Tertiary education in Wales to receive over £1 billion of investment for first time

Medr has confirmed more than £1 billion of investment to support tertiary education, research and innovation across Wales for the 2026/27 academic year.

The funding, which will support around 330,000 learners, provides core and targeted investment for higher education, further education, apprenticeships, local authority sixth forms and adult community learning, alongside continued support for research and innovation.

Medr’s total budget for the 2026‑27 financial year, including capital, is £1.018 billion, with overall academic year investment reaching £1.03 billion. This reflects an increase on the previous year and incorporates additional funding to support areas such as apprenticeships, learner wellbeing, participation and research and innovation.

Supporting learners and providers across Wales, the allocations confirm:

• £150.5 million for apprenticeships in 2026‑27, an increase on the previous year, supporting provision from foundation to degree apprenticeships.
• Increased investment in junior apprenticeships, expanding opportunities for learners aged 14–16.
• Over £460 million in core funding for further education, both a unit rate increase and accounting for variances in learner participation within the funding methodology.
• £121.7 million to support local authority maintained school sixth forms. Again, this reflects both a unit rate increase and accounts for variances in learner participation within the funding methodology.
• Continued funding for adult community learning, supporting provision for learners aged 19 and over.
• More than £98 million for higher education research and innovation, including Quality Research (QR), postgraduate research training and the Research Wales Innovation Fund (RWIF).

Alongside core funding, Medr has confirmed targeted investment to support learner wellbeing, access and participation, employability and skills, data and digital capability, and sector‑wide strategic priorities.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr, said:

“Medr was created to bring greater coherence and collaboration to our tertiary education and research system. This increased investment in our tertiary sector supports this aim, helping providers deliver high-quality education, research and innovation for learners at every stage while also strengthening the sector’s ability to respond to future challenges.

“We recognise the financial pressures being faced both by the sector and across Government budgets and will continue to review our investment to better align to the long term ambitions in our Strategic Plan alongside the new Government’s priorities. In doing so we will continue our work with providers and partners to ensure every pound invested by Medr translates to a learner, a community or a local economy able to look to the future with increased confidence and prosperity.”

Full tertiary funding investment for the 2026/27 academic year including individual provider allocations and detailed methodological information:

Tertiary Investment Allocations for 2026/27