Welsh Ministers have made the Higher Education (Fee Limits) (Wales) Regulations 2026, which specify the maximum charges a qualifying person may be asked to pay for a qualifying higher education course under the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022. The Senedd approved the draft on 24 February 2026. (record.senedd.wales)
The Regulations were laid on 27 January 2026, signed on 25 February 2026, and come into force on 1 March 2026. The Welsh Government confirmed the laying of the draft instrument in a written statement. (gov.wales)
Regulation 2 sets the standard maximum at £9,790 for the purposes of section 46(6) of the 2022 Act. Providers in scope will need to ensure their fee limit statements approved by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research do not specify a higher amount for the relevant year and course.
Regulation 3 introduces a lower maximum of £4,895 in two cases: the final academic year where attendance is normally required for less than 15 weeks, and academic years of initial teacher training where any periods of full‑time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks. Initial teacher training is defined as training intended to fit non‑teachers to be teachers.
Regulation 4 sets a £1,955 cap for an academic year of a sandwich course if any full‑time study across that year totals under 10 weeks, or if across that year and any previous years the aggregate of one or more periods that are not full‑time study at the institution exceeds 30 weeks (vacations disregarded). “Sandwich course” has the meaning given in the 2018 student support regulations.
Regulation 5 provides a £1,465 cap for an academic year of a course delivered in conjunction with an overseas institution if periods of full‑time study in the United Kingdom are under 10 weeks in total, or where the aggregate of non‑full‑time attendance in the UK across the year and any previous years exceeds 30 weeks (vacations disregarded). “Overseas institution” excludes institutions in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
To prevent fee‑cap avoidance through outsourcing, Regulation 6 clarifies that where a qualifying course (or part of it) is provided on behalf of a registered provider, any tuition fees paid to that other person are to be treated as fees paid to the registered provider. The cap therefore applies irrespective of delivery partner arrangements.
Scope sits within the new registration regime overseen by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (Medr). A fee‑limit condition will apply to the Higher Education Core registration category; providers in that category must prepare a fee limit statement that ensures regulated course fees do not exceed the prescribed maxima. (gov.wales)
The instrument underpins the transition to Medr’s register, due to be established on 31 July 2026, with tuition fee limits regulated through the register from academic year 2027/28. During the Senedd debate the Minister confirmed the fee limits in these Regulations will first apply in 2027/28. (gov.wales)
This schedule aligns with earlier decisions for 2026/27. In November 2025 the Minister confirmed an increase in the full‑time undergraduate cap to £9,790 for courses beginning on or after 1 August 2026, with the level matching England. The 2026 Fee Limits Regulations reflect that position ahead of the new regime. (gov.wales)
For universities and colleges, the operational task is to map each course year against the 10‑week and 30‑week thresholds, update fee limit statements accordingly, and ensure third‑party delivery agreements route charges through the registered provider. Institutions preparing for registration should also confirm which provision will sit in the Higher Education Core category and schedule any governance approvals needed ahead of the 2027/28 application of the cap.
For students, the headline is continued statutory fee protection with defined lower charges for placement and overseas‑linked years. In the Senedd, Ministers also reiterated that changes to caps do not alter upfront costs for students and would not increase monthly repayments; the impact falls on lifetime repayments for higher earners and sector income. (record.senedd.wales)