A new report has recommended that the Welsh Assembly Government no longer ensure that all Welsh students pay lower tuition fees than in England.

At present Welsh students pay £1,200 per year, instead of the £3,000 paid by students from other parts of the UK, at an annual cost to government of £61 million.

A new report has recommended that the Welsh Assembly Government no longer ensure that all Welsh students pay lower tuition fees than in England.

At present Welsh students pay £1,200 per year, instead of the £3,000 paid by students from other parts of the UK, at an annual cost to government of £61 million.
The report proposes replacing the current system with one that is targeted, and linked to family income.

The report proposes replacing the current system with one that is targeted, and linked to family income.

The result would be that those students from low income backgrounds would be given the most financial support, while those from high income backgrounds would receive little.

These measures could lead to the abolition of the £1,890 that is at present given to all Welsh students.

It is proposed that the Assembly Learning Grant (ALG) for the most disadvantaged students should be increased to £5,000 or £6,000.

Students could then use this money either to pay their fees up front or for maintenance throughout the year.

The report also recommended that the earnings threshold at which graduates have to begin repaying their student loans be increased from £15,000 to £18,000-20,000.

The report was compiled by a ‘task and finish group’ established in June and headed by Professor Merfyn Jones, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University.

The group presented their report to the Education Minister, Jane Hutt, last week and she is expected to deliver a formal response next month.

A spokesman for Ms. Hutt commented: “The minister will now consider this very important piece of work in the coming weeks in consultation with her cabinet colleagues and will formally respond in November.”

Ben Lewis, 21, a fourth-year Classics and Medieval History student at Edinburgh, who was brought up in Wales, told Student: “I don’t think it solves the problem. It seems to fail to address the big issue of education in schools. It’s cheap tinkering rather than spending money on education lower down.”

He continued: “The benefits that you can get for going to university in Wales should be stopped first before taking money away from those that study outside Wales. If they want a fair playing field then those issues need to be looked at.”

These recommendations form the first part of the group’s report, looking at student debt and widening access.

The second part of the report, dealing with the purpose and role of higher education in Wales, is expected by February 2009.