Student Finance

Funding for students from Wales, or, in some cases, studying in Wales, entering higher education in the UK is provided though Student Finance Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government.

You can apply for grants and loans to help with your living costs and an up-front loan to cover your tuition fees.

How it works

  1. Once you have applied to university using UCAS, you can then apply online for your student finance at Home | Student Finance Wales
  2. You may have to provide evidence of your household income. You can use the Student Finance calculator on the government website to get an estimate.
  3. Once your application is approved and you have firmly accepted an offer at a university, student finance will pay your tuition fee loan directly to the university for you. Any maintenance loan payments are then scheduled to be paid to you in three instalments over the academic year – September, January and April.

After University

Once you finish university, the repayment part can sound a little complicated, but we’re here to help. It all depends on how much you are earning, and not on how much you have borrowed.

Currently, you pay nothing back until you are earning £26,575 as a yearly salary. You would pay back 9% if you earn anything over this amount. If your earnings fall below £26,575, the repayments stop.

If you earn enough to start paying back your student loan, the amount will be deducted from your monthly salary automatically. There is nothing you need to do to arrange this.

Currently, after 30 years, any outstanding debt is written off and will never be passed to anyone else.

Check out Save the Student for more in-depth information on repaying your loans.