Main points

General education (A levels)

• Grade outcomes remain higher than before the pandemic, but there was a decrease in the proportions of learners achieving at least three As and at least three Cs compared to 2022/23.
• There was a small increase in AS level completion and a small decrease in the proportion of learners who went onto their second year of A levels compared to 2022/23.
• Learners taking Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology were particularly likely to get high grades.
• Females had better outcomes than males in general education programmes, apart from learners achieving three A*s.
• 51% of female AS learners went on to achieve at least three Cs at A level, compared to 40% of male learners.
• 48% of 16 year old AS learners went on to achieve at least three Cs at A level, compared to 22% of older learners.
• Learners from deprived backgrounds were less likely to complete their A levels and less likely to get high grades if they did.
• Learners from Black, African, Caribbean, Black British or Black Welsh background generally had lower A level outcomes than other ethnic groups, but this was the only ethnic group to see an increase in achieving at least three As compared to 2022/23.

Vocational education

• Vocational outcomes at all programme levels improved in 2023/24. The recovery from the drop in outcomes following the coronavrius (Covid-19) pandemic continued and outcomes at levels 1 to 3 are now broadly in line with pre-pandemic figures.
• Completion and success rates for entry level vocational programmes are both 3 percentage points higher than pre-pandemic.
• The proportion of learners who did not complete their programme due to ‘Personal reasons’ has remained stagnant. Fewer learners did not complete their programme due to ‘Failure’.
• Learners who did not complete their programme due to ‘Other’ reasons saw an increase of 10 percentage points compared 2022/23.Vocational learners linked to experiences of deprivation had lower outcomes than those who were not, but the relationship was less strong than in general education.
• There was no gender/sex gap in success rates for vocational programmes.

Welsh Baccalaureate (Welsh Bacc)

• Outcomes for the Welsh Bacc were higher than 2022/23 for learners on general education and vocational programmes, except for the proportions of vocational learners achieving A*, A* to A and A* to B in the Skills Challenge Certificate, which were slightly lower or remained the same.

Summary of achievement measures by academic year, August 2022 to July 2024

Key points

• There were 7,185 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q1, compared with 8,145 starts in 2023/24 Q1. This is a 12% fall in apprenticeships started.
• The fall in starts coincides with a reduction in apprenticeship funding in the 2024-25 budget, following the loss of European Social Fund contributions. Changes to delivery started from November 2023, in anticipation of the budget.
• Higher Apprenticeships saw the largest fall compared to Q1 the previous year.
• Healthcare and Public Services apprenticeships were the most popular sector in 2024/25 Q1 with 2,210 programmes started. This accounted for 31% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started.
• 53% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by male learners in 2024/25 Q1, a one percentage point decrease from 2023/24 Q1.
• 34% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners aged 19 and under in 2024/25 Q1, compared to 35% in Q1 for the previous year.
• 12% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners with ethnic minority backgrounds in 2024/25 Q1, a three percentage point increase from 2023/24 Q1.
• 12% of apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q1 were by learners identifying as having a disability and/or learning difficulty, this is unchanged from Q1 for the previous year.
• There have been 70,110 apprenticeship starts since Q4 2020/21, as part of progress towards Welsh Government’s target of 100,000 apprenticeships.
• The Programme for Government contained a target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships. During the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting on 26 June 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language agreed a new target of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships to maintain the previous Senedd term’s target of 100,000.

Apprenticeship learning programmes started: interactive dashboard

In September 2024, it was announced that the HESA student record would be expanded to collect data about TNE and UK-based award only students on an individual basis from 2026/27. The aim was to gain a better understanding about this provision for quality and regulatory purposes.

Medr is no longer requiring that TNE and UK-based award only provision is collected on the HESA student record from 2026/27 and are pausing the requirement for this data to be returned to Jisc on an individualised basis, until further notice. Instead, we are requiring providers to return TNE data on the expanded HESA Aggregate Offshore Record (AOR) from 2026/27.

This approach recognises that returning this data on an individualised basis would be particularly challenging at this time and takes heed of the outcomes of the independent review of the implementation of Data Futures. It also means that we can concentrate on the successful implementation of in-year student data collection.

We have written to providers to inform them of this change.

For further information, please contact [email protected].

Information about Jisc and the HESA student record can be found on the HESA website.

Enrolments in Welsh Higher Education Providers (HEPs)

• There were 150,680 enrolments at Welsh HEPs in 2023/24, 2% less than the 154,385 in 2022/23.
• The number of enrolments at undergraduate level decreased by less than 1%; from 111,745 in 2022/23 to 111,320 in 2023/24.
• The number of enrolments at postgraduate level decreased by 8%; from 42,640 in 2022/23 to 39,360 in 2023/24. 
• 35% of postgraduates studied part-time, compared to 25% of undergraduates.
• The most popular subject group at Welsh HEPs at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in 2023/24 was Business and management.

Demographics

• 57% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from female students, the same proportion as in 2022/23.
• 20% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from students with a known disability. This was an increase from 17% in the previous year.
• Of students from the UK whose ethnicity is known, 16% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from students with an ethnic minority background. An increase from 14% in 2022/23.
• 46% of enrolments at Welsh HEPS in 2023/24 were from students whose permanent address on entry to their course was Wales. A further 35% were from the rest of the UK, 1% from the EU and 17% were from elsewhere.

Welsh domiciled students enrolled in UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs)

• There were 103,185 enrolments by students from Wales at UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in 2023/24, 5% less than 2022/23. 
• 83,350 of these enrolments were at undergraduate level in 2023/24, 3% less than 2022/23. 32% of undergraduate students studied part-time.
• 19,840 of these enrolments were at postgraduate level in 2023/24, 10% less than 2022/23. 61% of postgraduate students studied part-time.

Demographics

• 62% of Welsh domiciled enrolments were female students, the same proportion as in 2022/23.
• 23% of Welsh domiciled students had a known disability in 2023/24, an increase from 21% in 2022/23.
• Of students whose ethnicity is known, 11% of Welsh domiciled students in 2023/24 had an ethnic minority background, an increase from 10% in 2022/23.
• The number of full-time, undergraduate enrolments from the most deprived areas in Wales (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2019 Quintile 1) decreased by 6%, from 9,940 enrolments in 2022/23 to 9,385 enrolments in 2023/24.
• The number of full-time, undergraduate enrolments from the least deprived areas in Wales (WIMD 2019 Quintile 5) decreased by 2% (from 15,195 enrolments in 2022/23 to 14,855 enrolments in 2023/24).

Cross border flows of full-time students 2023/24

• 44% of full-time undergraduates from Wales studied elsewhere in the UK. 38% of full-time postgraduates from Wales studied elsewhere in the UK.
• Wales is a net importer of full-time students from the rest of the UK. 
• There were 45,045 full-time students from other UK countries at Welsh HEPs, compared to 27,785 full-time students from Wales studying at HEPs in the rest of the UK.

The UK’s framework for good conduct and governance in research has been relaunched today following consultation and review on behalf of the higher education and research sector.

The Concordat to Support Research Integrity has provided a practical UK framework and reference document for research integrity for researchers, employers of researchers and funders of research since 2012.

While the basic structure and requirements of the Concordat are unchanged, with five commitments with five core principles, the review has ensured that it remains:

• relevant in light of recent developments in research in the UK and internationally, including technological advances.
• appropriately aligned with international frameworks for research governance to support research carried out in international contexts.
• as useful and practical as possible. 

The Concordat and the updates have been agreed by the Research Integrity Concordat Signatories (RICS) Group, which includes Medr, and the UK Committee on Research Integrity.

A summary of the consultation and the changes that were made in response is available on the UKCORI website.

Organisations producing annual statements as part of their commitment to the Concordat should use the revised content by April 2026; and continue to use the existing annual statement reporting template.

Notes

• Further information: The Concordat to Support Research Integrity – UKCORI.
• The UK Committee on Research Integrity now provides a hosting and secretariat role for the Concordat to Support Research Integrity and the Research Integrity Concordat Signatories (RICS) Group. 
• The Committee is working closely with the RICS Group to plan next steps and to support the research sector to continue to enhance integrity practices.

Main points

• 4% of students studied at least one credit in Welsh in 2022/23.
• The number of students studying at least one credit in Welsh fell by 3% compared to 2021/22 and 5% compared to 2020/21. However, it was still a higher number than the three years before 2020/21.
• The proportion of students studying at least 5 credits in Welsh fell to 3% in 2022/23, lower than any of the previous five years. The proportion of students studying at least 120 credits in Welsh fell below 1% in 2022/23, lower than any of the previous five years.
• More than twice as many female students studied at least 1 credit in Welsh compared to male students.
• Education and training was the module subject with the highest number and proportion of students studying at least one credit in Welsh.
• 13% of Welsh domiciled students were known to be fluent Welsh speakers in 2022/23.
• The number of teaching staff contracted to teach in Welsh increased by 1% to 565 in 2022/23 after falling year-on-year since 2018/19.

Background

1. Welsh Government have announced an additional £18.5m capital funding will be made available for allocation within the 2024-25 financial year. This funding will be allocated to support strategic priorities including Net Zero/Decarbonisation, improving facilities and progressing the digitalisation agenda.

Basis of capital funding allocations

2. The capital funding will be allocated based on a formulaic approach. As the funding is to be used, at least in part, to support learning and teaching, the student experience and student facing infrastructure, the allocations have been determined based on student numbers. The number of students at an institution represents a reasonable proxy for the amount of estate and facilities required. This method is consistent with previous allocations of capital administered by HEFCW.

3. The student numbers used for the initial allocation are the HESA Student Record Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) for all modes, levels and domiciles based on the 2022/23 academic year. This is the same basis on which the previous round of capital funding was allocated.

Application of a minimum funding allocation

4. In order to provide capital funding that will allow all institutions to invest in projects that will make a sustainable impact, a minimum allocation of £1,387,500 has been applied. Given its limited estate in Wales, the OU will have a minimum threshold set at 50% (£693,750) to contribute to projects that will benefit Welsh students.

5. The funding for institutions where the original allocation based on their student FTEs fell below this value has been increased to this amount and the FTEs for those institutions then removed from the calculation. The remaining balance of available funding has been apportioned between the other institutions based upon the remaining FTEs in the calculation.

6. The resulting allocations for each institution are provided in Annex A.

Confirmation of ability to spend

7. Given the limited timeframe to distribute this funding, in lieu of fully scoped plans we instead require institutions to confirm via email to [email protected] that they are able to utilise their allocation against relevant projects in the 2024-25 financial year. Please note that these must be developments within Wales (or in the case of digital, projects that will directly benefit Welsh students).

8. Should an institution foresee being unable to use their full allocation, they should notify Medr at the earliest opportunity and any residual funds will be reallocated to other institutions via the formulaic approach described previously.

Annual monitoring

9. A monitoring exercise will be undertaken in 2025 at a suitable date (likely Autumn) to ensure that the funding has been used as intended and to provide an update on the impact that the investment has had. 

10. Institutions will be expected to provide a breakdown of the capital spend and detail any projects that the funding has contributed to.

11. Institutions will be requested to provide a qualitative summary of the positive impacts this funding has had/is having on WG priorities and the criteria noted above.

Timetable

12. Providers will be requested to confirm their ability to spend their full allocation by 19 March 2025.

13. Medr will schedule payment of the allocated funds to institutions upon receipt of the above confirmation and on 20 March 2025.

14. The annual monitoring process will take place in 2025 at a suitable date.

Further information

15. For further information, contact [email protected].

Annex A: Additional higher education capital funding modelling 2024/25

Institution	2022/23 Student FTE	Allocations pro rata to (£): FTE	Percentage allocated to each institution FTE
University of South Wales	17,855	2,638,895	14%
Aberystwyth University		1,387,500	8%
Bangor University		1,387,500	8%
Cardiff University	28,015	4,140,325	22%
University of Wales Trinity Saint David	12,600	1,861,787	10%
Swansea University	18,640	2,754,551	15%
Cardiff Metropolitan University	11,950	1,765,875	10%
Wrexham University		1,387,500	8%
Open University	7,960	1,176,067	6%
Total	97,015	18,500,000	100%

Source: HESA student record 2022/23

Student Numbers not used in calculation: HESA standard registration population, all modes, levels and domiciles.

FTE’s used in calculation: HESA Session Population, all modes, levels and domiciles.

Please note that rounding has been applied to FTE values following use in calculations.

Notes:

Adult community learning statistics have been removed from this release due to data quality issues. Please see the Quality and Methodology information for details on how the data quality issues are being investigated and will be handled.

Revised on 26 March 2025

The learning activity success rate has been revised in the spreadsheet: Sta/Medr/07/2025 Learner outcome reports for apprenticeships August 2023 to July 2024. The revision was due to Jobs Growth Wales+ activities being incorrectly included in the report when it was originally published on 12 March 2025. The revision affects the success rate for all three years included. This spreadsheet includes breakdowns for individual providers.

All figures in the main report and the accompanying tables to the report are unaffected.

The framework success rate for apprenticeships is unaffected.  

Main points

• The success rate of apprenticeships increased in 2023/24 to 74%, it is still lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Foundation level apprenticeships showed the strongest recovery in 2023/24.
• The success rate for higher apprenticeships is much lower than for other levels and has recovered the least since the pandemic.
• Higher apprentices passed only a little over of half of the application of number essential skills activities they took.
• There were large increases in the overall success rate in the sectors of:
  • Health Care and Public Services;
  • Hospitality;
  • Leisure, Sport and Travel.
• Among the larger sectors, the success rate fell in:
  • Construction;
  • Management and Professional.
• The success rate gap between learners in the most deprived areas and least deprived areas is closing.
• There were large increases in the success rate for learners across minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Apprenticeship activities completed entirely in Welsh had a higher than average success rate.

Apprenticeship success rate by academic year

Description: The apprenticeship success rate continues to recover post-pandemic, a gap still exists between the current success rate and pre-pandemic success rates.

Data on StatsWales