Universities in Wales will get nearly £60m less in public funding for the 2022-23 academic year at the same time as record numbers of students have applied to study here. The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (Hefcw), the body which funds and regulates higher education in Wales, will allocate £217.1m of public funding to universities and other higher education providers next academic year compared to £275.3m in 2021-22. The money comes to Hefcw from the Welsh Government .
Hefcw's allocation is not the only source of funding to universities. They also receive £9,000 for each full-time undergraduate student from the UK and the EU in tuition fees as well as income from international students, grants, and commercial activities. Universities in England receive £9,250 for each full-time graduate which has prompted calls in the past to raise student fees in Wales.
The news comes as record numbers of people have applied for university places in Wales starting in September. Date from admissions service Ucas shows more than 82,000 applications have been made for the 2022-23 academic year including 23,500 from Wales – a 3.7% rise on last year. You can get more education news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
