Wednesday 06 April 2022
Students from the Bailiwick of Guernsey attending universities and other higher education providers in Wales will be guaranteed to pay home fees going forwards, following a decision by the Welsh Government.
In 2021, changes were made to Regulations in England to confirm that students from the Crown Dependencies would be treated the same as UK students with regard to home fee status at universities in England. Those changes took effect from 1 August 2021. As education is a devolved matter that change only covered universities and other higher education providers in England, and discussions have since taken place with the Devolved Administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to confirm the situation for students from the Crown Dependencies studying at higher education institutions in those jurisdictions.
While the vast majority of universities currently charge Bailiwick students the same fees as UK students, previous legislation relating to Welsh providers meant that a few institutions have charged Crown Dependencies' students higher fees. This difference may add thousands or tens of thousands of pounds to the cost of a university place.
Following discussions between the Crown Dependencies and the Welsh Government, and a consultation process that took place during 2021, the Welsh Government has now amended its Regulations to confirm that Crown Dependency students are eligible for home fees. These changes will take effect from 1 August 2022.
In addition to the legislative changes made in England and Wales, discussions have taken place with Scotland and Northern Ireland to confirm the situation for Crown Dependency students. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland have confirmed that students from the Crown Dependencies are treated as home students in the same way as students from the rest of the UK when undertaking courses in those jurisdictions.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
"Our Committee is delighted with this change, which addresses an issue that I know has been of concern to a number of students and their families for some time now, particularly following the changes made last year relating to English universities. On average there are up to 35 students from the Bailiwick who go to universities and other higher education providers in Wales each year. I'm pleased the Welsh Government has recognised the value our students bring. This decision will provide welcome certainty to our young people that they will be treated the same as their UK counterparts, as far as fees are concerned, when attending university in Wales."
