Cumulative monthly applications for student support by academic year

Main information

Designation: Accredited official statistics
Data provider: Student Loans Company
Data source: Administrative data

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

This table presents the cumulative number of applications for student finance from full time undergraduate Welsh domiciled students and eligible EU students studying higher education in Wales.

Entry cohort is a grouping of student finance applicants according to the student finance regulations against which the applicant was assessed for support. Student finance applications are covered by transitional protection which means they continue to be assessed against the regulations in place for their first year of study (including students who transfer from one full-time course to another full-time course). Students who withdraw from a course and start another course, or who start a new period of study no longer receive transitional protection and will be assessed under the arrangements in place for their latest year of study

Applications are shown for three support types; Student Finance, Tuition Fee Loans and Tuition Fee Grants. Student Finance is the number of applications for any type of full time undergraduate student support. Tuition fee grants were removed for new students from 2018/19.

Data collection or calculation

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administer funding for higher education students on behalf of the Welsh Government. This data is taken from SLC’s administrative systems and show applications received up to the last Sunday of each calendar month.

Generally students can apply for student finance from the April before their course starts but the month when applications open can vary each year.

Applications are for Welsh domiciled students and eligible EU students studying in Wales. All EU students studying in Wales who started their course between 2006/07 and 2020/21 were eligible for a tuition fee loan. From 2021/22 EU students with protected rights are eligible for a tuition fee loan.

Statistical quality

These monthly updates may provide an early indication of student numbers compared with the previous year, though changes in the application process, such as timing, can affect comparisons.

Applications are counted from the month in which they reach one of the following work stages: 1 Eligibility Incomplete; 2 Entitlement Incomplete; 3 Pending LEA Manual Assessment; 9 Awaiting Validation; 10 Awaiting LEA Approval; 12 Approved; 18 Held, 23 Approved - Awaiting Signature.

It is possible for the number of applications or awards to fall from one month to the next since some of the applications may subsequently have been cancelled or the student withdrew from their course.

More detailed information is available in SLC's annual November Statistical First Release. Please note these data are taken from monthly SLC Management Reports which are not based on the same definitions used for the Statistical First Release, and therefore the figures published in November differ slightly from these tables.

Rounding applied

Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. Due to rounding the sums of some rows or columns may not add to the total figure given.

Related reports

Student support for higher education

Published by

Organisation: Welsh Government
Contact email: highereducationandstudentfinance.stats@gov.wales

Cumulative monthly applications for student support by academic year

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