2015 No. 1496 (W. 168)

Education, Wales

The Higher Education (Amounts) (Wales) Regulations 2015

Made

Coming into force

These Regulations are made by the Welsh Ministers in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 5(3), 5(9) and 55(2) of the Higher Education (Wales) Act 20151.

In accordance with section 55(3) of the Higher Education (Wales) Act 2015 a draft of these Regulations was laid before and approved by a resolution of the National Assembly for Wales.

Title, commencement and application1

1

The title of these Regulations is the Higher Education (Amounts) (Wales) Regulations 2015 and they come into force on 31 July 2015.

2

These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.

Interpretation2

In these Regulations—

  • “the 2015 Act” (“Deddf 2015”) means the Higher Education (Wales) Act 2015;

  • “initial training of teachers” (“hyfforddiant cychwynnol athrawon”) is training or education with the object of fitting persons, who are not teachers, to be teachers;

  • “overseas institution” (“sefydliad tramor”) means an institution other than one in Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man;

  • “sandwich course” (“cwrs rhyngosod”) has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 20152.

Prescribed maximum amount3

Subject to regulations 4, 5 and 6 the prescribed maximum amount for the purposes of section 5(3) of the 2015 Act is £9,000.

Prescribed maximum amount for the final academic years of courses and academic years of courses of initial training of teachers4

For the purposes of section 5(3) of the 2015 Act the maximum amount is prescribed as £4,500 in respect of:

a

the final academic year of a course where that academic year is normally required to be completed after less than 15 weeks’ attendance;

b

a course of initial training of teachers (including such a course leading to a first degree), an academic year during which any periods of full time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks.

Prescribed maximum amount for sandwich courses5

For the purposes of section 5(3) of the 2015 Act the maximum amount is prescribed as £1,800 in respect of an academic year of a sandwich course:

a

during which any periods of full time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

b

if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one or more periods of attendance which are not periods of full time study at the institution (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks.

Prescribed maximum amount for study and work placements overseas6

For the purposes of section 5(3) of the 2015 Act the maximum amount is prescribed as £1,350 in respect of an academic year of a course provided in conjunction with an overseas institution:

a

during which any periods of full time study at the institution in the United Kingdom are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

b

if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one or more periods of attendance which are not periods of full time study at the institution in the United Kingdom (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks.

Fees payable to other persons7

For the purposes of section 5(9) of the 2015 Act the circumstances in which fees are to be treated as being paid to a regulated institution under section 5(2)(a) of the 2015 Act are where the fees are payable to a person in respect of a qualifying course provided on behalf of a regulated institution by that person.

Huw LewisMinister for Education and Skills, one of the Welsh Ministers
EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations prescribe the maximum amount which an institution with an approved fee and access plan in force will be able to charge by way of tuition fees for full-time undergraduate courses.

Regulation 3 prescribes the maximum amount which will apply. Regulations 4, 5 and 6 prescribe lower maximum amounts in respect of certain courses.

Regulation 7 provides that, where a course is a franchised course, fees are to be treated as payable to the institution on whose behalf the course is provided, and that the total fees that a student pays must not exceed the amount prescribed by these Regulations.

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 Higher Education Division, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.