What indicators is the Government using in order to assess whether or not its policy of support for students in higher education succeeds in achieving the policy's aims?
A number of changes were introduced in 2018 and 2019 to the support available to undergraduate and postgraduate students ordinarily resident in Wales following the Diamond Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance Arrangements. A full evaluation of these reforms is under development and will include review of the cohorts who have completed their studies under the new arrangements. It will triangulate qualitative and quantitative data to give the fullest picture of the impact of student support policy and inform future policy direction. It will include data from the Student Income and Expenditure Survey, which is conducted periodically in conjunction with the UK Government’s Department for Education.
There are also a number of survey and data sources which provide valuable insight, including the National Survey for Wales, the Student Finance Omnibus Survey, HESA’s annual data release, UCAS data on applications and acceptances, the National Student Survey, the Student Income and Expenditure Survey, and the Student Academic Experience Survey.