The Education (Student Finance) (Fee Limit and Loan Amounts) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2025

Made: 19 February 2025

Laid before Senedd Cymru: 21 February 2025

Coming into force: 17 March 2025

The Welsh Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred upon the Secretary of State by sections 22(1)(a) and (2)(b), and 42(6) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998[^f00001], and now exercisable by them[^f00002], and powers conferred on them under sections 5(3) and 55(2) of the Higher Education (Wales) Act 2015[^f00003].

Title, coming into force and application

1

• (1) The title of these Regulations is the Education (Student Finance) (Fee Limit and Loan Amounts) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2025.

• (2) These Regulations come into force on 17 March 2025.

• (3) Regulation 3 applies in relation to the provision of support to a student in relation to an academic year which begins on or after 1 August 2025, whether or not anything done under these Regulations is done before, on or after that date.

Amendments to the Higher Education (Amounts) (Wales) Regulations 2015

2

• (1) The Higher Education (Amounts) (Wales) Regulations 2015[^f00004] are amended as follows.

• (2) In regulation 3, in Table 1—

• (a) in Column 1, after “Beginning on or after 1 August 2024” insert “but before 1 August 2025”;

• (b) at the end of the Table, insert the following table entry—

• (3) In regulation 4(2), in Table 2—

• (a) in Column 1, after “Beginning on or after 1 August 2024” insert “but before 1 August 2025”;

• (b) at the end of the Table, insert the following table entry—

• (4) In regulation 5(2), in Table 3—

• (a) in Column 1, after “Beginning on or after 1 August 2024” insert “but before 1 August 2025”;

• (b) at the end of the Table, insert the following table entry—

• (5) In regulation 6(2), in Table 4—

• (a) in Column 1, after “Beginning on or after 1 August 2024” insert “but before 1 August 2025”;

• (b) at the end of the Table, insert the following table entry—

Amendments to the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2017

3

• (1) The Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2017[^f00005] are amended as follows.

• (2) In regulation 20 (additional fee loan in respect of courses beginning on or after 1 September 2012)—

• (a) in paragraph (3)(a), for “£250” substitute “£535”;

• (b) in paragraph (4)(a), for “£125” substitute “£265”;

• (c) in paragraph (5)(a), for “£50” substitute “£105”;

• (d) in paragraph (6)(a), for “£35” substitute “£80”.

• (3) In regulation 21 (new private institution fee loan)—

• (a) in paragraph (3)(a), for “£6,165” substitute “£6,355”;

• (b) in paragraph (4)(a), for “£3,080” substitute “£3,175”;

• (c) in paragraph (5)(a), for “£1,230” substitute “£1,270”;

• (d) in paragraph (6)(a), for “£920” substitute “£950”.

• (4) In regulation 22 (accelerated graduate entry fee loan)—

• (a) in paragraph (3), for “£5,535” substitute “£5,785”;

• (b) in paragraph (5)(a), for “£250” substitute “£285”.

• (5) In regulation 86 (new part-time fee loan)—

• (a) in paragraph (4)(a), for “£6,935” substitute “£7,145”;

• (b) in paragraph (5)(a), for “£4,625” substitute “£4,765”.

Amendments to the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2018

4

In the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2018[^f00006], in regulation 40 (amount of tuition fee loan), in paragraph (3), in Table 2—

• (a) in Column 1, after “Beginning on or after 1 September 2024” insert “but before 1 September 2025”;

• (b) at the end of the Table, insert the following table entries—

Signed

Vikki Howells — Minister for Further and Higher Education, under authority of the Cabinet Secretary for Education, one of the Welsh Ministers — 19 February 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend—

• (a) the Higher Education (Amounts) (Wales) Regulations 2015 (“the 2015 Regulations”),

• (b) the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2017 (“the 2017 Regulations”), and

• (c) the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”).

The 2015 Regulations prescribe the maximum amount that higher education institutions in Wales with an approved fee and access plan in force (“regulated institutions”) can charge by way of tuition fees for full-time undergraduate courses. The 2015 Regulations also prescribe lower maximum amounts in respect of certain courses.

Regulation 2 amends the 2015 Regulations to increase each prescribed maximum amount from the 2025/26 academic year.

The 2017 Regulations provide for financial support for eligible students taking designated higher education courses which begin before 1 August 2018. The 2018 Regulations provide for financial support for eligible students taking designated higher education courses which begin on or after 1 August 2018.

Regulations 3 and 4 amend the 2017 Regulations and the 2018 Regulations respectively to increase the maximum amount of tuition fee support available from the 2025/26 academic year to students undertaking courses at—

• (a) regulated institutions, to correspond with the increase in the prescribed maximum amounts under the 2015 Regulations as a result of the amendments made by regulation 2,

• (b) higher education institutions and other providers of higher education regulated elsewhere in the United Kingdom, to correspond with increases in the amounts that such institutions and providers can charge by way of tuition fees, and

• (c) private institutions in Wales and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from the Strategy and Funding Division, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1998 c. 30; section 22(1) was amended by the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c. 21), section 146(2)(a). See section 43(1) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 for the definitions of “prescribed” and “regulations”.

[^f00002]: The functions of the Secretary of State in section 22(1) and (2)(b) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales, so far as they relate to making provision in relation to Wales, by section 44 of the Higher Education Act 2004 (c. 8). The Secretary of State’s function in section 42(6) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, in so far as being exercisable in relation to Wales, was transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999, article 2 and Schedule 1 (S.I. 1999/672). The functions of the National Assembly for Wales were transferred to the Welsh Ministers by virtue of section 162 of, and paragraph 30 of Schedule 11 to, the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32).

[^f00003]: 2015 anaw 1. See section 57(1) for the definitions of “prescribed” and “regulations”.

[^f00004]: S.I. 2015/1496 (W. 168), amended by S.I. 2024/144 (W. 31).

[^f00005]: S.I. 2017/47 (W. 21), to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00006]: S.I. 2018/191 (W. 42); relevant amendments are S.I. 2018/814 (W. 165), S.I. 2019/235 (W. 54), S.I. 2020/153 (W. 27) and S.I. 2024/144 (W. 31).