Grants for Welsh students
Welsh students are set to receive maintenance grants from September, the Welsh education minister Jane Davidson has announced.
The Welsh Assembly was told last Tuesday that the poorest of Wales' 250,000 students in further and higher education would be eligible for the financial assistance, which is intended to supplement rather than replace the current loans system. Grants will be means-tested, and students from household incomes below £15,00 will be entitled to up to £1,500 awards each term.
The move is likely to provoke significant pressure for the universal re-introduction of grants, which has been the goal of the NUS and student campaigners since the withdrawal of grants in 1997.
It is not yet clear whether the reform will be applied to other UK students, although a spokesman for the Department of Education and Skills said that: "The future of the overall student support system in England and Wales is being considered by the student funding review which will report soon."
14th Feb 2002