Travel Grant arrangements for eligible students on Erasmus+, Turing and Taith programmes (SFWIN 06/2023)

Following the introduction of the Turing and Taith mobility programmes, this Information Notice provides clarification about the funding arrangements when students can submit a Travel Grant claim to Student Finance Wales. 

Eligible students on Erasmus+, Turing or Taith programmes can claim any additional and eligible travel costs from Student Finance Wales.

An eligible student can claim for the following when studying abroad: 

• For a full-year placement, up to three return journeys between the UK and an overseas institution. The class and method of travel should be deemed reasonable (for example, it is unlikely that business class fights would be deemed reasonable).
• For a term placement, up to one return journey between the UK and an overseas institution. The class and method of travel should be deemed reasonable (for example, it is unlikely that business class fights would be deemed reasonable).
• Any necessary daily travel costs while abroad for the purposes of attending the institution. 
• Travel costs for the dependent children of a single parent student, where the student is required to take their children with them.
• The cost of medical insurance purchased for the purpose of studying abroad.
• The cost of visas, recommended vaccinations and mandatory medical tests that are a condition of entry to the host country.

Eligible students claiming Travel from Student Finance Wales are required to pay the first £303 or £1000 of their first claim, depending on their household income. With the exception of visas and medical insurance.

Note

• Students can’t claim for the same costs already reimbursed from the mobility programmes.
• Students must have exhausted the mobility programme travel grant available to them before applying to Student Finance Wales.
• Students will be asked to confirm they have exhausted the mobility programme travel grant as part of the Student Finance Wales claim process; the university may also be asked to verify any declaration relating to mobility programme travel. Claims may be subject to monitoring and auditing to ensure funding for travel is not duplicated.
• Universities should refer to the terms and conditions of each mobility programme when funding students.
• The Annex provides details of how the Travel Grant is assessed over 4 academic quarters (terms) during the academic year.

Travel Grant information including the claim form have been updated to confirm the above. Existing practitioners' guidance is also updated. There are currently no plans to provide a separate practitioner guidance chapter covering students on mobility programmes.

If you have any queries, please contact the Higher Education Division, Welsh Government email: studentfinancedivision@gov.wales. We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English.

Large print, Braille and alternate language versions of this document are available on request.

The travel grant is assessed over 4 academic quarters (terms).

Students must be studying overseas for at least 50% of each academic quarter (term) in which they wish to claim to be eligible to receive the grant for up to 3 return journeys.

For example, a student may study overseas at 50% or greater in each of the 4 quarters but can only claim a maximum of three return journeys. Therefore 1 qualifying quarter is eligible for 1 return journey, 2 qualifying quarters is eligible for 2 return journeys and 3 or 4 qualifying quarters is eligible for the maximum 3 return journeys. In all cases all other eligibility criteria would need to be met.

The qualifying quarters are as follows:

Quarter 1

1 September to 31 December (122 days: at least 61 days overseas study)*
* Any overseas period from 1 August will also be included in the 1st quarter calculation.

Quarter 2

1 January to 31 March (90 days: at least 45 days overseas study)

Quarter 3

1 April to 30 June (91 days: at least 46 days overseas study)

Quarter 4

1 July to 31 August (62 days: at least 31 days overseas study)