Welsh Students at English Universities: Funding in 2026/27
If you live in Wales and study in England, you still apply to Student Finance Wales, not Student Finance England. You get the Welsh package: a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £9,790, plus a Welsh grant and loan for living costs worth £12,590 outside London or £15,720 in London in 2026/27. You repay on Plan 2, not England's Plan 5, even if you stay in England to work. What changes is the fee on some courses, and the NHS bursary if you study nursing or another health course.
This page covers only what changes when you cross the border. For how much you get at every income, how to apply and contact numbers, see our main Student Finance Wales guide. To apply or sign in, go to studentfinancewales.co.uk.
Key Takeaways
- Your funding follows where you live, not where you study. Living in Wales on the first day of your course means Student Finance Wales pays you.
- The Welsh grant comes with you to England: at least £1,020 a year, and up to £10,325 in London.
- English universities charge Welsh students the same fees as English students, up to £9,790 in 2026/27. Accelerated degrees can cost up to £11,750, and the loan does not cover the gap.
- You stay on Plan 2, even if you work in England after graduating. You repay 9% of income over £29,385, not the Plan 5 threshold of £25,000.
- Nursing and other NHS courses are the big exception: the NHS Wales bursary is only for students who study in Wales.
In this article
What Stays the Same When You Study in England
Student finance in the UK follows your home, not your university. If you will be living in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of your course, Student Finance Wales funds you. That stays true for the whole course, even though you spend term time in England.
Example
Rhys lives in Cardiff and starts a degree at the University of Manchester. He applies to Student Finance Wales. He gets the Welsh grant and loan, repays on Plan 2, and can claim the Welsh partial cancellation. His flatmate from Leeds applies to Student Finance England and gets an English loan with no grant.
| 2026/27 | You (from Wales) | English classmate |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays you | Student Finance Wales | Student Finance England |
| Tuition Fee Loan | Up to £9,790 | Up to £9,790 |
| Grant for living costs | £1,020 to £8,260 outside London | None |
| Repayment plan | Plan 2 | Plan 5 |
| Repayment threshold, 2026-27 | £29,385 | £25,000 |
| Interest after you leave | 4.1% to 6% (capped), by income | 4.1% (RPI only) |
| Written off after | 30 years | 40 years |
| Partial cancellation | Up to £1,500 | None |
Thresholds, interest and write-off periods are the 2026-27 GOV.UK figures. Welsh grant figures are from the Welsh Government notice SFWIN 02/2026.
Tuition Fees at English Universities
English universities charge Welsh students the same fee as English students. For most courses in 2026/27 that is up to £9,790 a year. Student Finance Wales lends you up to £9,790 and pays it straight to the university, so on a normal course the loan covers the full fee.
A few English courses cost more than the Welsh loan pays. You must cover the difference yourself:
| Course in England, 2026/27 | Most the university can charge | Most SFW will lend |
|---|---|---|
| Standard degree at a public university | £9,790 a year | £9,790 a year |
| Accelerated degree | £11,750 a year | £9,790 a year. You pay up to £1,960 a year yourself |
| Private university or college | No cap | £6,525 a year |
| Year abroad on your English course | 15% of the fee cap | £1,465 |
| Work placement (sandwich) year | 20% of the fee cap | £1,955 |
Source: SFWIN 02/2026, "Full-time fee support" and "Maximum fee support in special cases", read 26 September 2026. Fees at Welsh universities, and the question of whether university is free in Wales, are covered in the main Student Finance Wales guide.
Living Costs in England: London or Elsewhere
Most Welsh students at English universities live away from home, so two of the three Welsh rates matter. London pays £3,130 a year more in total than the rest of England. The grant part depends on your household income:
| Household income | England outside London | London |
|---|---|---|
| £18,370 or less | £8,260 grant£4,330 loan | £10,325 grant£5,395 loan |
| £25,000 | £7,085 grant£5,505 loan | £8,814 grant£6,906 loan |
| £35,000 | £5,311 grant£7,279 loan | £6,535 grant£9,185 loan |
| £45,000 | £3,538 grant£9,052 loan | £4,255 grant£11,465 loan |
| £59,200 or more | £1,020 grant£11,570 loan | £1,020 grant£14,700 loan |
| Total, every income | £12,590 | £15,720 |
Source: SFWIN 02/2026, tables 1B and 1C, read 26 September 2026. The London rate is for students living away from home and studying in London. If you live with your parents while studying, the lower at-home rate applies. The full income table has every row and the at-home column.
You vs an English Classmate at the Same University
Here is a Welsh student and an English student on the same course, both living away from home outside London in 2026/27, both taking all the living-costs support on offer.
| Household income | Welsh student | English student | Welsh student borrows |
|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £7,085 grant + £5,505 loan = £12,590 | £10,830 loan, no grant | £5,325 less a year |
| £40,000 | £4,425 grant + £8,165 loan = £12,590 | £8,512 loan, no grant | £347 less a year |
| £59,200 | £1,020 grant + £11,570 loan = £12,590 | £5,544 loan, no grant | £6,026 more a year |
At lower incomes you borrow less and have more to live on. At higher incomes you borrow more than your English classmate. That is because England cuts its loan as income rises, from £10,830 down to £5,048, while Wales keeps paying the full £12,590. You owe more because you were given more to live on. You do not have to take the full loan.
Welsh figures: SFWIN 02/2026 table 1C. England figures: GOV.UK "Student finance: how you're assessed and paid 2026 to 2027", via our shared constants.
Repayments After You Graduate
On the same salary you repay less than your English classmate each year, because the Plan 2 threshold is higher. You may pay more interest, though: Plan 2 charges up to 6%, Plan 5 charges 4.1%.
| Salary | You, Plan 2 (£29,385) | English classmate, Plan 5 (£25,000) |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £55.35 a year | £450.00 a year |
| £40,000 | £955.35 a year | £1,350.00 a year |
| £50,000 | £1,855.35 a year | £2,250.00 a year |
Nursing and Other NHS-Funded Courses in England
This is where crossing the border costs the most. In Wales, the NHS pays the fees of eligible nursing and other health professional students who live and study in Wales, and gives them a bursary. To get it, students must commit to working in Wales for 2 years after qualifying.
If you study the same course in England, you cannot get the NHS Wales bursary. The Welsh Government says you may apply to Student Finance Wales for the normal full-time or part-time package instead, subject to the previous study rules. That means a Tuition Fee Loan and the Welsh grant and loan for living costs.
Source: SFWIN 02/2026, "Support for students on NHS courses", read 26 September 2026. The notice lists nursing plus chiropody and podiatry, dietetics, radiography, speech and language therapy, dental hygiene, healthcare science, paramedic science, dental therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Medicine and dentistry follow separate rules.
Working in England After You Graduate
Your repayment plan is fixed by the body you applied to, not by where you live or work. GOV.UK says Student Finance Wales undergraduates who started on or after 1 September 2012 are on Plan 2. So if you take a job in Bristol or London, you still repay on Plan 2: 9% of income above £29,385 in 2026-27, through your employer's payroll.
Check your payslip shows Plan 2, not Plan 5. An employer who puts you on Plan 5 by mistake will take too much, because the Plan 5 threshold is lower. GOV.UK says you can download your "active plan type letter" from your online account to show them, and claim a refund of anything overpaid.
The Welsh partial cancellation also comes with you. Its rules are about the loan, a full-time undergraduate Maintenance Loan from Student Finance Wales, not about where you studied. Up to £1,500 of your first Maintenance Loan is cancelled after your first repayment. See how the £1,500 cancellation works.
Applying From Wales for an English University
Apply to Student Finance Wales, not Student Finance England. The application is the same as for a Welsh university. You do not need a confirmed place, so you can apply before your offers are settled and update your university later. Choose the London rate only if you will live away from home and study in London.
For 2026/27 dates, the step-by-step process and when the money arrives, see how and when to apply to Student Finance Wales. For help with an undergraduate application, SFW's number is 0300 200 4050, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Welsh Students in England: Common Questions
Do Welsh students get the Welsh grant at an English university?
Yes. If you live in Wales, you get the Welsh package wherever in the UK you study. In 2026/27 every eligible full-time student gets at least £1,020 of grant. If your household earns £18,370 or less, you get up to £8,260 living away from home outside London, or £10,325 in London. The rest of your living-costs support is a Maintenance Loan.
Do Welsh students apply to Student Finance England to study in England?
No. You apply to Student Finance Wales, because funding follows where you live, not where you study. You need to be living in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of your course.
What tuition fees do Welsh students pay at an English university?
The same as English students. In 2026/27 an English university can charge up to £9,790 a year, and Student Finance Wales lends you up to £9,790 to cover it. On an accelerated degree an English university can charge up to £11,750, but the loan still stops at £9,790, so you pay up to £1,960 a year yourself. At a private provider the fee loan is up to £6,525.
Are Welsh students at English universities on Plan 2 or Plan 5?
Plan 2. Your plan depends on which funding body you applied to, not where you studied or where you work afterwards. Student Finance Wales undergraduates who started on or after 1 September 2012 are on Plan 2. In 2026-27 you repay 9% of income above £29,385. English students who started from 1 August 2023 are on Plan 5, with a £25,000 threshold.
How much more do Welsh students get to live in London?
In 2026/27 the total for living costs is £15,720 in London against £12,590 elsewhere in England, £3,130 more. The maximum grant is £10,325 in London against £8,260 outside it.
Can a Welsh nursing student at an English university get the NHS Wales bursary?
No. The Welsh Government says students who study outside Wales are not eligible for the NHS bursary. They can apply to Student Finance Wales for the normal full-time or part-time package instead, subject to the previous study rules. The NHS Wales bursary is for students studying in Wales who commit to work in Wales for 2 years after qualifying.
Plan Your Repayments
See what Plan 2 will cost you after you graduate
Student Loan Calculator UK Editorial Team
Editorial Team
This page is maintained by the Student Loan Calculator UK editorial team, checked against GOV.UK and Student Loans Company guidance. Read more about our editorial approach.