English students at university in Wales

[Sarahcoggles]

I'm aware that the welsh government subsidise the courses of Welsh students, so their tuition fees aren't as much. Obviously this means that welsh students come out with a smaller debt, but does that mean they have more money to spend as students, or are their living allowances the same as English students?
I'm trying to gauge if my English son will have to watch his welsh fellow students having more disposable income. Or is it just the tuition fees that are subsidised?
Thank you

My ds has just graduated after 5 years in Wales and has never mentioned this as an issue. A lot of Welsh cities are relatively cheap places to live as a student which is a bonus. He loved it there and wants to go back if he can find a job.

OP. My children had to watch students with wealthier parents spend on luxuries whilst they had to do part time jobs they hated to fund their way through college.

No two students are the same.

The Welsh government has the right to decide how they fund Welsh students - whether you like it or not.

Its just the tuition fees. Some deprived postcodes get extra cash by way of vouchers to spend on campus but they are few and far between.

I don't think there's a substantial difference in the amounts received but less has to be repaid by Welsh students. There's no grants in England anymore, is that correct?

I am relatively sure the living allowance is the same or thereabouts. But I agree with pp, you're over thinking this. There will be disparity naturally between those with rich parents and those who don't have financial support. You can't make it an even playing field wherever he ends up.

TBH my English DS has applied for a mixture of Welsh and English universities. This was not a question I’d ever thought to ask- yes, I know what we’ll need to pay; no, I won’t be comparing it to the repayments of others. That way, madness lies I feel.

I can only speak as the mum of Welsh students in Wales but my DC have had loans every year for tuition fees (which are the same as England I believe at £9,200 pa?) then they have the option of maintenance grant/loan depending on family income. AFAIK that's around £7k but you don't have to pay it all back. I believe the Welsh government pledged they should all get a 'living wage' or somesuch as they study.

The Welsh Gov are far more generous than the English one. They give a partial grant, not just a loan! See here:

https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/undergraduate-finance/full-time/welsh-student/what-s-available/

If I remember correctly tuition fees were paid for Welsh students who started university before August 2018 but this was lowered in following years and now a grant is not given for tuition. Tuition fees at Welsh Universities are capped at £9,000 which is slightly less than £9,250 in England. Welsh students are eligible for a minimum of £1,000 maintenance grant (which is not repaid) but lower income families are entitled to more. There is also a special grant for single parent students or those with disabilities. All Welsh students are eligible for these grants no matter which country they study in. There will be very little difference in how much they have to spend because those who are eligible for more than £1000 will come from homes with a very low annual income.

Bearing in mind the average income in Wales is much less than a good amount of England, I sincerely doubt it OP.

The tuition fee loan is direct so makes no difference to how much students have to spend.

Dd is at a Welsh university

I'm trying to gauge if my English son will have to watch his welsh fellow students having more disposable income.

My dc3 is at University in England and has 2 Welsh friends who are much better funded than she is. Oddly, dc1 and dc2 both went to University in Wales and neither ever said anything about an English / Welsh funding divide (except dc1's friends only paying about £3k for the fees - but that doesn't affect your spending money at the time, that comes into play once you are paying back).

Wherever your dc goes, there will be students struggling to get by and other students who seems to have loads of spending money. I really, really wouldn't be put of Welsh Universities due to that misconception.

Did I say I had a problem with what the welsh government do?

I just wanted to get an idea of whether or not it felt like an issue for the students.
Why are you taking such an aggressive tone? Can you explain?

Well my Welsh son went to an English university. Many students. Some shopped at Harvey Nichols some at Primark. It's an eye opener but part of being an adult I guess

My DD was at a welsh university. It's just the fees which are lower so no practical difference in day to day spend.

Generally there is only a £1000 maintenance grant (living costs) given to Welsh students by the Welsh Government, wherever the attend university, that is all. Anyone entitled to any more come from extremely low income families or are disabled.
The tuition grant was scraped years ago. My eldest dc (25) left uni with an overall loan of about £16,000 for his masters; my youngest dc (17) will probably have a loan of £16,000 a year when he goes. Neither will have had or will have any more money in their pockets than any other average students whilst studying.
Also Welsh universities are not necessarily full of Welsh students they go all over the UK to study.

I have middle income friends and family from Wales with current student DC, and for maintenance purposes theirs are much better off than mine. And consequently their parents are, too, as they don't have to find hundreds every month from an already stretched budget. It makes no difference where they go to university, so don't let that be a factor in any decision your DS makes about where to study.

I am Welsh and went to a Welsh uni not long ago. All my flat mates were English and from the same low income type background as me. We all received the same equivalent maintenance spending money.