Student support for higher education (headline data): 2023 (provisional)

This page provides a summary of the statistics outlined in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication Student Support for Higher Education in Wales 2022/23. The publication covers applicants and students domiciled in Wales taking a designated higher education (HE) course at a university or further education (FE) college in the UK, as well as EU (outside UK) applicants and students taking a designated course in Wales.

Following the Diamond review of Welsh student funding, policy changes made in 2018/19 saw tuition fee grants phased out and reduced maintenance loan amounts offset by increased Welsh Government Learning Grants (WGLG).

Main results

• The amount paid out in supporting higher education students was £1.1 billion, a decline of (3.1%) from 2021/22.
• The number of students receiving funding was 80,400, down 4.0% from 83,700 in 2021/22.
• Since 2013/14 the amount paid out in higher education funding has increased by 70.1% from £671.6 million, while the number of students receiving funding has increased by 23.7% (from 65,000).

Undergraduate tuition fee support

• The total amount paid out for tuition fee loans for full-time undergraduates declined by 4.5% since the previous year, to £443.9 million.

Undergraduate maintenance support

The number of full-time undergraduates in receipt of maintenance loans declined by 3.9% to 54,300 students. The amount paid increased by 4.9% from £323.7 million in 2021/22 to £339.5 million in 2022/23. The increase in amount paid is mainly a result of the increase in the maximum maintenance loan available in comparison to academic year 2021/22.

A total of £197.0 million was awarded in full-time WGLG a decline of 9.2% from the £217.1 million awarded in 2021/22.

Postgraduate support

• £59.2 million in postgraduate loans (masters and doctoral) was paid, a decline of 13.5%.
• £18.3 million in postgraduate grants (masters only) was paid. A decline of (16.5%) from last year (£22.0 million).

2023/24 early in-year data

• Early in-year data for 2023/24 shows around 69,500 students receiving funding, a small decrease compared to the 71,800 at the same time last year.