'Concern' over exodus of Welsh-speakers to English universities

49% of pupils from Welsh-medium schools went to universities in England, such as Cambridge

Half of the pupils from Welsh-medium schools who started at university this academic year have left Wales.

49% went to England and 1% to Scotland, while 50% stayed in Wales.

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, a Welsh-medium higher education network which collected the figures, said it was a "concern that so many students leave Wales to study in universities where there are no opportunities to continue studying in Welsh".

Welsh language minister Mark Drakeford said he wants Welsh-speakers "to study wherever they choose, but also to retain the Welsh language skills that they have, and to use those skills once they've completed their studies and to return to Wales".

'Worrying'

Plaid Cymru said they are "worrying" figures which "prove once again that change is needed".

The Welsh Conservatives said the emphasis should be on attracting Welsh-speakers studying in England back into the workforce in Wales after they graduate.

The Dyfodol i'r Iaith (future for the language) campaign group said the "migration... undermines all efforts to ensure a Welsh-speaking workforce in our schools, surgeries, dentists, public sector etc".

The BBC obtained the statistics from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) due to their contract with Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

The statistics correspond to students who accepted a place at university or college 28 days after A-level/Level 3 results day 2025.

Students studying outside of Wales need to "retain Welsh language skills" said Mark Drakeford

In the Senedd earlier this month, Conservative Samuel Kurtz MS asked, "what work is being done at present to draw in students in universities in England back into Wales, to ensure that they enter the workforce here in Wales?"

In the context of a discussion on teachers' Welsh language skills, he added "they might well think about teaching in England or in other places. But because they have the [Welsh] language, it's important to attract them back to Wales, into the workforce."

Mark Drakeford, the former first minister who is now the cabinet secretary for finance and Welsh language in the Labour Welsh government, referred to the Cadw Cyswllt (keeping in touch) scheme run by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

It's a network of students who speak Welsh and studying outside Wales, to inform them about a variety of opportunities like training, events, resources, jobs, work experience and research.

He added, "we want people who've been educated through the medium of Welsh to study wherever they choose, but also to retain the Welsh language skills that they have, and to use those skills once they've completed their studies and to return to Wales."

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson told the BBC it is "a pity to see so many students from Welsh-medium schools feel they have to leave Wales to study".

"This underlines the need to strengthen Welsh universities and to make them an attractive choice for our young people.

"The Welsh government should be working much more actively to promote the opportunities here at home, ensuring that students have real options to continue studying through the Welsh language."

The chief executive of Dyfodol i'r Iaith, Dylan Bryn Roberts, told the BBC, "the Welsh government spent half a billion pounds on Welsh students in England last year, an increase of 60% over five years.

"It is high time to follow the example of Scotland and Northern Ireland which offer significant advantages for their students to study in their own country."

A Welsh government spokesperson responded, "we offer the most generous student maintenance support package for full-time undergraduates in the UK, irrespective of whether a Welsh domiciled student chooses to study in Wales or elsewhere in the UK."

On funding, they said the Welsh government "paid £1.17 billion in loans, which are repaid, and grants which are not repaid, for Welsh students (studying both inside and outside Wales) in the 2023/24 academic year.

"Of this, £911m was loaned to students to support their tuition fees and maintenance. The remaining £264m was spent on grants, including maintenance grants to help with living costs, Disabled Students' Allowance grants and other targeted grants.

"The £500m figure for students studying outside of Wales is based on a particular extract from Student Loan Company data and includes expenditure of loans and grants.

"Funding for student loans is provided by HM Treasury and cannot be reallocated or spent by Welsh government for any other purpose."

The Seren scheme was originally established to increase the number of Welsh pupils going to Russell Group universities like Oxford

For the Senedd Cymru election in May 2026, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol is calling on the next Welsh government to set targets to increase the number of Seren Academy students in Welsh universities and studying through the medium of Welsh.

Seren (Welsh for star) was originally established in 2015 to increase the number of Welsh pupils who go to Russell Group universities including Oxford and Cambridge.

An independent review of Seren in 2018 revealed an "inherent tension" between the scheme's objectives and the government's "broader objectives" to support the higher education sector in Wales.

Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS says the party would amend the scheme if they were in government.

Earlier this year, Education Secretary Lynne Neagle announced "a comprehensive support package for schools to provide the time and space for teachers to support their Seren learners... to access the opportunities which are right for them, including the fantastic provision at our Welsh universities."