HEFCW

Higher Education in Wales is a ‘devolved’ matter, meaning that the majority of decisions made about HE in Wales are taken by the Welsh Government, not Westminster. Many of those decisions are mediated through the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

HEFCW’s mission is ‘to promote internationally excellent higher education in Wales, for the benefit of individuals, society and the economy, in Wales and more widely’. The Funding Council disburses to Higher Education Institutions funding from Welsh Government, strategically allocating funds for the support of learning and teaching, research and capital investment. HEFCW also takes the lead in monitoring the performance of the Higher Education sector, working in partnership with institutions to set realistic but ambitious targets that reflect the various strengths of institutions in Wales and ensure continuous improvement for HE in Wales. HEFCW works with the sector to ensure that the sector is able to respond to the priorities set by the Welsh Government such as improved access to HE, support for students and development of provision through the medium of Welsh.

The Funding Council’s website provides a wide range of information on HE in Wales, including how the Council allocates the funding it provides to institutions, guidance for good governance (to ensure that HEIs are run in a fair, open and transparent manner) and information on the Council’s strategic engagement with HEIs.

One of the Planning and Governance’s task is to submit a number of statutory returns to HEFCW, including the Strategic Planning and Engagements Document and the Fee Plan.