Student support for higher education (headline data): September 2024 to August 2025
Figures on the student support awarded to applicants and paid to students or their higher education provider for September 2024 to August 2025.
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In this page
Introduction
This page provides a summary of the statistics outlined in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication Student Support for Higher Education in Wales 2024/25. The publication covers applicants 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 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 £1.2 billion, an increase of 1.9% from 2023/24.
The number of students receiving funding was 79,000, a 0.3% increase from 78,700 in 2023/24.
Since 2013/14 the amount paid out in higher education funding has increased by 79.0% from £671.6 million, while the number of students receiving funding has increased by 21.6% (from 65,000).
Undergraduate tuition fee support
The total amount paid out for tuition fee loans for full-time undergraduates declined by 1.9% from 2023/24 to £425.0 million.
Undergraduate maintenance support
The number of full-time undergraduates in receipt of maintenance loans declined by 1.7% to 51,500 students. The amount paid increased by 10.1% from £381.6 million in 2023/24 to £420.0 million in 2024/25. The increase in amount paid is mainly a result of the increase in the maximum maintenance loan available in comparison to academic year 2023/24.
A total of £185.9 million was awarded in full-time WGLG a decline of 4.1% from the £193.9 million awarded in 2023/24.
Postgraduate support
£67.6 million in postgraduate masters loans was paid, an increase of 23.1%.
£2.7 million in postgraduate masters grants was paid. A decline of 85.5% from 2023/24 (£17.5 million).
The amount paid out in postgraduate master's loans increased due to the discontinuation of the postgraduate masters grant for academic year 2024/25.
£3.7 million was paid in Postgraduate Doctoral loans, down 2.7% from 2023/24.
2025/26 early in-year data
Early in-year data for 2025/26 shows around 69,700 students receiving funding, an increase compared to the 68,600 at the same time in 2024/25.
Contact details
Statistician: HE and Student Finance Statistics
Email: highereducationandstudentfinance.stats@gov.wales
Media: 0300 025 8099
