Welsh tuition fees to rise by £250 a year from September

The cap on university tuition fees in Wales is rising from £9,000 to £9,250 a year from September.

Education Minister Jeremy Miles says he recognises that students will be disappointed.

The 2.8% increase, which universities and other providers will decide whether to apply, will affect undergraduate students who are studying in Wales.

Loans available to students to pay for tuition fees will also go up to £9,250.

The loan means that students do not have to pay the tuition fee upfront.

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Students whose home address is in Wales, but who study in other parts of the UK are already charged the £9,250 fee.

In a written statement Mr Miles, who is also a Welsh Labour leadership candidate, said: "We have resisted calls to raise the tuition fee cap in the past, but sustained inflationary pressure on higher education providers in Wales means an increase is now unavoidable.

"This change will provide additional funding for universities and other providers in Wales, helping to safeguard provision and investment in the student experience."

Mr Miles says the 2.8% increase is the first since 2011 and will not make a difference to monthly repayments when loans start to be repaid.

Maintenance support for eligible undergraduates will increase by 3.7%, which is below the current rate of inflation.

Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Heledd Fychan said the tuition fee increase would "cost people out of education".

"Our universities are in a dire situation. Rather than investing in them, we are seeing the Labour government making it more difficult for students from Wales to study in Wales," she said.