintained secondary setting in Wales
• have been awarded with an induction certificate
• make your claim within 1 year of completing your induction

Funding might not be available to students who have been accepted onto an ITE programme after the intake allocation has been reached. Check with your ITE Partnership whether you are affected by this.

Your ITE partnership will let you know whether you are eligible for this incentive.

You can apply between 1st September to 15th November 2026. 

Your ITE partnership will give you guidance on the application process. 

You will receive in-programme and QTS instalments from your ITE Partnership. 

You will get the final induction instalment from Welsh Government. You must apply directly to Welsh Government for this instalment. You can only apply once you have successfully completed induction and have been awarded your induction certificate. 

Full-time students

The incentive payments totalling £15,000 will be made in 3 instalments. 

You will be paid at the following points during your ITE programme and early career:

• £6,000 in January following completion of the first term of your PGCE. You must be continuing your ITE programme to be eligible for this instalment.
• £6,000 in July or August on successful completion of your PGCE and award of QTS. Where assessment by a resubmission exam board is required, payments will be made prior to 31 December.
• £3,000 on successful completion of your induction in Wales.

Part-time students

The incentive payments totalling £15,000 will be made in 4 instalments. 

You will be paid at the following points during your part-time ITE programme and early career:

• £3,000 in January following completion of the first term of your PGCE. You must be continuing your ITE programme to be eligible for this instalment.
• £3,000 in January following completion the first year and the first term of the second year of your PGCE.  You must be continuing your ITE programme to be eligible for this instalment.
• £6,000 in July or August on successful completion of their PGCE and award of QTS. Where assessment by a resubmission exam board is required, payments will be made prior to 31 December.
• £3,000 on successful completion of your induction in Wales.

In-programme instalment

Full-time students will receive one in programme instalment. Part-time students will receive 2 instalments. Your ITE partnership is responsible for making the in-programme payments to students. They will determine the exact payment date. Any issues should be directed to them.

You must be continuing your ITE programme to be eligible for this instalment.

QTS instalment

Your ITE Partnership are responsible for making the QTS payment. They will determine the exact payment date. Any issues should be directed to them.

If you fail to achieve QTS, you will not be entitled to receive the QTS instalment. It is your responsibility to check with your ITE provider to ensure you are eligible to claim this grant instalment.

Induction instalment

The Welsh Government is responsible for making the induction instalment payment. They will determine the exact payment date. 

Your ITE Partnership will provide you with information on how to apply to Welsh Government for the induction instalment. They will do this once you have completed your QTS. Any issues should be directed to ITEIncentives@gov.wales.

You must claim the induction instalment within one year of completing your induction period or payment cannot be made. It is your responsibility to ensure you have made this claim within the allocated timeframe.

If a student resumes an ITE programme they will need to complete a Deferment and Resumptions Form. This form will be provided by ITE Partnerships and shared with Welsh Government. Any payments made to students who resume an ITE programme will take into account any payments previously received.

Where a student resumes an ITE programme in a different academic year, payments will continue to be made at the same rate (if any) which applied in the academic year the student’s studies initially started or deferred. This applies unless the Welsh Government agree otherwise in writing. 

Returning to an ITE Programme

Students who started an ITE programme prior to September 2022 and defer (suspend) their studies until after September 2026, will revert to the payment structure as set out in this guidance. In this case termly payments will no longer be made. The total incentive amount will remain as per amounts set out under the Initial Teacher Education priority subject incentives: guidance for students 2021 and previous years, minus any payments already received.

How deferment effects in-programme instalments

If a full-time student defers (suspends) their studies before the in-programme instalment is due, they will not be eligible to receive the instalment. However, if a student resumes their studies within the same academic year, they will be entitled to receive the missed instalment on award of QTS. Payment will be made following award of QTS and in addition to the QTS instalment.

If a part-time student defers (suspends) their studies before the first in-programme instalment is due, they will not be eligible to receive the instalment. However, if a student resumes their studies within the same academic year, they will be entitled to receive the missed instalment following the first term of their second year. Payment will be made following the completion of their first year and in addition to the second in-programme instalment.

If a part-time student defers (suspends) their studies after their first in-programme instalment (in January of their first year) and before the second in-programme instalment is due (in January of their second year) they will not be eligible to receive the second in-programme instalment. However, if a student resumes their studies within the second academic year of study, they will be entitled to receive the missed instalment on award of QTS. Payment will be made following award of QTS and in addition to the QTS instalment.

Full-time students who withdraw from a programme before the in-programme instalment is due will not be entitled to any payment.

Part-time students who withdraw from a programme before the in-programme instalment is due in their first year, will not be entitled to any payment. Part-time students who received the first in-programme instalment (in January of their first year) but withdraw before the second in-programme instalment is due (in January of their second year), will not be entitled to any further instalment.

How deferment effects the QTS instalment

If a student defers (suspends) their studies after receiving in-programme instalments and prior to achieving QTS, they will not be eligible to receive the QTS instalment. However, if a student resumes their studies and achieves QTS, they will be entitled to receive the QTS instalment on award of QTS. Under these circumstances payment will be made following completion of an eligible postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to QTS (on award of QTS) and in line with these conditions.

A Returners form will need to be completed.

Students who withdraw from a programme after the in-programme instalment has been received but before achieving QTS and are eligible for an incentive grant, will only be entitled to the instalment already received.

Students who do not achieve QTS at the end of their ITE programme and are eligible for an incentive grant, will not be entitled to the QTS instalment.

Induction instalment

Students who achieve QTS and are eligible for an Incentive grant but do not complete their induction period within the specified period within a maintained secondary school in Wales, will not be entitled to the induction instalment.

Induction must be successfully completed within 3 years of achieving QTS within a maintained secondary setting in Wales to remain eligible to receive the induction instalment.

The Welsh Government have powers to recover incentive grants paid, in whole or in part. They have discretion about whether to exercise those powers and will consider all cases on their merits.

The Welsh Government may exercise these powers where:

• after receiving any instalment of an incentive grant, the recipient fails to meet any eligibility criteria adopted by the Welsh Government and set out in the schedule or information guide in relation to a subsequent instalment
• the recipient has provided in, or in connection with, his or her application for an incentive grant, information which is false or materially misleading, or there is firm evidence that the recipient had never intended to complete their ITE programme or, having completed it, to enter teaching

Information which students submit as part of their claim under The ITE Priority Subject Incentive scheme, is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the “FOIA”), the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (the “EIR”) the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”).

In submitting this information students acknowledge that the Welsh Government is responsible for determining in our absolute discretion whether:

• to disclose any information which we have obtained under or in connection with the Funding to the extent that we are required to disclose such information to a person making a disclosure request under the FOIA or the EIR and/or
• any information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or the EIR
• to undertake checks for the purposes of preventing fraud and money laundering, and to verify your identity. These checks are required to process personal data about you to third party fraud prevention agencies

Welsh Government is the data controller for the personal information it receives. Any personal data we collect will be managed in accordance with our Privacy notice and our Privacy notice: Welsh Government grants.

The Welsh Government offers 3 incentive schemes that are available to ITE students.

ITE Partnerships will work with their students to help identify students who meet the eligibility criteria for each scheme. You may be eligible for more than one scheme. Eligibility under one scheme does not impact your eligibility for other ITE incentive scheme. It is possible to receive grant funding under all 3 incentive schemes providing you meet the eligibility criteria for each individual scheme.

Your ITE partnership can help you find out whether you are eligible for an incentive scheme. Any questions should be directed to them. 

Tax

Incentive grants are not normally taxable for full-time students.

The induction instalment may be taxable for those individuals in employment.

You should seek advice from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) (GOV.UK) regarding your own individual circumstances.

Student financial assistance

An incentive grant is not considered part of household income for student finance provisions. Grants should not be included when working out taxable unearned income. You should seek advice from your student finance provider on your individual circumstances.

Student loan repayments

For full-time students, the grant will not trigger student loan repayments.

For part-time students in employment, liability will depend on whether your work salary is high enough to trigger student loan repayments.

Student loan repayments may be triggered, for the induction instalment. Liability will depend on whether your work salary is high enough to trigger student loan repayments.

Effect on benefits

This will depend on your personal circumstances. You should seek advice from the Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK).

Effect on pensions

The incentive grant is not pensionable.

If you have any further questions, contact your ITE partnership.

If you have any further questions relating to the induction payment, contact ITEIncentives@gov.wales.