Sta/Medr/17/2025: Welsh Language in Higher Education, 2023/24

Introduction

This report summarises some of the key trends about studying in the Welsh language and the Welsh language ability of students at higher education providers in Wales, and for staff at universities in Wales. Throughout the report when we refer to studying in Welsh, we mean studying through the medium of the Welsh language rather than studying Welsh as a subject.

The sources of the data are the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student and Staff records.

The data are available in an accompanying spreadsheet. Further breakdowns of the data are also available on StatsWales.

Main points

• In 2023/24, 13% of enrolments by students from Wales were known to be fluent Welsh speakers. A further 15% were non-fluent Welsh speakers or Welsh speakers of unknown ability.
• In 2023/24, 30% of enrolments by students from Wales who are known to be fluent Welsh speakers studied at least 1 credit in Welsh, and 21% studied at least 40 credits in Welsh. These proportions have been at about the same levels since 2017/18.
• 4% of enrolments by all students, including those who are not from Wales and are not known Welsh speakers, involved studying at least 1 credit in Welsh in 2023/24.
• The number of enrolments by all students with at least 1 credit studied in Welsh in 2023/24 fell by 19% compared to 2022/23, and was the lowest number in recent years. However, a significant factor in this decrease is related to a change in how the amount of studying in Welsh is calculated at some providers rather than a real change in what was delivered.
• There were more than twice as many enrolments from female students where at least 1 credit was studied in Welsh compared to enrolments from male students. Of enrolments with at least 1 credit studied in Welsh, female students were also more likely to study a higher number of credits in Welsh than male students.
• Education and training was the module subject with the highest number and proportion of enrolments with at least 1 credit studied in Welsh.
• There were 565 academic teaching staff contracted to teach in Welsh in 2023/24, the same number as in 2022/23.