Wales might be entering a difficult era for higher education, as rising tuition fees coincide with a nationwide cost-of-living crisis. For students, especially newcomers, financial pressure is mounting and many say government support still falls short.
From August 2025, Welsh universities will be allowed to charge up to £9,535 in undergraduate tuition fees. This was announced in a written statement by Vikki Howells MS, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Further and Higher Education. Howells, while defending the move said, “the increase will provide additional income to Welsh institutions to reflect the increased costs of education and help safeguard provision and investment in the student experience.” Although, maintenance support will rise by 1.6% for 2025/26, many think it is not enough. The inflation (Consumer Price Index) forecast average for 2025 was revised upwards to 3.2%.
In the Welsh Government’s own announcement, Howells said “living costs should not be a barrier to studying at university. I want to be clear that this small increase in fees should not dissuade anyone from Wales considering applying for university. An increase in fees will not increase their monthly repayments as graduates.”
Yet student unions are warning that reality is harsher than government statements suggest. NUS Wales President Deio Owen pointed to the data showing that 58% of Welsh students are skipping meals. “These findings provide a stark insight into the state of student housing in Wales. It’s simply unacceptable that so many students are struggling to afford necessities like food and rent,” said Owen. He added that “around a quarter of students are left with less than £100 a month after housing costs alone. Once we take into account the cost-of-living crisis and ever-increasing prices, it demonstrates how students need support now.”
A separate NUS Wales survey also revealed that 8% of students in Wales experienced homelessness during the cost-of-living crisis, with half of those going without a stable place for more than a week. Owen said the figures should be a ‘real red flag’ for the Welsh Government.
Some students have spoken directly to the media about how financial hardship is affecting their lives. In an ITV Wales interview, Orla Tarn, then President of NUS Wales said. “money troubles, housing issues and poor work-life balance have become more pronounced for many students.” These student hardships are happening as universities themselves grapple with severe financial strain. Cardiff University announced plans to cut 400 academic jobs and shutter courses such as nursing, music and modern languages to plug a substantial budget gap.
The vice-chancellor, Prof Wendy Larner, had defended the decision and said, “it is no longer an option for us to continue. We have worked diligently to create initial proposals for a slightly smaller university and ready to leverage new academic opportunities.”
For those applying now, these developments raise serious questions. The higher tuition cap means potentially more debt long-term, even if repayments don’t start until after graduation. But the bigger worry is the cost of living, with many students reporting deciding where to study could come down to affordability more than academic prestige and quality of education. Student leaders are calling for stronger protections in form of better regulation of rent, expanded hardship funds and more transparent financial planning from universities. Deio Owen said, “We’re seeing a generation of students being failed as they study, with insufficient housing, concerns around their tuition fees, less money in their pockets and uncertainty about their futures.”
The Welsh Government had said that the fee rises and maintenance increase are necessary steps to protect the higher education sector. But for many students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, these changes might hamper their start at the university due to the existing cost-of-living crisis which threatens to undermine who can realistically afford to go to university and how well they can manage their lives as they study.