Medr/2026/02: Additional funding to support increased participation in further education institutions and local authorities 2025/26

Introduction

1. This publication sets out the arrangements and timing for additional funding of £21,126,000 to recognise increased participation in further educations institutions (FEI) and local authorities (LA) in the academic year (AY) 2025/26.

2. Medr earmarked this funding as part of their 2024-25 budget and will be allocated to providers in the financial year 2025-26.

3. This funding will be paid in full in one instalment in January 2026.

Rationale

4. The allocation process was as follows:

1. All providers are guaranteed up to 5% of their over delivery.
2. Pro-rate the remaining elements of the £21.126m across the LAs and FEIs working above 5% of their initial allocation.
3. Adjusted the combination of i) and ii) based on the changes needed to the 10m increased participation fund of 2024/25. This is for further education institutions only. This was due to an error in the LLWR December freeze of December 2024, which has now been corrected.

Additional funding amounts and timings

5. An allocation of £18,020,897.72 will be allocated to FEIs for increased participation in the AY 2025/26, as shown in the table below.

Further education institutions	Further education | Additional support for mainstream funding
Bridgend College	£872,587.48
Cardiff and Vale College	£2,058,056.69
Coleg Cambria	£2,547,714.70
Coleg Gwent	£2,273,366.02
Coleg Sir Gâr	£1,058,470.25
Coleg y Cymoedd	£1,843,057.34
Gower College Swansea	£1,498,235.69
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai	£2,341,486.00
Grŵp NPTC Group	£1,421,489.70
The College Merthyr Tydfil	£894,499.30
Pembrokeshire College	£674,369.20
St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College	£537,565.35
Total	£18,020,897.72

6. An allocation of £3,247,221.59 will be allocated to local authorities for increased participation for mainstream funding in AY 2025/26, as shown in the table below.

Local authority	Local authority | Additional support for mainstream funding
Isle of Anglesey County Council	£139,737.76
Cardiff Council	£848,827.40
Carmarthenshire County Council	£135,542.12
Denbighshire County Council	£201,391.89
Flintshire County Council	£153,758.21
Monmouthshire County Council	£197,469.32
Neath Port Talbot Council	£112,346.27
Newport City Council	£157,296.10
Pembrokeshire County Council	£167,861.62
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council	£393,914.14
Swansea City and County Council	£329,051.31
Torfaen County Borough Council	£22,864.36
Vale of Glamorgan Council	£387,161.09
Total	£3,247,221.59

7. This funding relates to the period 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026. This additional funding to support increased participation for the AY 2025/26 will be paid in full in one instalment in January 2026.