The Welsh Government opened a consultation in April 2025 to seek feedback on policy proposals for regulations that will support the establishment of a register of tertiary education providers of higher education in Wales, overseen by Medr.
The regulations relate to:
- qualifying courses and qualifying persons for the purpose of regulated course fees subject to fee limits
- prescribing maximum tuition fee limits.
The consultation set out the Welsh Government’s proposed process by which providers of higher education in Wales are able to have their courses designated for the purposes of student support.
The consultation ran from 8 April 2025 to 4 July 2025.
Our response
In our response we support Medr’s desire to streamline the system of automatic course designation, reducing the burden on both government and providers where robust oversight already exists. Most importantly, the principle of cross-border reciprocity reduces complexity for students navigating different systems and supports greater mobility and choice across borders. We suggest that this could be further enhanced by including modular and accelerated provision in the courses under consideration, taking advantage of full course diversity as well as saving money for all stakeholders.
We are keen to see Medr continue to develop mechanisms for provider registration as a flexible system which recognises the complexity of the tertiary landscape. The proposal to continue approving courses through specific course designation are therefore welcomed. As the consultation notes, there will be instances where it is not possible or desirable for a provider to register with the funder or regulator in the relevant UK nation. Ensuring Welsh students are still able to access finance through specific course designation will be essential. IHE is keen to see transparency in the eligibility and method of granting specific course designation, for example for those operating in academic partnerships, including School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programmes who need to operate through partnership arrangements. As Medr progresses with changes to the regulation of providers, IHE encourages the publication of a list of Welsh providers operating in partnership, specifying the types of partnership activity being undertaken.
Our response also highlights the need to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS) given the concurring DfE proposals in England for franchise providers, which may come into force in May 2026.
Read our full response using the download link below.