Response to the Independent Review of the Welsh Government Learning Grant (Further Education) Scheme in Wales (March 2026)

The independent review of WGLG (FE) has identified a wide-ranging set of improvements that could strengthen the effectiveness, accessibility and administration of the WGLG (FE) Scheme.

Collectively, these recommendations present a coherent roadmap for enhancing the Scheme’s reach, fairness and operational efficiency, ensuring it continues to support learners in a changing tertiary educational landscape.

Applications for WGLG (FE) are scheduled to open at the end of April 2026, and with a new government due to take office in May, our capacity to confirm substantive amendments to the Scheme for future years’ cycles is necessarily constrained until the incoming administration has established its policy direction.

However, a response, proposed actions and anticipated timescales for each recommendation are provided below:

Recommendation 1

There is scope to raise awareness and promote the WGLG (FE) beyond colleges and other educational settings. Expanding outreach through public spaces such as community venues, GP surgeries and libraries and digital platforms could help reach potential applicants earlier in their decision-making process.

Response

We agree that there would be value in exploring the feasibility of broadening awareness of the WGLG (FE) beyond traditional tertiary educational settings. There is clear potential in extending outreach into community venues, GP surgeries, libraries and digital platforms to engage prospective applicants earlier in their decision making journey. We will work with our delivery partner the Student Loans Company in exploring how this could be implemented in practice and what resources would be required to support it.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2027 to 2028

Recommendation 2

There is a need to develop more accessible promotional materials, including digital and easy-read resources, to help Learning Centres clearly explain the schemes’ eligibility, application process and benefits

Response

We agree that developing more accessible promotional materials — including digital resources and easy read formats — could strengthen Learning Centres’ engagement with prospective applicants. We will work with stakeholders to explore how best to produce and distribute these materials.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2027 to 2028

Recommendation 3

There is a need for a more streamlined application process, including directing learners to the WGLG (FE) application page once they have registered online for a Student Finance Wales account.

Response

There may be limitations within the current website structure that may restrict how seamlessly this redirection can be implemented. However, we will explore with our delivery partner the Student Loans Company what is technically feasible and identify any potential improvements or alternative approaches that could support a smoother application flow. For academic year 2026 to 2027, the Student Finance Wales promotional materials for WGLG (FE) now include a QR code which when scanned will take new applicants directly to the ‘apply now’ page. This is also being introduced for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Scheme.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 4

It would be beneficial if applicants could submit digital evidence as part of their application and for Student Finance Wales to accept alternative forms of documentation, such as the Home Office ‘share code’ for refugees.

Response

We agree with the intention behind this recommendation. Applicants are already able to upload digital evidence as part of their application, and Student Finance Wales does accept alternative forms of documentation, including the Home Office ‘share code’ where appropriate. The Student Loans Company, who provides the Student Finance Wales service, have an established programme of work that continually looks at the burden of evidence for all applicants and strives to reduce that burden where it can without increasing risk to the public purse. 

Recommendation 5

It would be worth considering how Learning Centres with high numbers of applications from non-English speaking learners could be better resourced to provide the necessary tailored support for this cohort.

Response

We agree that this is an important area to explore. To better understand how Learning Centres can be supported, we will ask our delivery partner, the Student Loans Company, to engage directly with those centres that have higher numbers of applications from non English speaking learners. This will help us identify the specific barriers they face and consider what additional resources or guidance may be needed to ensure students receive the tailored support required.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 6

The Student Loans Company should provide more frequent training and (or) briefings for Learning Centre staff to ensure consistency in how the guidance is applied in terms of attendance, progression and eligibility criteria.

Response

We will work with our delivery partner, the Student Loans Company, to review the current timetable for FE Learning Centre events and explore options to deliver enhanced training, ensuring any changes are both practical and sustainable. We will also review the existing guidance particularly around attendance, progression and eligibility criteria updating as appropriate.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2027 to 2028

Recommendation 7

There is a need to provide greater clarification on what academic progression should entail as part of the guidance and whether learners who have previously studied at the same or a higher level are eligible for WGLG (FE) support or not.

Response

Providing clearer guidance on what constitutes academic progression is essential, particularly when determining eligibility for students who have a prior year of WGLG (FE) support. As part of this work, we will consider introducing equivalent level qualification conditions within the Scheme’s eligibility criteria, with a view to prioritising support for those accessing further education for the first time. This will help ensure a more consistent, transparent and fair approach across the Scheme.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2027 to 2028

Recommendation 8

Some aspects of the online application form should be made mandatory, particularly the questions about care-experience and dependent children; in order to capture better monitoring data about the successful outcome rate for vulnerable learners. These data can be used in turn to inform the development of the scheme.

Response

We will explore the feasibility of these enhancements as part of future system updates.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 9

The application form should ask applicants to indicate both the level and subject of their course. These would be better captured via closed options rather than open text boxes in order to improve the monitoring data available for subjects and level of study being pursued by WGLG (FE) recipients

Response

We will explore with our delivery partner, the Student Loans Company, the feasibility of developing a course management system similar to that used in higher education. However, any such development would be subject to system capacity and associated costs, which will need to be carefully considered.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 10

The current value of the WGLG (FE) should be retained and processes put in place to increase the value of the grant in line with inflationary increases and increased costs of living on an annual basis, should financial resources allow for it.

Response

We will consider the overall Scheme structure to ensure equity of grant offer for applicants, and to ensure that the Scheme remains affordable in future years alongside EMA and our higher education student support.

The grant levels have been maintained for academic year 2026 to 2027.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: reviewed annually through Welsh Government budget forecasting

Recommendation 11

Subject to the availability of financial resources, the household income thresholds for WGLG (FE) eligibility should be increased. The upper household income threshold for full-time learners should be aligned with that of the EMA, taking on board the EMA’s approach to set different income thresholds for learners coming from households with additional dependent children. Furthermore, the household income thresholds set for lower WGLG (FE) grant amounts and for part-time learners should be uplifted on a proportionate basis. Household income thresholds should be reviewed annually to reflect inflationary increases. 

Response

The WGLG (FE) and EMA operate very differently, and it would not be appropriate to simply replicate the EMA thresholds for the WGLG (FE). Therefore, we will explore alternative approaches that ensure the Scheme structure more effectively targets support in an equitable way in future years, while also considering proportional uplifts and annual reviews where appropriate and affordable. To compliment this work, the EMA Scheme rules will be considered to ensure young people who must stay in further education longer to complete their studies are supported as appropriate.

The qualifying income thresholds have been maintained for academic year 2026 to 2027.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 12

Subject to the availability of financial resources, the WGLG (FE) should be extended to include further education learners who undertake non higher education supported Level 4 qualifications.

Response

Extending WGLG (FE) to include learners undertaking non HE supported Level 4 qualifications may help to widen access to further education. Before considering any changes, we will work to identify the scale of the issue, including how many learners might be affected and what the potential cost implications would be. This will help ensure that any future decisions are evidence based and sustainable.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 13

The Welsh Government should consider reducing the qualifying number of hours for eligible part-time learners.

Response

Reducing the qualifying number of hours for eligible part time leaners may help to widen access and support greater participation. We will explore this in more detail as part of future policy development and considering the responses to the Tertiary Education Call for Evidence options. We will need to establish what the appropriate eligible hours should be to ensure the right balance between encouraging participation and maintaining the Scheme’s long term affordability. 

Anticipated timescale for implementation: academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 14

The Welsh Government should keep under review the case for including distance learners in the WGLG (FE) scheme

Response

We will keep this area under review; however, we recognise there are significant complexities associated with distance learning at Level 3 and below, particularly around the ability to provide the necessary attendance confirmations and the challenges posed by potential lower levels of engagement and provision of student services that are ordinarily available in colleges. These factors would need to be carefully considered before any changes could be taken forward.

Anticipated timescale for implementation: Academic year 2028 to 2029

Recommendation 15

The Welsh Government may wish to explore whether administering a more timely payment model, such as monthly returns, would be a cost-effective option.

Response

We will not be taking forward this recommendation. Moving to a more frequent payment model would significantly increase the number of attendance confirmations Learning Centres would need to provide to the Student Loans Company, thereby increasing the administration costs for both parties. The current termly model remains the most practical and sustainable approach.