Student support for higher education (headline data): 2024 (provisional)
Figures on the student support awarded to applicants and paid to students or their higher education provider for 2024 (provisional).
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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 2023/24. 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 £1.2 billion, an increase of (2.7%) from 2022/23.
The number of students receiving funding was 78,700, down 2.0% from 80,400 in 2022/23.
Since 2013/14 the amount paid out in higher education funding has increased by 75.6% from £671.6 million, while the number of students receiving funding has increased by 21.2% (from 65,000).
Undergraduate tuition fee support
The total amount paid out for tuition fee loans for full-time undergraduates declined by 2.4% since the previous year, to £433.3 million.
Undergraduate maintenance support
The number of full-time undergraduates in receipt of maintenance loans declined by 3.6% to 52,400 students. The amount paid increased by 12.4% from £339.5 million in 2022/23 to £381.6 million in 2023/24. The increase in amount paid is mainly a result of the increase in the maximum maintenance loan available in comparison to academic year 2022/23.
A total of £193.9 million was awarded in full-time WGLG a decline of 4.2% from the £202.4 million awarded in 2022/23.
Postgraduate support
£54.9 million in postgraduate masters loans was paid, a decline of 0.8%.
£17.5 million in postgraduate masters grants was paid. A decline of (4.6%) from last year (£18.3 million).
£3.8 million was paid in Postgraduate Doctoral loans, down 2.9% from last year.
2024/25 early in-year data
Early in-year data for 2024/25 shows around 68,600 students receiving funding, a small decrease compared to the 69,500 at the same time last year.
Contact details
Statistician: Dhilia Chiwara
Email: highereducationandstudentfinance.stats@gov.wales
Media: 0300 025 8099