Part-time provision
Part-time courses are crucial in helping people to get vocational qualifications, to widen access to higher education (HE) and to strengthen links with employers. We provide funding for higher education institutions (HEIs) to support part-time students financially and for activities and initiatives to widen access to HE for part-time students.
The part-time undergraduate fee waiver scheme offers a fee remission for students who are unemployed and actively seeking work or who are in receipt of Department for Work and Pensions benefits. It is designed to help combat social exclusion and to help more people to get vocational qualifications. As such, the scheme is intended to contribute towards widening access for disadvantaged groups, such as care leavers, and increasing rates of retention and achievement.
The scheme is part of a package of measures aimed at widening access to higher education. It will be ongoing and independent of existing schemes offered by HE institutions or other bodies to support students, for example schemes funded from institutions’ general resources or hardship funds.
Individual students will apply directly to institutions for fee waivers and HEFCW will provide grants to institutions to enable them to offer direct assistance to eligible students.
The Graham Review, published in 2006, assessed part-time higher education and study in Wales. In particular the review examined existing fee and student support arrangements and the possible impact of changes to this system.
Following its publication, a subsequent Welsh Government working group concluded that additional funding should be provided to support widening access and strengthening part-time provision within institutions, and for strengthening links with employers. From 2007/08 to 2010/11 HEFCW provided annual allocations in support of both areas which came to £25.392 million in total over the four year period.
From 2011/12 it was decided that institutions should use their Innovation and Engagement and Widening Access funding from HEFCW to continue these activities or to engage in new areas of part-time support.
