Amendments to be included in the Student Support and associated Regulations for Academic Year 2022 to 2023 (Grants for Dependants for eligible students undertaking distance-learning courses)

The Education (Student Finance) (Ukrainian Nationals and Family members) (Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (“the 2022 Regulations”) will enable eligible students to qualify for Grants for Dependants (GfDs) when starting or continuing a distance-learning course on or after 1 August 2022. The 2022 Regulations also make amendments in relation to Ukrainian Nationals and their family members. These amendments were set out in SFWIN 06 2022 which can be found at Student Finance Wales information notice: eligibility for Ukrainian nationals and their family members.

The 2022 Regulations apply to academic years beginning on or after 1 August 2022 and make the changes as set out below.

GfDs are grant payments for those with dependants and comprise the Parents’ Learning Allowance, the Adult Dependants’ Grant, and the Childcare Grant. An undergraduate student undertaking a distance learning course is not currently eligible for GfDs. This is a longstanding policy.

An amendment is being made that will mean that students on full-time and part-time distance learning courses will be able to access GfDs. The rationale for making the change is that it brings a wider group of student-parents in higher education into scope of the Childcare Grant which contributes directly to a Welsh Government ‘Programme for Government’ commitment. The Parents’ Learning Allowance and the Adult Dependants’ Grant are flat rate allowances (£1,862 and £3,262 in 2022 to 2023 respectively) and the Childcare Grant pays up to 85% of childcare costs to a maximum of £184 per week for one child, and to £315 a week for two or more children. Students undertaking a part-time course are assessed for a lower amount of GfDs based on their intensity of study relative to an equivalent full-time course.

Regulations to be amended are:

• the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2017
• the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2018

Readers may contact Welsh Government or their usual contact in the Student Loans Company/Student Finance Wales for more information on eligibility. Welsh Government can be contacted at studentfinancedivision@gov.wales. We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English.