Wales: FE fee status

Introduction

Last updated May 14, 2025

Before you look at this page, you should read our introductory information in Find your fee status and check if your course is in higher education (HE) or further education (FE). If your course is a HE course, please refer instead to the page, Know the basics for HE Wales.

Access a full unfiltered list of our fees advice pages.

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Know the basics

Last updated May 14, 2025

Fee status is based on law and guidance, published by governments. Governments make the law, not UKCISA.

Law and guidance outline the different ‘categories’ of student who can insist on paying tuition fees at the ‘home’ rate and list the requirements you need to meet, to fit one of those categories. You only need to find one category that you fit (if you fit more than one, that is not a problem). You need to meet every single requirement listed for a category.

The regulations and guidance are different in the four different parts of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland). Only look at the page for the part of the UK you will study in. Governments make changes to the regulations (and how they interpret them) over time. Information that you read today might change tomorrow, so check the information on this website regularly.

Each educational institution uses the regulations and guidance to make its own decision about your fee status. Talk to each of them separately about their decision.

Educational institutions will ask you to give them some information about yourself and your family, to help them check if you fit into one of the categories for ‘home’ fees. You may be asked to provide documents (for example, a passport or official letters) to support the information you give.

If you think an institution has made a mistake about your fee status, do not sign any document or contract agreeing to pay the ‘overseas’ rate of fee. Contact the institution immediately and ask for an explanation of the decision. After this, if you still think the decision is wrong, give the reasons why you think there has been a mistake. It is important to communicate in writing and to keep copies of all correspondence. If you are still not satisfied with the decision, contact the student advice team at the institution or its student union. You can also telephone our Advice Line to discuss your concerns, but please note that we cannot get involved in individual disputes between you and your institution.

'Home’ fees do not count as ‘public funds’. So you will not be in breach of an immigration condition to have “no recourse to public funds” if you are charged ‘home’ fees.  The Introduction to the Immigration Rules gives a list of specific welfare benefits that count as ‘public funds’, and the list does not include education or any education funding.

Unfortunately, students sometimes have to leave their courses early, or repeat part or all of their courses due to accidents or illnesses during their studies. You may wish to look at options for buying insurance to provide a proportionate refund of your pre-paid course fees if you are worried about this. Whether or not you choose to buy insurance, you should be clear on what your place of study says about course fee refund options.

Private sector institutions often have only one level of fee, which all students must pay (instead of separate ‘home’ and ‘overseas’ rates of fee).

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Further education - fee status

Last updated May 14, 2025

The info below explains what provisions are made for you to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the ‘home’ rate on courses of further education (FE) in Wales.

The Welsh Government provides funding to FE institutions for 'home' fee students. The Welsh Government advises that FE institutions should determine 'home' fees eligibility using its ‘Post-16 Funding Framework Guide and Programmes Directory’. You can access this guidance at www.medr.cymru/en/funding-for-providers/, under the tab titled 'Post-16 Funding Framework'. The guidance was published in March 2025.

The Post-16 Funding Framework Guide and Programmes Directory explains all its provisions for FE fees assessment (‘funding’) in its section, titled ‘Learner eligibility’, which is on pages 14-24. The main eligibility provisions are given in paragraphs 11-14. The main exceptions, or exclusions from eligibility, should also be noted; these are outlined in paragraphs 33-37.

Much of what is provided for in paragraphs 11-14 is based upon provisions (eligibility categories) in the Education (Fees and Award) (Wales) Regulations 2007, as amended. Those regulations provide for fees assessment in both higher education (HE) and FE. This is because of wording in Regulation 4(3) (Fee charging) of those regulations. However, in reality, the regulations are primarily used only for HE assessment. For information about HE fee assessment in Wales, see our webpage, Know the basics for HE Wales.

Generally, guidance should be more accessible than law and normally seeks to explain the provisions in law. Our understanding is that the guidance should not be more restrictive than the regulations. Historically, FE guidance has often, in a number of places, been more generous than the regulations.

If you have any issues with interpreting the guidance, or if you think you are eligible under a particular category but wish to discuss it, to check if you are eligible, you can call us on our Student advice line.

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